Medium - Liquin...

Cydonia · Joined: 07 Feb 2010 Posts: 44 Location: Newcastle

Hi All,

I think this could be a question for the rabbit.

All I can imagine is after I post this a lot of people are going to cringe... Embarassed

I have only just started to use liquin with my oils. Due to its rapid drying rate I’m a little concerned about cracking and the like...

I have tried to find books, articles, anything really to find out how it's used, all I seem to get is that it’s very popular, a lot of artists use it because of its fast drying qualities and you mix it with paint….

Due to being a part timer at the moment with my paintings I am only able to work on a few parts of my painting in one go its very difficult to keep up with where I’m up to with fat over thin, and I work on up to 9 paintings at a time at the moment to get ready for an exhibition.

I have so many questions...

1) I was told that a layer of liquin would give my painting an even finish e.g.: If I had matt part and shiny part on the painting. I had an old oil painting which has been on my wall for over a year now, I have looked at its imperfections so many times and decided to fix it, so I mixed black paint with some liquin and tidied it up. When it was dry I went over it with liquin. Its dry now and looks great, are there repercussions to this method?
Can liquin be used as a final layer?

2) I have a painting I have been working on and off for about 3 years each layer has had ample time to dry but because I have decided to finish it, is it wise to now use a paint and liquin mix?

3) What is the best way to use liquin, its pros and cons?

4) If I have completely stuffed up my painting in the above scenarios can it be fixed? Embarassed

5) I have just recently read an article on liquin where it said once I have applied a layer over the top of the paint it basically stops the oxygenation process and does not allow the paint to dry properly, is this true? I guess this article is where my worries stem from. Shocked

Tango · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 1360 Location: Melbourne

No Liquin should not be used as a final layer it is not a varnish and should not be used as such..
If you are worried about the fat over lean process you could change over to the quick dry oil paints Griffin & or Archival where this is not such a problem. Have a look at the Winsor & Newton web site for answers to your problems , if you can't find them there come back here .. http://www.winsornewton.com/products/oils-solvents-mediums--varnishes/frequently-asked-questions/

Devilbiss · Joined: 06 Jul 2007 Posts: 3214

When liquin ages it goes a sort of red brown colour. You might notice this as you use up most of the liquin in a bottle the remainder is exposed to the air and turns dark.
This may not be too noticeable as a thin film on your painting but over time it will make the work look old and dirty.
Use it for glazes then varnish over the top.
I use Paraloid varnish.
Paraloid...not paranoid, or polaroid. Very Happy

Cydonia · Joined: 07 Feb 2010 Posts: 44 Location: Newcastle

Thanks Tango and Devilbliss,

Thanks for the web link Tango, I figured the makers of the product would only have information praising the products... learn something new every day. I will also use the site for the varnish how to I think... Embarassed

I guess I'm more disappointed in myself for just going ahead on someone's say so rather than fully investigating the product.

Devilbliss you have given me a little hope in saving the painting I have been working on for so long... The painting is for me and I’m hoping it won't yellow too much in my lifetime, after I go I’m not too worried what people think of it Smile

For me this painting should be called trial and tribulations with this as piece of work I have learnt so much from painting it. It’s taken me almost 4 years to finish it so through it you can see my painting development over time.

Boris01 · Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 228 Location: Western Australia

I use A.S. Liquol medium to do glazes, washes and to thin out mine and give an even finish

havent had any problems in the years Ive been doing what you describe

I use Paraloid over everything afterwards though ( and its brilliant )

AvG · Joined: 17 Sep 2005 Posts: 1912

Cydonia, the rabbit doesn't use Liquin. Though plenty of artists do.

There are pros and cons as with any medium but generally I believe a quality Painting Medium is a better alternative for most people (I use Langridge, and they have lots of product and 'how to' information on their site - click on the images on the homepage http://www.langridgecolours.com/index.htm but there are others and it's a matter of finding which one you prefer to use)

Your question 5 is correct. It will stop the oxygenation process.

Liquin, and other painting mediums, should not be used as an alternative to varnish.

Too high a ratio of Liquin to paint will destabilise your paint, leading to flaking (I know this from experience).

It can darken pictures, especially those that don't get some natural light on them, though again artist's who love using liquin will argue against this.

Paraloid - Daniel is that an acrylic resin sort of glossy? I'd not heard of it before.

Devilbiss · Joined: 06 Jul 2007 Posts: 3214

The one that I use is from Art Spectrum.
I use my gravity fed spray gun to apply it.
I clean the spray gun with turps.

The varnish is crystal clear, dries quickly, sticks to the oil paint and can be removed.

I'm not sure if it's an acrylic resin or not but I think that it maybe as it has something to do with alkyds.
It gives a nice even shine and doesn't smell bad so....

I'm in the middle of moving house and don't have the bottle here, maybe there's something on the net about it.

If anyone has got anything bad to say about it I would like to hear their stories. I'm always trying to improve the materials that I use.

Tango · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 1360 Location: Melbourne

Paraloid varnish seems OK to me , but doesn't seem to be Alkyd, they say it's Aromatics + Liquidhydrocarbons not that I'm any the wiser....got this off the web
Paraloid® B-72 is considered one of the most stable varnish resins available in conservation. As a varnish, it should remain colorless and soluble in the solvents in which it was originally dissolved for over 200 years (Feller, Curran, and Bailie 1981).
In addition to its use as a varnish, Paraloid® B-72 is used in conservation as a consolidant for paint both locally and for overall impregnation of oil paintings and wall paintings. It is used as an inpainting medium. It is also used in conservation as a consolidant for wood, plaster, stone, and ethnographic objects; an adhesive for ceramics and glass; and a fixative for pencil, charcoal, and chalk drawings and pastels.

Boris01 · Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 228 Location: Western Australia

I use the AS Paraloid too, the bottle says use neat over dry oil paintings , fully removable with turps, can be used on acrylics

I use it cause it goes on so smooth, a little goes a long way and Ive found it doesnt take days to dry or go sticky when drying like the damar I was using previously ( maybe I was using damar wrong, heating it so it flows better then spending an hour picking off dust and hair specks that get stuck to it while its drying )

I like to hit mine with retouch spray varnish first and leave them for a couple months before putting the paraloid on if Ive got the time

Jade · Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2010 8:06 pm Post subject: Re - Medium - Liquin...

Cydonia, Liquin will even out your painting if you use it as a final layer. Varnish actually protects your painting from the elements, Liquin won't do that. Because the painting you talk about had already cured, I think you would have been better to even up the painting with varnish, thus also getting a protective layer.

I stopped using Liquin, because I noticed the build up around the opening of the bottle went a horrible white/yellow colour, so I figure that's what it'll do in my painting too. It was hard to get off it, like a drug! lol. I don't regret using liquin, I think it was a great tool for the transition of acrylic painting to learning oil painting, but I think in the end, that you should find a medium that's right for you. They just about all have pros and cons. If you are going to start/keep using Liquin, I would recommend using only a little. I only ever used a little, and some of my paintings that are years old, haven't yellowed (as far as I can see). I was told if I was going to paint with liquin, to use a little in every layer. I think though the main thing is to not use Liquin in the final layers if you haven't used it in the bottom layers. The advice of a little in each layer, is a simple way to make sure all your layers can dry correctly. However you also say one of your paintings has been dry for three years? Then the painting should have cured by now but I'll leave it for someone more experienced to advise you on wether you should use liquin now or not.

so in summary, from what I have experienced and reading about other people who use liquin, they all say they have had no problems with yellowing/delamination if they only use a little. Oil mediums also yellow, I guess its finding which one yellows the least!

I find that liquin makes me sneeze now! haha so I can't really use it again if I wanted to

Devilbiss · Joined: 06 Jul 2007 Posts: 3214

liquin is nothing to sneeze at! Shocked

Jade · Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2010 9:38 pm Post subject: Re: Re - Medium - Liquin...

Tango · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 1360 Location: Melbourne

Poppy seed oil doesn't yellow like linseed or stand oil (which is polymerised or heat treated linseed) , but it is slower drying . At the moment I'm using Archival Odourless Lean Medium which is an Alkyd medium but thinner more fluid than Liquin , and I like it better than Liquin...but if it's really any good , well I don't think I will be around long enough to find out Crying or Very sad

art8dave · Joined: 01 May 2006 Posts: 1333 Location: Sydney

Tango · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 1360 Location: Melbourne