Gamblin Artists' Oil Painting Mediums

True to historic working properties. Safer. More Permanent.

Gamblin Oil Painting mediums offer a great deal more than simply extending oil colors. Mediums modify the working properties of oil color from the tube – from a fluid consistency for expressive mark-making to a stiff paste for creating thick, crisp marks. Painting mediums also broaden the visual qualities of our colors – from increasing the transparency of paint layers to creating a range of surface qualities, from high gloss to matte.

Gamblin’s family of Galkyd painting mediums and Cold Wax Medium are formulated with Gamsol. We recommend only Gamsol for thinning these materials.

Alkali Refined Linseed Oil - Processed from flax seeds. This linseed is the purest and lightest industrially produced variety.

Cold Pressed Linseed Oil - Made from the first pressing of flax seeds without heat or chemicals of any kind.

Cold Wax Medium - Made from natural white unbleached beeswax. Mix directly into colors. Cold Wax creates an ultra-thick, matte impasto. For greater shine and flexibility mix with Galkyd medium.

"G-Gel" - Made from alkyd resin, Galkyd Gel is a colorless oil color additive that accelerates the drying rate of oil colors and enables artists to create thick transparent paintings with a moderate sheen.

Galkyd Painting Medium - Alkyd-based resin painting medium that thins oil paints and maintains a strong, flexible paint film. Galkyd speeds the drying rate and is excellent for glazing, providing an enamel-like finish. For thinning, Gamblin recommends using Gamsol or a small amount of Refined Linseed Oil.

Galkyd Painting Medium Lite No.2 - This low viscosity alkyd resin painting medium is a good replacement for traditional damar/ linseed oil/ turpentine combination mediums. Galkyd Lite dries within about 3 hours to a subdued gloss, and will maintain your brush strokes. For thinning, Gamblin recommends using Gamsol or a small amount of Refined Linseed Oil.

Galkyd Slow Drying Medium - Especially formulated to thin oil colors and give painters extended working time. To use mix equal portions of medium with oil colors to paint wet for at least a day. Since this product should not be diluted, you may want to purchase the larger size.

Gamsol - Quality solvent and medium and for general oil painting. Gamsol is also an excellent studio and brush cleaner.

Odorless Mineral Spirits -Gamsol is the safest solvent that allows oil painters to utilize all traditional painting techniques without compromise.
Primary Uses for Gamsol - Thinning oil colors, Modifying painting mediums, Studio clean up.Gamsol is a petroleum distillate but all the aromatic solvents have been refined out of it, less than .005% remains.

Gamvar - Conservation quality varnish for oil, acrylic and alkyd paintings. This resin varnish may be removed with a mild solvent and contains a UV stabilizer. Developed in association with the National Gallery of Art. The package makes enough varnish to cover 80 sq ft. Once the varnish is applied, the surface will have a uniform gloss appearance.

Oil Painting Ground - For strong, bright foundations of oil paintings. Requires only 2 coats. Formulated from alkyd resin, titanium dioxide, and barium sulfate. Stiffer than traditional gesso.

PVA Size - Use as a barrier size between linen or cotton canvas instead of rabbit skin glue. Remains flexible and won't yellow, shrink or swell.

Poppy Oil - Poppy Oil's slow drying time may be useful for painters using "wet into wet" techniques. Adding 10% volume of poppy oil slows down the drying time of Gamblin Galkyd Painting Mediums.

Rabbit Skin Glue - Gamblin's Rabbit Skin Glue is the traditional size for fabric support on panels. It seals porous fabric and isolates it from ground or oil paints. Stretching the canvas is easy because the size shrinks as it dries.

Safflower Oil- Gamblin's Safflower Oil is a pale, slow-drying oil. Safflower oil increases the flow of oil colors and slows dry time. Use sparingly or mix with an equal amount of Gamsol to create a traditional slow-drying, low-viscosity painting medium.

Solvent-Free Gel Medium - This unique, non-toxic blend of safflower oil and alkyd resin gives colors more flow and transparency, yet holds brushstrokes well. It has a moderately fast drying rate, increases gloss, and supports the broadest range of painting techniques with the least compromise across color, dry time, texture, and mark-making. Contains no Gamsol or petroleum distillates.

Solvent-Free Fluid Medium- Gamblin's Solvent-Free Fluid Medium gives oil colors more flow and transparency. It has a moderately fast drying rate that increases gloss. Made from safflower oil and alkyd resin, this medium is non-toxic and contains no Gamsol or petroleum distillates.

Stand Oil - Vacuum-bodied heavy oil, which can be used in painting and glazing mediums. Dries to an enamel-like finish.

Traditional Gesso - Gamblin's Traditional Gesso is a dry mixture of rabbit skin glue, gypsum, marble dust, and titanium dioxide. Paintings on gesso are more matte because of the high absorbency of traditional gesso.

Wax Pastilles - Small beads of naturally white unbleached beeswax.