Slipped and Fell In Love with Oil

I HATE TO WAIT FOR PAINT TO DRY! In the past, I always shied away from painting with oils in lieu of faster drying water based mediums like acrylic paints and all the fabulous water soluble products on the market today like Gelato's (from craft stores) and InkTense blocks or NeoColor II wax crayons (from art supply stores). Since I like to heavily layer my work, to me painting with oil was excruciating as I set my work aside for sometimes weeks before the paintings were dry enough to work over.

Well! In come Gamblin Paint Co's FastMatte fast drying oil paints...

My Gamblin FastMatte Oil Paints stash!

These beautifully pigmented oil paints contain just enough alkyd resin to dry for the most part overnight, or when I use them more thickly, then in 2-3 days. I always like to attack my canvas or wood boards with color by making an underpainting (giving me a running start to my artworks) and the FastMatte paints do the trick to move me forward with my paintings lickety split.

Some of my FastMatte oil underpaintings on canvas pads.

Plus, the FastMatte paint is tacky enough when freshly applied to the work surface to take one of my favorite mixed media items, transfer foil! Been luvin' on the Pebeo Mirror Foil lately. Here is one of my recent paintings, "Mangoes", made with all Gamblin FastMatte paints and mirror foil. The background was already dry when I painted the mangoes and leaves on a Monday...and submitted the dry painting to a show that same week Saturday!

'Mangoes', Oil Paint on Wood Panel, 12in x 12in, 2014

Gamblin also has deliciously smooth oil painting mediums which help to speed drying time that I have been experimenting with this year. Because I'm a "texture" girl, my favorites are Galkyd Gel (they like to call it G-Gel) and Cold Wax Medium. The G-Gel gives a smooth, somewhat shiny, textured surface finish and the Cold Wax Medium gives a stiffer matte finish, both of which cause the oil paints to dry faster than oil paint alone and still maintain a robust final paint film. 

Now I feel EMPOWERED to PAINT IN OIL and use the luscious tube oil paints and R&F Oil Pigment Sticks that have been hanging 'round my studio calling out my name!

Check out your local art supply store or online for Gamblin FastMatte oil paints and oil mediums. And, leave a message below if you would like a private or group lesson in Fast Painting with Oils!

HAPPY  ARTING!  Tristina :D