How to Use Impasto Medium With Oils
Useful Tips on Oil Painting Bulking Agents for Impasto Techniques
Oct 4, 2009
Those who wish to learn oil painting may like to delve into creating impasto oil paintings. Impasto simply means the application of thick paint, creating interesting textures and the injection of expression. One may quickly learn, however, that a large quantity of oil paint is required when producing impasto, which can be quite costly. However, impasto medium takes away the requirement of using lots of oil paint when creating an impasto oil painting, for it has the effect of adding body to the pigment.
What Sort of Oil Painting Medium is Impasto Medium?
There are many different types of oil painting mediums available within outlets stocking oil paint supplies. Linseed oil, for instance, thins the paint and retards its drying time. Impasto medium is rather like linseed oil’s opposite. An alkyd-based gel, it adds body to the pigment and accelerates the paint’s drying time.
Creating an Impasto Oil Painting
Impasto medium is available in recommended art suppliers such as Winsor & Newton and Daler Rowney. A large tube will last for years. One’s first encounter with impasto medium will surprise the artist with its brownish colour (fig 1). This need not concern the artist, for once it is mixed with the oil paint, it will not affect its hue. It is important however, not to dilute the pigment more than about half and half, otherwise the pigment will be spread too thinly within the mixture and lessen the hue’s tinting strength.
An Essential Artist Medium
Once the impasto medium has been mixed with the pigment, one will notice the paint stiffen and become bulky. Pasting on the paint via a palette knife (fig 2) or a stiff brush will leave discernable peaks and troughs. An impasto painting viewed under an oblique light will show up the textures, giving the painting an extra dimension. Van Gough’s paintings are excellent examples of how impasto can add dimension to any painting, particularly those depicting landscapes (fig 4), water and skies (fig 3).
Oil Painting Technique
A certain amount of boldness is required when using impasto medium, but one will soon find the ladling of thick oil paint a satisfying experience and may soon branch out into using other art implements such as toothbrushes, spatulas and combs, from which to create interesting textures. Sgraffito is an interesting technique involving the scratching of the upper layer of paint to reveal a contrasting colour beneath.
Tips on Mixing Oil Paint
The artist may sometimes find surplus paint on the palette at the end of a painting session. In order to make efficient use of the paint, rather than throw it away, overlay it with cling film and place it in a cool dark place. The surplus paint can be saved for an impasto painting depicting neutrals and muted colour mixes. The oil paint should remain malleable for a few days up to a week.
Impasto Medium for Fine Art Painting
Impasto medium is a useful addition to any artist’s kit for creating impasto techniques. It takes away the need for using lots of paint, which can be costly. The medium adds bulk to the pigment creating opportunities for interesting textures in the paintwork, particularly in paintings depicting large areas of colour, such as landscapes and skies.
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