Even more on liquin ...

My paintings are now in progress but to be honest I am not entirely happy with the finish using liquin. They have a rather matt appearance, I quite like the gloss you get using linseed oil.

To liquin or not to liquin ?

Having started work for my next exhibition I am thinking about fast drying mediums. I really like using many layers of linseed oil based mediums to get a colourful, layered and deep feel to the work, but time is running out ! Last year I used Winsor and Newton's drying linseed oil, which I found excellent, especially for working outside. The only issue is that it may yellow, but for most of my work this hasn't been a problem, as the colour bases I use tend to have a high proportion of yellows. I also used liquin impasto, which was great, gave a real texture and depth to the outdoor work, while allowing it to dry fairly rapidly and remain stable. However, I eventually realised after a couple of times using it, that the massive allergic reaction I had was to the liquin impasto. What a shame ! I now have some ordinary liquin, and am trying to build up my nerve to give it a go : it would certainly make my life easier to have an alternative fast drying medium that was readily available everywhere. I'm gonna go down the studio now and try it ! I'll report back.

Figure study