View from my palette, lots of Gamblin tubes.
I've had people write to me to ask about what products I use in my studio. Honestly, I've only used Gamblin products for the past ten years. The pigment is great and they have so many options for mediums. They now even have solvent-free mediums! I haven't used them but I know a lot of you guys are interested in learning more about this way of painting. I hope you listened to my interview with Robert Gamblin, founder of Gamblin paints because he is generous, kind and extremely knowledgable. We geeked out over mediums and pigment, such a good time and lots of info!
So here are a few products I ALWAYS have in my studio. PS feel free to buy through the link to support the podcast!
Number one is Gamsol. I used to use dirty, cheap turp and I'm pretty sure it caused me to be stoned all the time in my studio. While that might be your prerogative if you want to save brain cells and use something safe, definitely invest in Gamsol. An interesting fact I did not know about Gamsol is that it is actually made for products and processes that come into contact with the body such as cosmetics, hand cleaners, and cleaning food service equipment. Gamsol is a petroleum distillate but all the aromatic solvents have been refined out of it, less than .005% remains. Aromatic solvents are the most harmful types of petroleum solvents.
I use Gamsol to clean my brushes, on a rag to work back into a painting and to thin my oil paints. The way I thin my paint with it is by adding it to Galkyd. The Galkyd line of painting mediums are formulated with Gamsol, so they readily accept Gamsol as a thinning agent. Which leads me to the second product I always have in my studio, Galkyd!
I still remember when I discovered Galkyd in grad school and the love affair began. Ten years and running, it's been a great relationship. Galkyd thins oil colors and increases transparency and gloss. When used in greater proportions with oil color, Galkyd will level brush-strokes, creating an enamel-like surface. Galkyd is our fastest-drying painting medium. Thin layers will be touch-dry in approximately 24 hours. I mix it into a small squeeze bottle with Gamsol. Again, you can hear Robert and I talk about this on the podcast.
Next post I'm going to share some of the colors I love. In the meantime, are you obsessed with any mediums? Have a special recipe you want to share? Email it to me because I love hearing about this stuff ie. paint nerd!