Langridge Oil Mediums - Langridge Artist Colours

Drying oils act as binding agents for artists’ oil paint and provide body to the brushstroke as the colours are spread out.

Oil mediums are used for changing the consistency of the paint, rendering it more suitable for the artists’ particular technique.

Thinning: Can be used to thin oil paints, making them more workable and easier to apply. Particularly useful when creating fine details or glazes.
Texture and Body: To be added to paint to provide a thicker texture or controlled mark making not achievable with fluid mediums.
Drying Time: When added they can speed up or slow down the drying time, giving artists more control over their creative process.
Transparency and Opacity: Mediums can aid in the transparency of oil paints when creating glazes to control the level of visibility of underlying layers.
Gloss/Matte Finishes: Useful for altering the final sheen of a painting, providing options for artists who prefer a gloss or matte reflective finish.

Primers are applied to the support to provide a desirable surface on which to paint. Solvents dissolve and mix with oils and resins to reduce the viscosity of paints and varnish and are also used for their removal. Varnishes protect the finished artwork and create a complete film of even reflective quality.

Drying Oils

Drying oils act as agglomorating binders for artists’ oil paint and provide body to the brushstroke as the colours are spread out. Selection of the appropriate oil can alter the working quality of the paint.

Performance differences include paste consistency, texture, effect on paint shades, desired drying time and mechanical strength of the paint film. Oils dry by absorbing oxygen, turning into a solid, non-reversable film. Full film drying takes up to six months.

Refined Linseed Oil

Cold Pressed Linseed Oil

Cold Pressed Walnut Oil

Refined Safflower Oil

Cold Pressed Safflower Oil

Stand Oil

Fluid Mediums

Fluid oil mediums are used for changing the consistency of the paint, rendering it more convenient for brushing or applying, or more suitable for the artists’ particular technique, which may require paint that is thinner, faster or slower drying, more matte or gloss reflection.

All Langridge Fluid painting mediums are based on non-yellowing Stand Oil or Safflower Oil. This results in mediums that can be added to artists oil colours, in any proportion, without fear of rapid discolouration of the final painting.

Underpainting Medium

Low Toxic Underpainting Medium

Painting Medium

Low Toxic Paint Medium

Bodied Mediums

Bodied oil mediums are used for changing the consistency of the paint, to allow for the extending of oil colours or altering the flow making it more convenient for brushing-out without loss of control.

All Langridge bodied mediums are highly stable and built to provide ‘body’ whilst removing issues of wrinkling (surface crawl), splitting or cracking.

Primers

Primers are coats applied to the support to provide a desirable surface on which to paint. Most grounds are white to offer the brightest reflecting surface for light to act upon.

Acrylic primers can be painted directly onto raw canvas. Do not apply over glue sizing. Oil primers need to have a coat of glue size applied first to protect the raw canvas underneath.

Solvent & Soaps

Solvents dissolve and mix with oils and resins to reduce the viscosity of paints and varnish.
They also also used for the removal of oils, paint and varnishes. Solvent performance in artist’s materials :

Must not react chemically with the materials with which they are mixed.
Does not have a destructive action on cured previous paint layers.
Should evaporate completely, leaving no residue.

Distilled Gum Turpentine

Low Toxic Solvent

Solvent 75

Artists’ White Spirit

Methylated Spirits (100%)

Driers

To be added to oil paint or mediums for altering the speed of drying. Siccatives accelerate the oxidisation and polymerisation of drying oils, especially useful for very slow drying colours.

Cobalt Driers

Zirconium Driers

Calcium Driers

Varnishes

A varnish is used to protect the finished artwork. Picture varnishes perform the following functions:

Be fully removable without disturbing the oil paint film underneath.
Be resistant to moisture and general pollutants.
Create a complete film of even reflective quality.

It is the varnishes’ function to prevent dirt reaching the paint surface. It is much easier to remove a dirty varnish and replace that than to remove dirt from the oil painting itself, potentially damaging the paint-film.

Conservation science indicates that application of a final picture varnish aids in the prevention of destructive chemical exchanges occurring at the paint surface during the life of a painting.

Resins formulated in artist’s varnishes are very solvent specific. The incorrect use of solvents for dilution or removal may lead to stability issues. Use only the solvent as used in each varnishes’ formula (listed under constituent ingredients).