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Founded in 1832 & receiving their first Royal Warrant in 1841, Winsor & Newton produce some of the finest quality & most desirable art materials available today.
Their oil colour range offers a broad spectrum of vivid, intermixable colours, hues and tones in several different varieties including Artists’, Winton & the water-mixable Artisan. Today, we’ll be covering the drying times across each of these different ranges, to help you to use these wonderful paints to their full potential.
However, before we move on to our topic of the day, when working in oils, there are 3 “rules” to keep in mind. So, let’s take a brief look, shall we?
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Essentially, each layer of your work needs to be more flexible than the last to prevent cracking. This is achieved through adding more medium to each layer (such as Liquin Original).
When painting with heavy colours, its generally best practice to apply thick layers over thinner ones, as these thinner layers dry more quickly & are more likely to crack if placed on the surface of the work.
If a fast-drying colour is applied over a slow-drying colour (especially whilst drying), it can cause the layer to pull & twist, causing cracks to form. Basically, always use fast-drying colours as underlayers.
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Artists' Oils
Pairing the purest pigments with the most suitable drying oils, the Artists’ Oil range has buttery, stiff consistency ideal for retaining brush or knife strokes & can even be thinned down to a very fine glaze.
Available in two sizes, this beautiul collection includes over 130 individual permanent or semi-permanent colours, 80 of which are made using “single pigment” formulas for cleaner, brighter mixing results.
Fast (approx. 2 days)
Permanent Mauve (manganese) - Cobalt Blues - Prussian Blue – Raw Sienna – Umbers - Underpainting White
Medium (approx. 5 days)
Winsor Blue & Greens (phthalocyanines) - Burnt Sienna – Cobalt Violet & Greens – Ultramarine Blues - Mars colours – Sap Green – Permanent Alizarin Crimson – Ochres – Cadmiums – Lamp Black – Ivory Black
Slow (5+ days)
Winsor Yellows & Oranges (arylides) - Quinacridones – Alizarin Crimson – Titanium White – Zinc White
Winton Oils
Ideal for artists looking for large, affordable volumes of colour for widescale projects or colour mixing, the Winton Oil range has a stiff, uniform consistency & extensive covering power.
Available in over 50 highly pigmented colours across two sizes, this student-quality range includes 31 “single pigment” for clean mixes & infinite hues.
Fast (approx. 2 days)
Prussian Blue – Raw Sienna – Umbers
Medium (approx. 5 days)
Phthalo Blue & Viridian Hue (phthalocyanines) - Burnt Sienna – Ultramarine Blue(s) - Ochres – Titanium White – Zinc White – Lamp Black – Ivory Black
Slow (5+ days)
Cadmium Hues (arylamides) - Permanent Rose (quinacridone) - Alizarin Crimson Hue
Artisan Water-Mixable Oils
Specially formulated using modified linseed & safflower oil, the water-mixable Artisan range retains the characteristics of a conventional oil colour, without the need for potentially hazardous solvents.
Available in over 40 individual colours, they’re ideal for artists working at home, in school, or in smaller studio spaces.
Fast (approx. 2 days)
Prussian Blue - Umbers
Medium (approx. 5 days)
Cadmium Hues – Pthalo Blue (red shade) - Pthalo Greens – Siennas – French Ultramarine – Ochres – Titanium White – Zinc White – Lamp Black – Ivory Black
Slow (5+ days)
Cadmiums – Permanent Rose (quinacridone) - Permanent Alizarin Crimson
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Mediums
Of course, if you want to change the drying times of an oil colour (or any other element, for that matter), there are a variety of suitable mediums available.
Standing out amongst their broad selection of popular mediums, the Liquin range from Winsor & Newton is a reliable favourite. Available in several specially formulated versions, they’re ideal for when you’re working to a deadline or simply feeling particularly adventurous.
Liquin Original
Creating a smooth, gel-like film, Liquin Original halves the drying time of oils, reduces brush stroke retention & aids with working with multiple layers.
Touch Dry: 1-6 days (depending on colour & film thickness)
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Liquin Fine Detail
The most fluid of the Liquins, add this to colour for a low-viscosity, faster drying mixture ideal for fine details, glazing, blending or smooth surfaces.
Touch Dry: 1-6 days (depending on colour & film thickness)
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Liquin Impasto
Liquin Impasto is a paste-like, semi-gloss version of Liquin that halves drying times whilst thickening paints & retaining brush or palette knife strokes.
Touch Dry: 1-6 days (depending on colour & film thickness).
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