Artists Oil Paint Drying Times
Winsor & Newton have just rolled out a nifty guide to help you understand how long it takes for their paints to dry. Just a heads up, this guide gives you the time it takes for the paint to be dry to the touch. When it comes to oil paint, it needs to be fully dry before you varnish it—usually between 3 to 6 months or even longer, depending on how thick the paint is. The process involves letting the oil harden through oxidation.
Now, let’s dive into the drying times for Winsor & Newton Artist’s Oil Colour. This one’s as close to traditional oil colour as it gets, crafted with top-notch pigments and perfected methods over the years. It’s lightfast, providing strong and consistent coverage whether you’re using brushes or palette knives.
Winsor & Newton Artist's Oil Colour
For the drying times, check this out:
- Fast drying (around 2 days): Permanent Mauve [manganese], Cobalt Blues, Prussian Blue, Raw Sienna, Umbers, Underpainting White
- Medium drying colours (around 5 days): Cadmiums, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Cobalt Violets & Greens, Winsor Blues & Greens (phthalocyanines), Ultramarine Blues, Permanent Sap Green, Ochres, Burnt Sienna, Mars colours, Lamp Black, Ivory Black
- Slow drying colours (more than 5 days): Winsor Yellows & Orange (arylamides), Quinacridones, Alizarin Crimson, Titanium White, Zinc White
Winsor & Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colour
Moving on to Winsor & Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colour. This one’s a game-changer—it’s water-soluble when solvents aren’t your thing, without compromising on the performance of traditional oil paints.
And here are the drying times for this cool range:
- Fast drying (around 2 days): Prussian Blue, Umbers
- Medium drying (around 5 days): Cadmium Hues, Phthalo Blue (red shade), Phthalo Greens, Sienna’s, French Ultramarine, Ochres, Titanium White, Zinc White, Lamp Black, Ivory Black
- Slow drying (more than 5 days): Cadmiums, Permanent Rose (Quinacridone), Permanent Alizarin Crimson
Griffin Alkyd Fast Drying Oil Colours
Lastly, let’s talk about Griffin Alkyd Fast Drying Oil Colours. These paints are speed demons! You can work with any color in this range on your palette for 4 to 8 hours. Once painted, they become touch dry after 18 to 24 hours. These paints boast a high proportion of single pigments, giving you brilliant colors even when mixed. Thickness of impasto will affect drying times—the thinner the layer, the quicker it dries. Humidity also plays a role in speeding up or slowing down drying times.
Remember, using fast drying paint as under layers can help avoid cracking. Explore oil drying mediums to tweak your drying times. Winsor & Newton Artists’ Painting Medium can change the rate of drying and influence the gloss and texture of color. If you’re in a hurry, give Winsor & Newton Liquin Original a go to speed up the drying rate by about 50%.
Oh, and a heads up: if you’re painting in a humid environment, your oil paint might turn yellow. Keep that in mind!