Oil Paint Drying Time

When using drying oils on their own be careful not to use too much oil in the paint.

Oil paint drying time.

Paint drying time is the amount of time it takes for the paint to be dry to the touch after application. If only there were a way you could plan out the drying time and maybe speed it up as well so you could be more productive. Look for paints made with linseed oil. Linseed oil dries faster than walnut oil which itself dries faster than poppy oil.

This is one of the reasons why oil paint is so widely used by artists. Because of this you have much more time to manipulate oil paint on your canvas before it dries. However you would not want to paint on plain wood or metal without good surface preparation and a sealer and primer coat of gesso first. Oil paint is inherently slow drying compared to the other painting mediums such as acrylic watercolor or gouache paints.

The malleable nature of oil paints in addition to the depth and vibrancy of its pigment quality makes oil color the choice of paint for many artists. On a properly prepared wood or metal surface oil paint will dry the same as on canvas. The drying time of oil paints can vary based on the oil which was used. With mediums such as refined linseed oil you can work into the paint for a few days after laying down the initial layer.

As you can see there are many methods of speeding up drying time for oil paintings. For initial oil based layers i might add about 1 part oil to 4 parts paint and increase the amount slightly for proceeding layers. Circulating the air with a fan on low quickens paint drying times. Oil paint on textured canvas tends to dry more slowly as thicker globs of paint fill the crevices of the canvas.

Colder temperatures and excess humidity slow drying time for water based paints since the water from the paint needs to evaporate for it to dry. Paints made from linseed oil can speed your painting s drying time significantly and they re easily found at most art supply stores. A flat surface such as board ensures the paint is evenly dispersed and dried. For latex drying time is relatively short compared to that of oil based paints.

Oil based paints will dry best in room temperatures that are above 50 degrees fahrenheit but under 90 degrees fahrenheit.