A Guide to Gamblin Oil Painting Mediums
Discover historic working properties, safer materials, and long-lasting results with Gamblin oil painting mediums.
Gamblin’s mission is to guide oil painting into the future, creating painting materials that perform as they should, not just as they have in the past. Gamblin oil painting mediums are designed to be safer, more permanent, and true to historic working properties, giving artists greater control, flexibility, and confidence in their creative process.
What Are Oil Painting Mediums?
Oil painting mediums do more than just extend your paints—they modify the working properties and visual effects of oil colours. From fluid, expressive strokes to thick, textured marks, mediums can:
- Adjust paint consistency for different techniques
- Enhance transparency for layered glazing
- Alter surface qualities from glossy to matte
The right painting medium allows artists to focus on creativity, making it easier to get into the flow of painting and stay there. Gamblin’s range of oil painting mediums includes Galkyd, Solvent-Free Gel, Cold Wax Medium, and more, all formulated to provide reliable performance.
Gamblin Galkyd: Fast-Drying Oil Painting Medium
Galkyd is Gamblin's fastest-drying oil painting medium, perfect for artists who need a 24-hour dry time. It thins oil colours, increases transparency, and adds gloss.
Key benefits:
- Levels brush-strokes for a smooth, enamel-like surface
- Ideal for glazes—apply thinly, do not pour
- Not a varnish
Galkyd is a favourite for artists looking to create glazes, enrich colour saturation, and speed up drying times.
Solvent-Free Gel: Odourless, Versatile Medium
Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel has a paint-like consistency and is perfect for:
- Painting outdoors or while travelling
- Working without solvent odours
- Creating bright, glossy finishes
Use Solvent-Free Gel sparingly—no more than 25% by volume with oil colours. It is not a varnish, but a medium to modify paint flow and texture.
Gamsol: Safe Odourless Mineral Spirits
Gamblin Gamsol is the safest solvent for oil painters, allowing all traditional techniques without compromising health or performance.
Primary uses of Gamsol:
- Thinning oil colours
- Modifying painting mediums like Galkyd
- Studio clean-up for brushes, palettes, and tools
Unlike industrial solvents, Gamsol is refined to remove harmful aromatics (<0.005%), making it ideal for classrooms and studios where odorless, non-toxic oil painting supplies are essential.
Cold Wax Medium: Thicker, Matte Oil Paint
Gamblin Cold Wax Medium is a mixture of natural beeswax, Gamsol, and a small amount of alkyd resin. It is called “cold” because it doesn’t require heat to work.
Benefits for oil painting:
- Thickens oil colours for texture
- Produces a matte, tactile finish
- Ideal for layering and sculptural effects
Cold Wax Medium is perfect for artists who want to create depth and texture in oil painting without heating or complex preparation.
Gamblin Oil Painting Ground: Bright, Strong Foundations
A quality painting starts with a reliable ground. Gamblin Oil Painting Ground provides:
- A strong, bright, non-absorbent surface
- Titanium dioxide for opacity
- Calcium carbonate for excellent paint adhesion
Compared to acrylic gesso, Gamblin Oil Ground maintains colour saturation and allows for reductive painting techniques, giving artists complete control over the first layers of their masterpiece.
Poly Vinyl Acetate (PVA) Size is recommended for raw canvas preparation. Neutral pH, animal-free, and flexible, PVA Size ensures long-lasting, stable surfaces for oil painting.
Gamvar Varnish: Protect and Enhance Your Painting
Gamblin Gamvar Varnish protects and unifies finished paintings while saturating colours for a vibrant, professional look.
Types available:
- Gamvar Gloss: Water-clear, original formula
- Gamvar Satin: Lower gloss, colour saturation maintained
- Gamvar Matte: Reduces sheen while keeping deep values
Applied with Gamvar Varnish Brushes, this animal-free, high-quality varnish is removable with Gamsol and safe for studio use.
Why Choose Gamblin Oil Painting Mediums
Gamblin oil painting mediums are trusted by professional artists and beginners alike because they:
- Respect historic painting techniques
- Enhance paint handling and visual effects
- Offer safer alternatives to traditional solvents
- Include specialised products like Galkyd, Cold Wax Medium, and Gamvar
Explore the full range of Gamblin oil painting mediums to find the perfect materials for your next masterpiece.
