Notebook

Notebook, 1993-

MATERIALS & METHODS - Painting - Oil Painting - Binders and Diluents - Drying Oils

Characteristics - Painting Methods & Techniques - Materials and Equipment - Work Space & Storage - Manufacture of Pigments - Protection of the Picture

From: Kay, Reed. The Painter's Guide to Studio Methods and Materials. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1983.

Binders and Diluents - Drying Process
When ordinary paste (such as starch paste) dries, water evaporates from it, leaving behind a solid adhesive film. When a vegetable oil dries, the process is quite different. The oil absorbs oxygen from the air and solidifies as it does so, becoming measurably heavier during this process and increasing in bulk. As the drying continues, the oil undergoes another process--that of polymerization, during which its molecular arrangement is changed. By the time it is solidified it becomes a different chemical substance, due to its union with oxygen, and it cannot be liquefied again with normal thinners to its original composition. The dried film is durable and water resistant. Moderate indirect daylight assists the drying of the oil. Oil paint films that are kept away from daylight as they dry are apt to darken. On the other hand, a fresh oil painting that is put into intense direct sunlight to accelerate the initial drying may crack. [p. 33]

[Kay, Reed. The Painter's Guide to Studio Methods and Materials. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1983.]











NOTEBOOK | Links

Copyright

The contents of this site, including all images and text, are for personal, educational, non-commercial use only. The contents of this site may not be reproduced in any form without proper reference to Text, Author, Publisher, and Date of Publication [and page #s when suitable].