Page 9 - Mediums
Painting mediums are used to modify the rate of drying, increase gloss, improve flow or add texture, mediums as an additive to color. Working with oils, solvents, mediums, and varnishes for painting requires an in-depth understanding of paint. The wide range of oils, mediums, and solvents to control color makes choices difficult.
George O'Hanlon
I find it interesting that anyone today who understands even a fraction about making oil paint would recommend cold-pressed linseed oil for making oil colors. I know it is recommended in some of the artist's manuals, but it seems to me these authors never really understood the reasons why or simply copied what others had told them.
Why do we suppose the Old Masters went through such great lengths to "clean" or process their oils before using it in paint? Simply because they wanted to rid their cold-pressed drying oil of foots and other impurities, which cause problems in the dried paint film, such as yellowing.
Refined oils made by industry today are excellent products, and they do not have the faults of cold-pressed products. For example, I have samples of every type of drying oil (linseed, tung, walnut, sunflower, hempseed, poppy, high linoleic safflower oil, etc.) available in North America (and some from Asia and Europe). I can tell you that there are refined linseed...
