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Drying an Oil Painting

You don't have to be a Picasso or a Rembrandt to enjoy the simple act of painting on a canvas. There are several different types of painting available for would-be artists, including acrylics, water colors and oil painting. While acrylic paints dry relatively quickly through evaporation, oil paints dry much slower via a process called oxidation. Although oil paints take a significantly longer time to dry than acrylics and other paints, there are things that you can do to help speed up the process a bit.

Things You'll Need

Glue chalk gesso
Linseed-based oil paints
Alkyd base
Dehumidifier
Clear coat

Instructions

- 1
  Treat the canvas first before painting with glue chalk gesso. Apply the gesso with a brush in thin even strips across the whole canvas and allow at least an hour for it to settle.
- 2
  Paint with linseed-based oil paints, as opposed to saffron or walnut oil based paints.
- 3
  Mix the paints with an alkyd medium, as alkyd mediums help the oil paint dry faster.
- 4
  Paint the layers of oil paint in very thin layers and try to avoid gobbing oil paint onto the canvas, as this takes longer to dry.
- 5
  Store the painting initially in a dry, little-used room with a dehumidifier for the first 72 hours.
- 6
  Apply a thin layer of clear coat to the painting with a brush to help the painting settle and dry.

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