Which Mediums Will Help My Oil Paint Dry Faster?

Which Mediums Will Help My Oil Paint Dry Faster?

If you’ve ever waited days (or even weeks!) for an oil painting to dry, you’re not alone. While oil paints are known for their rich colour and smooth blending, they do have one major downside: drying time. Straight from the tube, oil paint can take several days to become touch-dry, sometimes longer in humid or cool conditions. The good news? You can speed things up without sacrificing that beautiful oil finish.

Let’s explore a few options to help your oils dry faster; from smart paint choices to mixing in the right mediums.

Speed Things Up with Alkyd Mediums

One of the easiest ways to accelerate drying time is by adding an alkyd medium to your oil paint. Alkyds are fast-drying synthetic resins that blend beautifully with oil paints to reduce drying time significantly; sometimes to under 24 hours!

A popular option is Winsor & Newton Liquin Original. It’s smooth, easy to mix, and cuts drying time without altering your paint’s texture too much. Perfect for artists who want to keep their flow going across multiple sessions without waiting days for paint layers to dry.

Choose a Faster-Drying Traditional Oil Paint

Not ready to experiment with mediums just yet? Even within traditional oils, there are faster-drying options.

Winton Oil Colours from Winsor & Newton are a great example. While still classified as oil paints, they include additives (called ‘driers’) that help them dry more quickly than many artist-grade options. This makes them a great in-between choice; you get the feel of traditional oil, but with a shorter wait between layers.

What’s the Difference Between Alkyd and Oil Mediums?

When we talk about oil painting mediums, they generally fall into two categories:

  • Alkyds – synthetic, fast-drying, slightly glossy
  • Oils – natural, slow-drying, with more traditional flow and finish

Alkyds are great for speeding up the process, while oils like Refined Linseed Oil are better suited to extending drying time and improving flow. Think of them as two ends of a spectrum; one focused on speed, the other on flexibility and tradition.

You can absolutely use both in the same artwork – for instance, starting with fast-drying alkyds in your underpainting, then layering over with slower-drying oils. This follows the classic “fat over lean” rule, helping ensure your painting remains stable as it dries.

Not Sure Where to Start? Try These Two Essentials

If you’re just dipping your toes into oil mediums, we suggest starting with:

These two give you a good sense of how each type behaves, and you can experiment with layering them in different ways to suit your style and pace.

In Summary

Drying time doesn’t have to hold you back. Whether you choose to speed things up with an alkyd medium or simply reach for a quicker-drying traditional oil like Winton, there’s a solution to suit every painter’s workflow.

Need help choosing the right medium for your practice? Pop in-store or drop us a message; our team of artists is always happy to chat paint.

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