Used by Jackson Pollock to create his famous drip paints, alkyds are a synthetic medium made from oil-modified resin and treated with alcohol. The main advantage of using an alkyd medium is that it dries faster than oil, allowing most oil paints mixed with an alkyd to be touch dry within 24 hours. This quick drying property provides tough yet flexible paint films, making alkyd an excellent carrier for complex lamination and glazing applications. Alkyd carriers can be found in a range of paint modification formulations to provide thinning, thickening, gloss finish, matte finish, fast dry time and slow dry time. There are also different levels of viscosity, with the high viscosity varieties providing a thicker medium that can be used to show off strong brush strokes, and the low viscosity versions being a great option for washes. Our choices below will help you find the right alkyd medium for your oil painting needs.
1. Gamblin Galkyd
Similar in viscosity to traditional linseed oil based painting mediums, Gamblin’s Galkyd Medium increases the flow of oil colors while speeding up their drying times. Made with alkyd resin and odorless mineral spirits, Galkyd provides a tough, flexible paint film that leaves a glossy, enamel-like finish. As Gamblin’s fastest drying painting medium, Galkyd is an excellent choice for artists who want to build up layers quickly, and when used in greater proportion with oil color it can help level out brushstrokes for a smoother finish, keeping oils clear and jewel-like. , not cloudy.
2. Winsor & Newton Liquin Original
One of the very first alkyd resin mediums ever produced, Winsor & Newton Liquin Original is a widely used general purpose low gloss medium that improves flow and transparency, making it ideal for glazing techniques and painting. detailed brushwork. Compared to Galkyd, Liquin dries a little slower allowing more working time on the palette with greater flexibility. However, it should be noted that Liquin has a stronger smell than some of the other products listed here and is best used in a well-ventilated area.
3. M. Graham & Co. Walnut/Alkyd Medium
This medium speeds up drying time without changing the texture of the paint. Solvent-free and certified non-toxic medium with the combined benefits of walnut oil, which will improve flow allowing better control, and alkyd, which speeds drying time. This low viscosity fluid medium will improve intercoat adhesion and increase surface shine.
4. Grumbacher Alkyd Paint Medium
Fast drying with a matte finish, Grumbacher Alkyd Paint Medium will enhance fluidity for easy glide over the surface without loss of control. When applied in thin layers, paint mixed with this alkyd should be touch dry within 12 hours. It is a thixotropic painting medium, meaning the more you stir, the more fluid it will become, making it an excellent choice for glazing and creating rich, transparent layers.
5. Williamsburg Alkyd Resin Oil
Unlike the other products listed here, Williamsburg Alkyd Resin Oil is slow drying. With a honeyed, sticky and leveling consistency, it can be added to oil paint to modify transparency and fluidity. You will still achieve similar gloss and hardness as other alkyds without having to sacrifice the longer dry time that allows for greater handling and mixing.
