How to Make Oil Paints Dry Faster

Oil paint is a slow drying medium. It behaves differently than other mediums like water based mediums for instance, as it dries by oxidation and not by evaporation. This slow drying process can be good or problematic, depending on the situation. If you are a patient artist that works at a slow pace and enoys the flexibility of being able to re work a painting, fix mistakes, etc, then the slow drying properties of oil paint are perfect for you. Sometimes however, especialy when working in multiple layers, the slow drying properties of oil paint can be a real nuisance.

The good news is that oil paint, being the wonderful versatile medium that it is, can be modified to either dry faster, or dry even slower.

In this particular post, we will be talking about the various methods and products that speed up the drying time of oil paints. Below are a number of helpful resources including videos, articles, forum discussions and product links on this particular topic. It is important to note that when we are talking about drying time here, we are referring to when the oil paint becomes “touch dry”. Oil paint takes months to fully dry. This is especially important if you plan on varnishing your paintings as you must wait for your painting to dry completely.

Do you know of any methods that can successfully speed up the drying time of oil paints? Please leave a response in the comments box below. Thanks!