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MEDIUM
Walnut Oil
The clearest and most colourless of the drying oils — preferred wherever linseed yellowing would be a problem. Walnut oil has been used in painting since at least the Renaissance, particularly for whites, pale blues, and delicate flesh tones. It is non-toxic with a faint, pleasant scent. Dries more slowly than linseed but produces a flexible, moderately strong film. Not as strong as linseed when fully cured — best reserved for upper layers and colours where colour clarity matters most.
Properties ▾
Base: Refined walnut oil
Colour: Pale — near colourless
Consistency: Fluid
Drying speed: Slow (slower than linseed)
Yellowing: Minimal
Film strength: Moderate — weaker than linseed
Toxicity: Non-toxic
Techniques ▾
Whites and light colours
Use walnut oil instead of linseed for any pale colour where yellowing would shift the hue over time. Titanium white, pale blues, and light flesh tones all benefit.
Loosening paint: Add a small drop to stiff paint on the palette to increase flow. The near-colourless quality means it will not shift any colour, however pale.
Solvent-free working: Walnut oil can be used as a brush cleaner between colours during a painting session — particularly useful for artists who prefer a solvent-free studio environment. Note: paint does not settle cleanly to the bottom of the jar as with OMS, making it more wasteful for brush cleaning.
Combination with OMS: Mix walnut oil with a small amount of OMS to balance the slow drying time while maintaining low toxicity.
Loosening paint: Add a small drop to stiff paint on the palette to increase flow. The near-colourless quality means it will not shift any colour, however pale.
Solvent-free working: Walnut oil can be used as a brush cleaner between colours during a painting session — particularly useful for artists who prefer a solvent-free studio environment. Note: paint does not settle cleanly to the bottom of the jar as with OMS, making it more wasteful for brush cleaning.
Combination with OMS: Mix walnut oil with a small amount of OMS to balance the slow drying time while maintaining low toxicity.
Several paint manufacturers — including M. Graham — use walnut oil exclusively as their binder across all colours. This creates a completely consistent paint film throughout a painting, which has archival advantages.
Works in ekphra ▾
No works found yet — artists using Walnut Oil will appear here.
Notes
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