Oil Paint Drying Time

Paint type is only a small part of the equation.

Oil paint drying time.

Artist oil paint on untreated wood will react to the wood and over time the wood will start to rot and deteriorate. As you can see there are many methods of speeding up drying time for oil paintings. For latex drying time is relatively short compared to that of oil based paints. Because of this you have much more time to manipulate oil paint on your canvas before it dries.

Look for paints made with linseed oil. A flat surface such as board ensures the paint is evenly dispersed and dried. Oil based paints will dry best in room temperatures that are above 50 degrees fahrenheit but under 90 degrees fahrenheit. Oil paint is inherently slow drying compared to the other painting mediums such as acrylic watercolor or gouache paints.

Paint drying time is the amount of time it takes for the paint to be dry to the touch after application. With mediums such as refined linseed oil you can work into the paint for a few days after laying down the initial layer. However you would not want to paint on plain wood or metal without good surface preparation and a sealer and primer coat of gesso first. The drying time of oil paints can vary based on the oil which was used.

Oil based paints on the other hand require up to six to eight hours to become dry to the touch and 24 hours before the next coat can be applied. For initial oil based layers i might add about 1 part oil to 4 parts paint and increase the amount slightly for proceeding layers. Paints made from linseed oil can speed your painting s drying time significantly and they re easily found at most art supply stores. Circulating the air with a fan on low quickens paint drying times.

The malleable nature of oil paints in addition to the depth and vibrancy of its pigment quality makes oil color the choice of paint for many artists. Colder temperatures and excess humidity slow drying time for water based paints since the water from the paint needs to evaporate for it to dry. This is one of the reasons why oil paint is so widely used by artists. Linseed oil dries faster than walnut oil which itself dries faster than poppy oil.

If only there were a way you could plan out the drying time and maybe speed it up as well so you could be more productive.