Drying Times w. Artisans and Linseed Oil

Hello,

New guy here! I am having a problem with some WMO paint that just doesn't want to dry. I used 4 coats of Acrylic gesso then I wanted to prime with some WN Artisan Burnt Sienna with only a couple of drops of Artisan Lindseed Oil.

Problem: it has now been almost 3 weeks and paint is still wet/tacky. I would really rather only use the paint straight from the tube or if I have to, with linseed oil only.

Maybe I am wrong, but this seems like WAY to long to dry for a thin layer.

Any ideas?

Cheers

Doug

Hi
I posted a response but might have clicked the wrong button, as I do not see it yet.

Anyway, I wonder if the base layer is too 'fat' , that it has too much oil in it to dry quickly. You could try scraping it off, or wiping it with a paper towel to remove some paint.
I paint with WN also, and usually mix thinner and a small amount of medium together to dilute the paint on the base layer. It usually dries in a day or two.

good luck!

watermixableguy wrote:

Hi
I posted a response but might have clicked the wrong button, as I do not see it yet.

Anyway, I wonder if the base layer is too 'fat' , that it has too much oil in it to dry quickly. You could try scraping it off, or wiping it with a paper towel to remove some paint.
I paint with WN also, and usually mix thinner and a small amount of medium together to dilute the paint on the base layer. It usually dries in a day or two.

good luck!

Thanks for the reply. Not so sure it's the linseed oil. I use an eyedropper and only add 2-3 drops per 2" rope of burnt sienna. I was thinking that maybe I should try without any linseed oil and see how it dries. I'm not interested in using thinner or medium besides minimal linseed oil. I want to paint straight out of the tube, and if that's not possible with some WN colours, I'm prepared to change brands. I like thicker paints, but would be willing to balance off paint thickness vs drying time. Alternatives that come to mind are Cobras and Holbein.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Doug

Hi Doug,

Welcome to the forum.

My first question is: Did you allow sufficient drying time in between each coat of gesso? (eight hours or so between each layer.) The moisture in the gesso might be transferring to the WSO keeping it from drying.

Secondly, a fine film of oil ( I prefer walnut, WSO linseed is fine) should be applied over the gesso and then wiped off gently with a soft cloth to remove any puddling, leaving just a lite film of oil on the canvas. This helps the paint spread more easily and bonding with the acrylic without fattening the layer significantly.

As far as the Holbein Duo and Cobras, both are a much more spreadable than W/N without the need for thinning. They work very well right out of the tube.

As far as rating the thickness of the tube paint:
W/N is the thickest,
Holbeins are second and the
Cobras are the thinnest. All have very good pigment content, though.

Hope that helps.

Judy

judyfilarecki wrote:

Hi Doug,

Welcome to the forum.

Hi Judy, thanks for the welcome.

Quote :

My first question is: Did you allow sufficient drying time in between each coat of gesso? (eight hours or so between each layer.) The moisture in the gesso might be transferring to the WSO keeping it from drying.

24 hours between coats of gesso for drying.

Quote :

Secondly, a fine film of oil ( I prefer walnut, WSO linseed is fine) should be applied over the gesso and then wiped off gently with a soft cloth to remove any puddling, leaving just a lite film of oil on the canvas. This helps the paint spread more easily and bonding with the acrylic without fattening the layer significantly.

I can see where that's a useful tip, but you don't have to do that, do you? I mean can't you paint directly on the gesso?

Quote :

As far as rating the thickness of the tube paint:
W/N is the thickest,
Holbeins are second and the
Cobras are the thinnest. All have very good pigment content, though.

I kind of have a couple of problems with Holbeins. I can't help thinking that they are rather expensive for what they are compared to other brands. I also don't like their non-standard naming for colours!


Cheers

Doug

Three weeks for drying is a very long time. I know of that happening to someone that was wipeing off the brushes on baby wipes. The baby wipes had a non drying oil as part of the liquid. Also have heard about that when people clean their brushes in baby oil or some other type of non drying oil. Burnt sienna is supposed to be a rather quick drying color.
Hope this helps.
Dayle

HI Doug,

I guess it is not the gesso.

As far as putting the thin layer of oil over the gesso, it just helps the paint flow more easily and possibly improves the bonding of the acrylic and oils. Originally, I didn't do that and really struggled with the W/N first layers. Then I found out about the application of the oil film from several places. One place was from watching Jerry Yarnell paint WS Oils over acrylics. Bob Ross always added a thin layer of liguid clear before starting his regular oil application.

One of the other members of the forum suggested in a previous post, that because gesso tends to be absorbent, perhaps the oil film helps cut down on the absorption of the first paint applied.

You might take a look at a discussion about this in the forum in another place. Here's the link.
https://watersolubleoils.forumotion.com/t736-preparing-gessoed-surfaces-for-ws-oils?highlight=preparing+the+canvas

I still have no clue why your paint is taking so long to dry. Sorry I don't have an answer for you on that.

judyfilarecki wrote:

HI Doug,

I guess it is not the gesso.

As far as putting the thin layer of oil over the gesso, it just helps the paint flow more easily and possibly improves the bonding of the acrylic and oils. Originally, I didn't do that and really struggled with the W/N first layers. Then I found out about the application of the oil film from several places. One place was from watching Jerry Yarnell paint WS Oils over acrylics. Bob Ross always added a thin layer of liguid clear before starting his regular oil application.

One of the other members of the forum suggested in a previous post, that because gesso tends to be absorbent, perhaps the oil film helps cut down on the absorption of the first paint applied.

You might take a look at a discussion about this in the forum in another place. Here's the link.
https://watersolubleoils.forumotion.com/t736-preparing-gessoed-surfaces-for-ws-oils?highlight=preparing+the+canvas

I still have no clue why your paint is taking so long to dry. Sorry I don't have an answer for you on that.

Thanks for trying everyone.

BTW Judy-if the gesso was absorbing the paint, wouldn't it dry faster? Also, I'll have a look at that other thread you mentioned.

Cheers

Doug