Using pure linseed oil as a medium for heavy body paint

ConnorDios

hello, I have read many posts online here and have found a few questions that are relatively similar but didn’t quite answer what I was looking for. This is my first post, as I found all the answers to my questions in other threads until now. I am almost certainly still going to be buying the essential pallet of Geneva oil colors, but as an acrylic painter who uses golden heavy body, I am wondering if it is possible to use a heavy bodied paint thinned down with pure linseed oil as a medium? I just think it might be nice to have full control over the body of my paint in the future, but honestly want to paint in a similar manner as mark carder and John singer Sargent and dedicate myself entirely to the draw mix paint method of learning and therefore will likely not need the heavy body quality anyways. Still, I am wondering if it possible to thicken the Geneva line without losing its slow drying properties and uniform drying rate among the 5 colors, or if I should use Geneva to study and paint marks technique and just purchase thicker paint if I want to paint Impressionism or just desire thicker paint in the future? I have to have a solvent free workspace, and was curious if anyone uses pure linseed oil and a touch of love with heavy body (specifically gamblins)?

tassieguy

I just use walnut oil as a medium. No solvent. Walnut oil adds luster and it doesn't yellow as much or dry as fast as linseed oil. Depending on how much walnut oil you add you can make the paint as thin or as stiff as you want. 

ConnorDios

@tassieguy that’s awesome! Do you use equivalents to carders limited pallet in another brand? Also what type of walnut oil do you use? Is it from an art store or the grocery store and just wondering have you used the Geneva paint to compare your experience? How long does your pallet remain wet with the walnut oil by the way? 

tassieguy

Hi, @ConnerDios. 
I follow Mark's method pretty closely. When I started painting 4 years ago Geneva wasn't available in Australia so I used a brand I can get here. I use a limited pallet with the inclusion of the earth colours, yellow ochre and red oxide. I see no point in mixing these cheap colours from expensive cadmium.

I use a pure walnut oli I get from the health food store. Paint mixed with this stays workable for  3 - 5 days on average depending on the colour. Burnt umber dries quicker while blue can stay workable for over a week. I love walnut oil. Completely non-toxic. You could pour it on your salad and eat it. It's delicious. 

ConnorDios

Awesome thank you so much! @tassieguy

Forgiveness

Where I live, food grade walnut oil is much more expensive than the artists' grade oil, so I've settled on this. I just don't eat it! Lol! 😁

ConnorDios

@Forgiveness oh ok cool! Do you also use walnut oil solvent free or do you use it in a medium that you mix together? I assumed many of the old masters must have used pure oil as their medium, and am interested in giving it a try with a thick paint. Honestly I’m leaning more toward getting the geneva essential pallet though just because after researching a lot and comparing prices, it’s really not more expensive because it already has the medium mixed in and the pigments seem to be the best.

Richard_P

I also just use walnut oil, mixing into tubed oil paints until it has a fluid consistency. There is a spot with walnut oil (probably others too) where you add enough oil that the paint 'glides' over the surface. Probably too much oil for most people, but I love it!

Forgiveness

I use walnut oil straight up it's really the best, no solvents. I also use a little regular linseed oil & bleached linseed oil. I also now paint with thick consistency after learning Mark's methods and have branched off to do my own thing, a year ago. Geneva oil paint is as great as so many claim, but I now paint using Rublev & Michael Harding, and I sketch with Holbein oil l paints, personal preference. And here in Canada eh!, we most prefer thick paint and expression in brushstrokes. 😉