Gamblin Artists Colors Co.

Sales Training Manual

Dedicated to oil painters.

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Explanation Gamblin’s Sales Training Manual is to be used in the training and continuing education of retail sales persons. The information in this manual is both general in regards to oil painting materials and techniques and specific to the technical information associated with Gamblin oil painting materials. If you have any questions, please give us a call at 503.235.1945 x30.

Content

• Oil Colors & Oil Paint Manufacturing• Navigating Color Space• Gamblin Artists Grade Oil Colors

– Mineral vs. Modern colors– Color Palettes

• Gamblin Whites• Gamblin Portland Greys• Gamblin Radiants• Gamblin Fastmatte Alkyd Oil Colors• Gamblin Artists’ Grade (AG) vs. Art Sketching Oils (ASO)• Gamblin Painting Mediums

– Uses– Alkyd vs. Natural Resins– Maintaining Galkyds in Bottle– Galkyd vs. Liquin

• Painting Techniques– Indirect vs. Direct– Fat Over Lean

• Varnish– Why Varnish?– Gamvar Picture Varnish (Gloss)– Cold Wax Medium (Matte)– Application

• Sizes & Grounds– PVA vs. Rabbit Skin Glue– Gamblin Traditional Gesso– Gamblin Oil Painting Ground

• Application• Studio Safety• Printmaking: Etching & Relief Inks• Dry Pigments• www.gamblincolors.com

– Torrit Grey Painting Competition– Video Demonstrations– Interactive Medium Guide– Contact Gamblin

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Oil Colors & Oil Paint Manufacturing

Oil Colors• Oil colors are a simple mixture of pigment and drying oil. • Pigments are colorants that are insoluble in their binder. Pigments come from

inorganic sources and organic sources. • Drying oils include linseed oil, poppy oil, walnut oil and safflower oil. These oils

differ from other oils in that they dry through oxidation and form permanent paint films. Gamblin Artists Colors uses alkali-refined linseed oil as the primary binder in their oil colors, as this oil makes the most durable, flexible paint film.

Oil Paint Manufacturing

• Dry pigment is added to fluid linseed oil in dispersers which mix these contents into a paste.

• This mixture of pigment and oil is then transferred to the three-roll mill where it is milled into a smooth, consistent paste.

• The oil color is then filled into the tube from the bottom end. Each tube is marked with the date in which it was made on the crimp of the tube.

• Each tube of paint is then labeled and packaged by hand.

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Navigating Color Space

Color Theory has been traditionally presented in a two-dimensional color wheel. However, color has three dimensions – VALUE, HUE, and CHROMA. By moving through the three dimensional model of color, called Color Space, painters can consider the three aspects of color simultaneously to make color mixing easier and more predictable.

Gamblin’s video program, Navigating Color Space, can be viewed at:www.gamblincolors.com/navigating.color.space/index.html

Turning Color Theory into Color Mixing

VALUE

A measure of a color’s lightness or darkness. The vertical movement through Color Space. To adjust VALUE, add white or black.

HUE

One of six families of colors: yellow, orange, red, violet, blue, and green. The movement around the perimeter of Color Space.

CHROMA

A measure of a color’s intensity or purity. The movement from the perimeter toward the neutral core of Color Space. To adjust CHROMA add Portland Grey Light, Medium, or Dark.

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Artists’ Grade Oil Colors: Mineral vs. Modern

Artists Grade Color Chart• Gamblin’s Artists Grade Color Chart is unique in the art materials industry in that it

divides our colors into two main groups, based on the origin of the pigments used. • Mineral, or Inorganic, pigments are based on metals such as iron, cadmium, chromium,

and manganese. The Mineral side of the color chart contains colors such as the natural earth colors (i.e. Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber) that have been on painters’ palettes since pre-historic times and in oil painting from the Renaissance through the Classical Era. Also found on the Mineral side are those pigments that were developed in the furnaces of the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. These colors were widely used by the Impressionists and include Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Chromium Green Oxide, and Cobalt Blue.

• Modern, or organic, pigments are based on carbon, rather than metal. The Modern/Organic pigments listed on the color chart are made in highly controlled laboratory settings of the 20th century. These colors include Hansa Yellows, Napthol and Quinacridone Reds, and Phthalo Blues and Greens.

Personalized Palettes• Mineral and Modern colors behave very differently and these differences are important

for painters to understand in building a personalized palette of colors. Painters should take their own artistic intentions into consideration when choosing a palette of colors. Mineral and Modern pigments can be intermixed in one palette quite successfully.

• The two main ways in which Mineral and Modern colors differ are in their tints and mixtures and their relationship between opacity and transparency. These differences are demonstrated in the two following pages.

“Hue” in Color Names• Gamblin’s Artists Grade Oil colors contain three colors with the word “Hue” in their

names. This indicates that a substitution of pigments have been made. This is for three different reasons:

– Availability: A substitution of pigments is made when the traditional pigment for the color is no longer available. Example: Manganese Blue Hue – genuine Manganese Blue pigment became no longer available in the late 1980’s.

– Cost: A substitution is made to give painters a less-expensive alternative for genuine pigments. Example: Cerulean Blue Hue – this is a Series 2 color compared to genuine Cerulean Blue, which is Series 6.

– Toxicity: A substitution of pigments is made to replace traditional colors that have toxicity concerns associated with them. Example: Naples Yellow Hue – traditional Naples Yellow contained lead. Naples Yellow Hue does not.

Lightfastness• Gamblin Artist's Oil Colors are rated according to the American Society for Testing and

Materials (ASTM): I Excellent lightfastnessII Very good lightfastnessIII Fair lightfastnessNR No rating has been established

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Artists’ Grade Oil Colors: Mineral vs. Modern

Tints & Mixtures• Mineral Colors, when used to create a tint (mixed with white), shift in value and in

chroma (intensity). This is seen in the Cadmium Red and Titanium/Zinc White mixture below. Mineral colors also lose intensity when they are mixed with other mineral colors. This is seen in the Cadmium Yellow Medium and Viridian mixture below. This “graying down” effect makes them suitable for painters interested in capturing the effects of natural light and the colors of the natural world.

• Modern Colors, when tinted with white, shift in value, but not in chroma. This is seen in the Napthol Red and T/Z White mixture below. When mixed with other modern colors, they produce intense mixtures, compared to mixture of mineral colors. This is seen in the mixture of Hansa Yellow Medium and Phthalo Green below.

MINERAL

Cadmium Red Medium

MODERN

Napthol Red

Cadmium Yellow Medium & Viridian (MINERAL)

Hansa Yellow Medium & Phthalo Green (MODERN)

* Hand-painted color swatches available upon request.

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Artists’ Grade Oil Colors: Mineral vs. Modern

Opacity vs. Transparency• Gamblin’s Artsits Grade Color Chart includes a Transparency Key, which classifies colors

as either: Opaque, Semi-Transparent, or Transparent. • The opacity and/or transparency of a color is determined by the particle size of the

pigment.• Mineral colors tend to be more opaque than Modern colors, which are either semi-

transparent or transparent. This is shown below with three different yellows: the Mineral Cadmium Yellow Medium (Opaque), and two Modern yellows: Hansa Yellow Medium (Semi-Transparent) and Indian Yellow (Transparent). All three colors below are shown in their Masstone, or thicker application, and their Undertone, or thinner application.

OPAQUE SEMI-TRANSPARENT TRANSPARENTCadmium Yellow Medium Hansa Yellow Medium Indian Yellow

With Opaque colors, most of the light that hits the surface of the paint film is reflected back to the viewer, while with Transparent colors, a larger percentage of the light is absorbed within the transparent paint film.

• Opaque colors are most suitable for direct Painting Techniques, where oil colors are applied directly onto the painting support and the finished painting shows the top-most layers of paint. Semi-Transparent and Transparent colors are most suitable for glazing techniques, where layers are built up in thin veils of colors. There is more information on glazing techniques in the Painting Techniques section of this manual.

TransparentOpaque

* Hand-painted color swatches available upon request.

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Artists’ Grade Oil Colors: Color Palettes

• Old Master Palette: Includes those earth pigments used since Pre-Historic times and dominated oil painting from the Renaissance through the Classical Era.

• Impressionist Palette: Made up of metal-based pigments that came available to painters after the Industrial Revolution of the mid-nineteenth century.

• Modern Palette: Includes those modern, organic pigments that are products of the twentieth century color revolution.

• Spectral Palette: Twelve color palette made up of Modern colors that are equally spaced around the color wheel, incorporating a warm and cool for each HUE family. A Spectral Palette gives painters the greatest access to Color Space and vibrant color mixing.

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Artists’ Grade Oil Colors: Whites

The Gamblin Whites are listed here in order of most opaque to least opaque:

• Titanium White:– The most opaque of the Gamblin whites, reflecting 97.2% of all incident light. – The more opaque a white is, the higher its tinting strength. – Titanium white is great for direct painting techniques and for quickly reducing the value of

other colors.

• Radiant White: – The whitest white. – Radiant White is made with Titanium white pigment bound in paler Safflower oil rather

than linseed oil. – Radiant White has the same opacity and tinting strength as Titanium White. – Radiant White is best used when a bright white color is desired, especially in abstract

work.

• Titanium/Zinc White: – Best all-around mixing white– combining titanium’s opacity and strength with zinc’s creamy texture.

• Flake White Replacement:– Gamblin Flake White Replacement is a recreation of the basic working properties of

traditional Lead White.– FWR is formulated with titanium pigment for painters who love the texture and

translucency of Flake White but who would prefer to use a non-toxic white..

• Fastmatte Titanium White:– Titanium pigment bound in alkyd resin and refined linseed oil. – Fastmatte Titanium White is a fast drying white with high tack. – When using Fastmatte Titanium White as the main white, it will accelerate the drying time

of other oil colors when mixed. – Formulated to dry with a matte, receptive surface for under-painting techniques.

• Zinc White:– The most transparent of the Gamblin whites – Zinc works well in scumbling and glazing techniques. – Zinc white has a soft, creamy texture, which makes it conducive for alla prima techniques.

• Why does Gamblin make Flake White Replacement instead of Flake White?– Flake White contains lead, which is a highly toxic material. Gamblin has made a choice not

to make materials that contain lead, mercury, arsenic, turpentine, or even strong mineral spirits. These materials are toxic to us and to our environment.

– Flake White Replacement is moderate in its tinting strength and is considered an opaque white though it is more translucent than titanium white. It is a dense and heavy paste, which gives a ropier stroke, rather than a creamy impasto.

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Portland GreysNamed for our not always sunny city, the Portland Greys offer an interesting alternative to mixing with white. The Portland Greys are predictable mixtures of Titanium White and Ivory Black.

• Formulated using the Munsell System for painters who work with value. Portland Grey Light is value 8. Portland Grey Medium is Value 6 and Portland Grey Deep is value 4. (White is value 10 and Black is value 1.)

• They are useful as “short cuts” to mixing greys. These predictable mixtures can also be used to tint the Modern colors to make them look more “natural.”

Artists’ Grade Oil Colors: Portland Grey

Mono Orange

Portland Grey Light(Increasing value and decreasing chroma)

Portland Grey Medium

(Decreasing chroma)

Portland Grey Deep(Decreasing value and

chroma)

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Artists’ Grade Oil Colors: Radiants

Gamblin Radiant Colors: eight high-intensity tints - mixtures of pure color and white - at Value 7 on the Munsell System evenly spaced around the color wheel. Using the Radiant tints, painters can build traditional under paintings, then glaze for optical effects of light and shade - enabling painters of today to explore a technique of the past.

Using tints (pure color + white), painters can make the brightest paintings.

Radiant Lemon

Radiant Yellow

Radiant Red

Radiant Magenta

Radiant Violet

Radiant Blue

Radiant Turquoise

Radiant Green

Susan Nicholas Gephart, Before the Bypass (detail)

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Fastmatte Alkyd Oil Colors

Dry TimeFastMatte Alkyd Oil Colors will dry within 18 – 24 hours, in thinly painted layers. This drying rate allows painters to work throughout a painting session, while creating a dry surface for the painting session the following day.

Color Palette, General Oil Painting TechniquesThe balanced color palette was chosen for its mixing capabilities in a variety of oil painting techniques and styles. The surface quality of dry paintings will be quite matte. For a gloss surface, apply a thin glaze or a coat of Gamvar Picture Varnish.

FastMatte Alkyd Oil Colors have a low to moderate oil content, so they are appropriate for underpainting when painting “fat over lean.” All colors (with the exception of white) are transparent to semi-transparent in nature, as this quality will create the tonal range important to under-painting techniques.

The fast drying rate of the colors makes them well suited for plein air painters, especially while traveling and transporting freshly painted work. The high flashpoint of these colors makes them permissible for air travel.

For illustrators working against deadlines, FastMatte colors offer them a fast-drying solution, and the matte surface makes their work easy to photograph.

Gamblin FastMatte Alkyd Oil Colors are formulated to give oil painters a fast-drying oil color with excellent working properties and permanence. The balanced color palette allow for great color mixing potential in a variety of oil painting techniques and styles. When used for underpainting, the matte surface allows for maximum adhesion with subsequent layers.

FastMatte Alkyd Oil Colors are formulated to: • Give painters a fast-drying palette of colors.• Give painters an artist-grade alkyd oil color with strong pigmentation and balanced color palette.• Create a matte surface. When used as an underpainting layer, this ensures the adhesion performance of subsequent paint layers.

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Fastmatte Alkyd Oil Colors

The palette of FastMatte colors consists of:

Titanium WhiteHansa Yellow Medium Napthol ScarletTransparent Earth Red Quinacridone RedUltramarine Blue Phthalo Green Chromatic Black

Compatibility & PermanenceAlkyd resin is the “polymerized oil of the 20th century.” Alkyd resin has a great compatibility with the linseed oil binder of traditional oil colors. FastMatte Alkyd Oil Colors are completely compatible with all artists’ grade oil colors. FastMatte Alkyd Oil Colors are also compatible with Gamblin’s alkyd-based, Galkyd painting mediums.

Unlike acrylic colors, which we are not comfortable using as underpainting material for oil colors, Gamblin FastMatte colors make an excellent base layer for an oil painting. The matte surface quality of these colors creates a receptive surface for subsequent layers of regular artists’ grade oil colors, ensuring that both physical and chemical bonds are made.

Scott Gellatly, View from Cooper Mountain, FastMatte on Panel, 11 x 14, 2010.

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Artists’ Grade Oils vs. Art Sketching Oils (ASO)

From our perspective, there are three grades of oil colors on the market:

• Artist Grade – This is the simplest of formulas: pure, lightfast pigments mixed into a drying oil, where one is buying color at its maximum. Gamblin Artists' oils are made this way.

• Traditional Student Grade – Pure lightfast pigments bound into a drying oil. The resulting mixture is extended with marble dust (calcium carbonate) to increase the volume of the paint and reduce cost. Gamblin ASO (Art Sketching oils) are made this way.

• Economy – The colors that are now taking over the "student grade" label we refer to as “economy paints.” This is what they are formulated for…to be cheap. In the making of these colors the pigment is decreased since the binder is gelled before any color or extender is added. These paints have little to no color-mixing capabilities. Gamblin does not make a line of economy oil colors.

Using Gamblin ASO, painters can mix clean secondary colors and use all other oil painting techniques successfully.

– Gamblin ASO uses the same high quality pigments found in the Gamblin Artist Grade line.– The differences between Mineral and Modern pigments are retained, giving beginning

painters the opportunity to understand each color’s unique mixing capabilities. – As beginning painters learn to control color using Gamblin ASO, they can add more Gamblin

Artists’ grade oil colors to increase their access to color space without having to reinvent their color mixing systems.

ASO colors offers painting students both educational value, as well as economic value.

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Gamblin Oil Painting Mediums

Definition Painting Medium• A material that is added to the paint to change its working characteristics.• Used to change drying rate, sheen, viscosity, texture and more.

Medium vs. Solvent• Solvent: Breaks down and dissolves the binder (linseed oil, poppy oil, safflower oil,

etc.). Decreases paint flexibility and adhesion. Solvents are used as a component of painting mediums and for brush and studio clean up.

• Medium: Extends binder and increases transparency. Increases paint film flexibility and adhesion.

Gamblin Painting Mediums• Gamblin’s unique approach to formulating painting mediums can be summarized by

replacing natural resin-based mediums with alkyd-based mediums. This approach is for two reasons: archival concerns and Studio Safety.

Archival Concerns: PAINT STABILITY• Traditional painting mediums use natural resins (such as dammar varnish) in a mixture of

a drying oil and turpentine. • Natural resins are some of the least stable of artist materials.• Natural Resins (Dammar Varnish), exhibit increased brittleness, yellowing & cracking as

they age. As the canvas support expands and contracts over time, the stress of this movement is transferred to the dried pigment. If the medium used in the paint is brittle there is a greater chance of the paint film cracking.

• Alkyd resins are less prone to yellowing and increase the flexibility of paint films, making them the paints they are mixed with less prone to cracking.

Studio Safety: HEALTH• Using Alkyd Mediums lowers the toxicity of oil painting by eliminating painters’ exposure

to turpentine.• Dammar Varnish requires turpentine to be thinned, while Alkyds can be thinned with the

mildest form of Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS), such as Gamblin Gamsol.

What is an Alkyd? • Alkyd resin, first manufactured in the early 1930's, is produced by a reaction of natural

oil (soy) with a poly-functional alcohol and poly-basic acid. As a binder, alkyd resin cannot hold as high a pigment load as linseed oil. However, alkyd has been formulated very successfully as an oil painting medium.

• Alkyd resin painting mediums are popular because they are made with milder solvents and speed the drying time of oil colors.

• Thin layers of oil colors mixed with alkyd resin painting medium will dry in 24 hours. • The alkyds make very tough yet flexible paint films, these qualities will be imparted into

your paint layers.

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GAMBLIN FLUID MEDIUMS

GAMBLIN DRYING OILS

GALKYD GALKYD LITE GALKYD SLOW DRY

GALKYD GELNEO MEGILP COLD WAX MEDIUM

Low ViscosityLow Viscosity

CHARACTERISTICS: Galkyd levels brushstrokes and will dry overnight to a high gloss enamel surface.

USAGE: Glazing and as general purpose painting medium.

CHARACTERISTICS: Galkyd Slow Dry will keep a painting surface open up to 3 days. It is the slowest drying of the fluid mediums.

USAGE: Glazing, blending or achieving an enamel-like surface. To speed drying time of oil colors.

CHARACTERISTICS: Galkyd Lite dries to high gloss finish while maintaining brushstrokes. Thin layers will dry in 24 hours. Longer working time than Galkyd.

USAGE: Blending, wet-into-wet techniques, and to apply large areas of color. To slow drying time of oil colors.

CHARACTERISTICS: Cold Wax Medium makes oil colors thicker and more matte. Use rigid supports when paint/medium mixture contains more than 30% Cold Wax.

CHARACTERISTICS:Neo Megilp suspends and supports oil colors in a soft, silky gel while retaining brushmarks. Allows paint to be workable for hours.

CHARACTERISTICS: Galkyd Gel extends oil colors in a heavy gel without making them fluid. “G-Gel” will retain impasto marks up to 1/4”.

USAGE: Blending and creating translucent glazes. As a lead-free replacement for Maroger medium.

USAGE: Glazing, creating transparent impasto and to speed drying time of oil colors.

Gel ViscosityGel Viscosity

Fastest DryingFast Drying

Slow Drying

Fast DryingModerate Drying

Paste

GAMBLIN GEL MEDIUMS

USAGE: Creating encaustic effects and to make oil colors more matte.

High Viscosity

Gamblin drying oils are made from the finest linseed and poppy oils. Painters can use our linseed and poppy oils to thin oil colors - increasing their brilliance and transparency - to create traditional painting mediums of high or low viscosity or to extend the drying times of our Galkyd painting mediums.

LINSEED OIL - REFINED (low acid) Pressed from American flax seeds. This is as light and pure as industrially produced linseed oil can be made. Use in moderation to thin oil colors or as an ingredient in traditional painting mediums.

LINSEED OIL - COLD PRESSED Produced from pressing of flax seeds without using heat or chemicals of any kind. Increases tendency of oil paints to yellow over time when used to thin oil colors.

LINSEED - REFINED STAND OIL Vacuum bodied linseed oil. Higher viscosity than linseed oil.

POPPY OIL Poppy Oil's slow drying time may be useful for painters using "wet into wet" techniques. Adding 10% by volume poppy oil slows down the drying time of Gamblin Galkyd Painting Mediums.

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Gamblin Oil Painting Mediums - Characteristics

GALKYDSpeeds drying, levels brush strokes,

increases transparency and gloss level.

NEO MEGILPExtends oil colors in a soft gel.

COLD WAX MEDIUMMakes oil colors thicker and more matte.

GALKYD LITESpeeds drying, retains brush strokes,

increases transparency and gloss level.

G-GELExtends oil colors in a stiff gel.

GALKYD SLOW DRYIncreases the fluidity of oil colors.

Slower drying than the other Galkyds.

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Compatibility• All Gamblin painting mediums are compatible with each other and with other

manufacturer’s oil colors. • We do not recommend using alkyd mediums along side mediums that contain

natural resins, such as dammar. These different materials may bond poorly over time.

Maintaining Galkyds in the bottle• Alkyd resin differs from stand oil because it has been so highly polymerized that

there is solvent in the fluid to keep the chains of molecules apart. When in the presence of air (oxygen), the solvent evaporates out of the Galkyds, the chains link up and start the final drying process.

• The air inside the jar starts the drying process. First it merely skins over. Then if it goes further, it turns to a gel-like substance.

• If the product has skinned over you can still mix solvent (Gamsol or other brand of OMS) into the medium and shake vigorously. The Galkyd will return to its original viscosity.

• If it has turned to gel, the drying has gone too far, and there is nothing you can do except use it as a gel medium.

To keep it fresh in the bottle, add solvent back into Galkyd to replace the solvent it has lost to the air inside the jar. Add about a tablespoon of solvent at least on a weekly basis. In the summer you may have to add more.

Galkyd vs. Liquin• Liquin and our Galkyd mediums are all based on alkyd resin, but they have very

different chemical compositions. Galkyd has a lower level of solvent and less driers. Our method of gelling the mediums keeps them clear and jewel-like rather than cloudy like Liquin is.

• Neo Megilp is similar to Liquin's texture, Galkyd is similar to Liquin's dry time. Galkyd Lite is close in dry time also, but it is a low viscosity medium so it effects paint very differently. The gloss level of Galkyd Lite is probably the closest to Liquin.

• You may also want to consider is the level of solvent in your studio life you are willing to accept. Our mediums are formulated with and work with the mildest form of solvent (Gamsol, a cosmetic grade odorless mineral spirit is one of these types of solvents). Liquin requires a mineral spirit, not an odorless mineral spirit.

Gamblin Oil Painting Mediums – Additional Notes

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Painting Techniques - Glazing

Painters use this method to build up multiple layers of paint and medium to achieve some desired visual effects. Titian, Rembrandt and Rubens are among the great painters who constructed oil paintings with the simple technique of applying three distinct layers:

1. An Imprimatura of dark transparent initial layer made from one or a few colors that relate closely to each other, such as the Gamblin Transparent Earth Colors. These colors can be used to block in (draw in) the painting. We recommend contemporary painters use Gamsol odorless mineral spirits and a small amount of Galkyd Lite to thin this layer.

2. A middle layer made from opaque colors, including the lightest values in the painting (Radiant Colors or a tint of Umber, Terre Verte or Portland Greys would be useful for this layer). Consider using Galkyd or Galkyd Lite thinned with approximately 10 - 20% Gamsol.

3. A final glaze layer that modifies the opaque colors and makes the surface very rich. Consider using Galkyd without thinning for an enamel-like finish or Galkyd Lite for lighter glazes. An opaque glaze layer is called a "scumble." Zinc White, because of its transparency, is the best white to create this effect. Also, pure hue "highlights" can be added to the top of the painting.

1. Imprimatura 2. Opaque Layers 3. Glaze Layers

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Painting Techniques – Fat Over Lean

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Varnish

Why Varnish? • Originally, artists varnished because they liked the way varnish increased the sense of

depth in oil paintings. Varnishing was, and still is, an aesthetic decision. • A varnish layer protects oil paintings from environmental dirt and dust. The varnish can be

thought of as a “sacrificial” layer that can be removed, along with dirt and dust accumulation, in the cleaning of a painting.

• Dammar varnish and other natural resins make a durable top layer, but they do yellow and darken over time and become increasingly difficult for conservators to remove when they clean paintings.

GAMVAR

• GAMVAR, a low molecular weight (LMW) synthetic resin varnish, was formulated with cooperation of conservation scientists at the National Gallery of Art. Gamvar has a refractive index similar to Dammar resin varnish.

• GAMVAR is a better varnish because it does not yellow and remains easy to remove. Adding it as the top layer will give the painting a glossier sheen that saturates the colors of the painting and intensifies the transparency of glazes.

• From painters' point of view Gamvar is an excellent varnish because your paintings will look beautiful today. From conservators' point of view, Gamvar is an excellent varnish because they will be able to clean your painting in 100 years without using such strong solvent that they may harm the paint layers underneath.

• While waiting 3 - 6 months is best, painters using Gamvar can safely varnish sooner because Gamvar’s mild solvent will not dissolve the glaze layers of paintings and paintings today dry quicker. And since Gamvar is a thin coating the oxidation process continues through the varnish.

• In addition to being a good varnish for oil colors, Gamvar is also a good varnish for acrylic paintings because it can be completely removed with mild solvents. Varnish dries purely by solvent evaporation. Thin coats can easily throw off their solvent, so they dry tack free in just a day. The thicker the coating the more solvent is trapped and the longer it stays tacky.

GAMBLIN VARNISHES

COLD WAX MEDIUMGAMVARCHARACTERISTICS: Gamvar dries to a gloss finish while saturating oil colors and intensifying glazes. Gamvar will not yellow or crosslink with paint layers and is removable with Gamsol.

CHARACTERISTICS:

Cold Wax Medium dries to a matte surface quality.

Cold Wax can be applied as a varnish and is removable with Gamsol.

USAGE: To provide a final protective layer with a matte finish. To create a satin varnish by mixing with Gamvar.

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Varnish

GLOSS LEVEL ADJUSTMENTS - There are several techniques to reduce the gloss of Gamvar.

• To matte the varnish slightly: • Dilute the varnish with additional solvent before using. (up to 20% Gamsol or other high

quality odorless mineral spirits). The thinner the coating, the lower the gloss. • -or-• Brush the varnish vigorously as it dries. When the varnish is starting to set up, if you

continue to brush it then you will microscopically roughen the surface and it will be less glossy. This will make the surface slightly irregular rather than mirror-like.

• To matte the varnish even more:• Dissolve about 10% Gamblin Cold Wax Medium to 90% Gamvar. This will reduce the sheen

by approximately 30%.First, add a small amount of varnish to Cold Wax Medium and make slurry. Then add the slurry to the larger volume. Shake vigorously. Look through the jar. You should not see any particles of wax floating in the varnish. If you do, shake some more.

• If adding 10% Cold Wax Medium does not look right, try adding a little more and repeat the process. (Adding more than 20% wax in the varnish is not recommended.)

• After you have made the entire batch of varnish, I recommend you matte only the amount of varnish you need. It takes some time to dissolve the wax into the varnish and you want to be sure you like the effect.

• Apply the varnish to a test painting to make sure you have the correct level of sheen. Remember you will not be able to judge the sheen until the varnish has dried.

COLD WAX MEDIUM as a varnish

• Gamblin Cold Wax Medium can be used as a traditional wax varnish. • Gamblin Cold Wax Medium can be applied as a varnish anytime after the painting is dry. • If the varnished or painted surface of a painting appears too glossy, you can apply a final

coating of Cold Wax Medium.

APPLICATION TIPS• A light coat of wax can be applied over a dried painting then buffed with soft, lint free

cloth using a circular stroke. Let the wax varnish dry overnight.• The resulting matte surface can be left alone or, if a soft luster is preferred, buffed

gently with a lint free cloth. Be sure not to scratch the surface of the wax varnish while buffing.

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Sizes and Grounds

The Ground is the foundation of an oil painting. If painting on a fabric support, a layer of Size is necessary to prepare the fabric for the ground layer. Panels only need to have a ground. Acrylic gesso does not require a size.

Artists for whom building permanent paintings is important should consider carefully the quality of all layers of their paintings. They should be as concerned about the layers they do not see (size and ground) as the layers they do see (oil layers, painting mediums, and varnish).

SIZES for Oil Grounds - A size seals the porous fabric and isolates it from the ground and/or oil paints. Linen and cotton will prematurely rot without a size layer. Only fabric supports need sizing.

Gamblin offers two sizes:

• RABBIT SKIN GLUE (RSG)This is the traditional size for fabric support. Conservation scientists caution painters that rabbit skin glue absorbs atmospheric moisture on damp days and swells, gives off moisture on dry days and shrinks. This movement of the size layer can cause aged oil paintings to crack according to the Smithsonian Conservation Lab.

• POLY VINYL ACETATE (PVA) SIZE Diluted with distilled water, PVA size is a contemporary size for fabric support. Conservation scientists recommend painters use neutral pH PVA size on linen and canvas instead of rabbit skin glue. PVA provides a good size layer that seals the fabric but does not re-absorb atmospheric moisture, swell and shrink like rabbit skin glue does. There are hundreds of different formulae of PVA. We acknowledge and appreciate the research of the Canadian Conservation Institute that helps painters and conservators identify the best PVA to use. Gamblin PVA Size is made from PVA that has a neutral pH and does not yellow. It also retains its flexibility and does not emit harmful volatiles.

PVA vs. RSG• We recommend PVA Size to seal fabric supports such as canvas and linen. Rabbit skin glue

(hide glue) is "hygroscopic"--that means it is constantly swelling or shrinking in response to changes in temperature and humidity. The movement of the glue size causes the oil paint film on tip of it to crack over time. PVA Size is not hygroscopic. PVA does not tighten the fabric like rabbit skin glue, so stretch fabric tightly. The size protects the fabric from the ground.

• We use a PVA that is intended as an adhesive, and reduce its strength so that it seals and protects cellulose to the same degree as a normal concentration of rabbit skin glue.

• Our PVA has been tested to not yellow, not become brittle, to have a neutral pH, and to age without throwing off destructive chemicals.

• The Canadian Conservation Institute did a study in the early 90's on many types of PVA and Acrylic adhesives. We used their study as a guide in choosing the raw material for our work to develop a sizing.

• (Adhesive Testing at the Canadian Conservation Institute--An Evaluation of Selected Poly(vinyl acetate) and acrylic Adhesives. Jane Down, Maureen MacDonald, Jean Tetreault and R. Scott Williams. Studies in Conservation 41 1996)

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Sizes and Grounds

GROUNDS• Artists should choose a ground that supports the type of image they want to create.

After 500 years of oil painting we have three grounds to choose from: – Traditional Gesso (whiting and rabbit skin glue), a highly absorbent ground. For

panel painting supports only. – Acrylic Gesso, an absorbent ground for fabric or panels. – Oil Ground, a non-absorbent ground for fabric or panels.

• Absorbent grounds will “absorb” more oil out of the paint film into the ground. The resulting paint layer will have a matte surface.

• Non-absorbent oil grounds do not absorb oil from the paint film. Using an oil ground will make paintings with a more glossy surface.

• The three types of grounds also have a different feel. All three make good grounds so by experimenting, you can select the one that looks and feels the best for your work.

Gamblin has two grounds available:

• GAMBLIN TRADITIONAL GESSOGamblin Gesso makes a traditional absorbent ground for oil paintings on panels. "Gesso" is Italian for gypsum which, when mixed with water and animal glue, makes a luminous painting surface. Gamblin Traditional Gesso is a dry mixture of rabbit skin glue, gypsum, marble dust, and titanium dioxide. Robert Gamblin recommends applying four coats Traditional Gesso to both sides of thin or poorly braced panels. Traditional Gesso is too brittle to use with fabric supports.

• GAMBLIN GROUND Gamblin Oil Painting Ground makes a strong, bright foundation for oil paintings. Formulated from alkyd resin, titanium dioxide, and barium sulfate, Gamblin Ground makes canvas and linen stiffer than acrylic "gesso" and more flexible than traditional oil primers. Barium sulfate gives Gamblin Ground its tooth. Titanium dioxide gives Gamblin Ground its opacity.

Because the percentage of pigments is so much higher than in acrylic "gesso", painters need only apply TWO coats of Gamblin Ground instead of the recommended four coats of acrylic. More coats can be added for smoother painting surfaces. Because alkyd resin is used instead of linseed oil as the binder, Gamblin Ground is more flexible and dries more quickly than lead/linseed oil grounds. Lead/linseed oil grounds must dry for six months and Gamblin Ground is ready for paint application within a week.

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Gamblin Oil Painting Ground – Application Instructions

On Stretched Canvas:• Spread out the ground undiluted, or you can dilute the ground with a small amount of Gamsol if

you need a longer working time or if you find the ground too thick to easily spread, in a very thin layer with a palette knife or plastic trowel.

• Use a brush to feather out any knife marks or ridges to obtain an even, consistent coating. • Allow the ground to dry overnight, lightly sand if desired, and apply a second coat.• Begin your painting when the ground had dried thoroughly, 3-5 days in warm environments, 5-7

days in cool, damp environments.

On Canvas laminate to Panel:• Spread out the ground, undiluted, in a very thin layer with a palette knife or plastic trowel.• Use a brush to feather out any knife marks or ridges to obtain an even, consistent coating. • Allow the ground to dry overnight, lightly sand if desired, and apply a second coat.• Begin your painting when the ground had dried thoroughly, 3-5 days in warm environments, 5-7

days in cool, damp environments.

On Panel:Thin the ground with approximately 5% Gamsol. The consistency should be similar to a heavy whipping cream. Spread the ground thinly over the total area of the panel with a palette knife or a plastic trowel. Using a short-nap roller, gently roll out the ground until it forms an even, consistent coating. Allow the ground to dry overnight, lightly sand if desired, and apply a second coat.Begin your painting when the ground had dried thoroughly, 3-5 days in warm environments, 5-7 days in cool, damp environments.

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Studio Safety

Managing solvents is the key to studio safety. Oil painting studios are immediately safer when artists remove strong solvents, especially turpentine, from their painting processes.

Gamblin’s goal is to advance oil painting by making oil colors with no or very low toxicity. We do not make paints that contain lead, arsenic or mercury. Because there are complete arrays of lightfast pigments available, we have no reason for making toxic paints. When we started to make oil painting mediums, we extended our philosophy of protecting our workers' health and our customers' health to making mediums. Because artists must use turpentine or other strong solvents to dissolve damar crystals, we decided not to base Gamblin painting mediums on natural resins. Odorless mineral spirit is not strong enough to dissolve natural resins or to extend natural resin varnishes. Using OMS will cause the varnish to cloud. Painters who choose to use natural resin varnish as a component of mediums must use turpentine.

Solvents in history. Painters have been using turpentine for hundreds of years because it was commonly available. Pure 100% odorless mineral spirits (OMS) is an innovation of the late 20th century so it is no wonder that many painters are just beginning to understand how safe and available OMS is.

Turpentine, a known respiratory irritant, has a fast evaporation rate and a low permissible exposure level. It causes nausea and lightheadedness, dermatitis, kidney and bladder disease, and asthma. Turpentine is the only solvent commonly available to painters that is absorbed through healthy, unbroken skin. Turpentine is toxic.

Rembrandt used no painting mediums. He did not need mediums because hand made paints are thin and very fluid. Since the 19th century and the invention of the three roll mill, oil colors have been made into stiff pastes. Using these luscious pastes lead to the dominance of direct painting in the 20th century. Painting mediums are used only to increase fluidity of oil colors when using this technique. Extending oil colors with only solvent can lead to failure of the paint film. Adding more than a small amount of linseed oil can increase the tendency of oil paint films to wrinkle. Recently more painters are interested in creating unusual surfaces and optical effects so there is more interest in different kinds of painting mediums.

Gamblin painting mediums are formulated for safety. Once Robert Gamblin decided to formulate our painting mediums with 100% pure odorless mineral spirits, he chose alkyd resin to replace natural resins. First made in the early 1930's, alkyd resin is the polymerized oil of the 20th century. Like 19th century stand oil, alkyd resin is made by heating oil until it polymerizes (molecularly links up into chains). Alkyds have been formulated for use in artists' materials, most successfully as an oil painting medium because alkyd resin as a binder cannot hold the high pigment load of linseed oil.

Galkyd painting mediums speed the drying time of oil colors and increase their flexibility. Galkyd painting mediums are formulated for different painting techniques.

Artists can now create huge canvases of oil colors diluted with Galkyds and Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits. Using Gamsol painters can work with pure odorless mineral spirits with a slow evaporation rate and a high permissible exposure level.

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Studio Safety (continued)

Solvent alternatives. We do not recommend painters use "alternative solvents" as ingredients in painting mediums. They are not 100% volatile and have not been tested by conservation scientists. Our Solvent Comparison Chart compares the properties and uses of several common solvents.

Once painters remove turpentine from their studios, good ventilation is the next issue. Good ventilation is essential for a safe studio. According to the recommendation of environmental hygienists, studio air should be changed ten times per hour. A certain percentage of this change is attained by natural diffusion through the building. Generally the older the building the greater the diffusion. The rest of the air exchange can be attained by opening the windows to increase diffusion and by inserting a fan in one window to blow air out.

Painters who are using Gamsol and Galkyd do not need respirator masks or exhaust systems. Artists working in media requiring strong solvents or chemicals (printmaking or silk-screening for examples) or fixative sprays (pastels) should follow the recommendations of the manufacturers.

Recycling solvents Gamsol can be reused until the solvent will not longer clear. Set up a simple system. After a painting session, pour dirty solvent into the first can. Let the solvent settle then pour off the clear solvent into the second clean can. Repeat the process and add another settling can if needed. Keep all settling cans completely closed. Once Gamsol will no longer settle, dispose with motor oil at a local recycling center.

Turpentine is toxic waste. Call the local recycling center for disposal instruction. Because Turpentine is a bio-hazard, DO NOT DUMP TURPENTINE INTO THE SOIL.

Sludge from recycling cans of OMS and artists' grade oil colors that do not have health warning labels on the packaging can be disposed of as normal household waste. Because linseed oil soaked rags can spontaneously combust, keep all rags, including paper towels, in closed metal containers.

To protect the watershed, no artists' materials, including acrylics, oil/water media and watercolors, should be washed down the drain.

Regarding toxic pigments, lead is the only toxic pigment still occasionally used in oil painting. Do not sand lead-based paints because that releases the pigment from the binder. Dispose of solvent containing lead pigments with hazardous materials.

DO NOT DISPOSE OF LEAD-BASED PAINTS or SOLVENT CONTAINING LEAD PIGMENTS IN HOUSEHOLD TRASH.

Regarding other pigments and oil paints, the art materials' industry is the second most regulated industry in America. If you do not see caution labels, the materials are not toxic. For more information on health warning labels, contact the The Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI)

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Relief InksGamblin Relief Inks are formulated for all relief techniques including woodblock, linocut, monotype and Solarplate. They contain the right amount of stiffness and tack to hold fine detail yet spread evenly on the block or plate. The palette of ten colors is designed to give artists intense pure pigmented colors straight from the jar along with a wide range of color mixing capabilities.

• Low tack for Relief and Monotype printing• Lightfast pigments bound in Burnt Plate Oil

Printmaking: Etching & Relief Inks

Relief Ink Palette:Hansa Yellow LightSepiaNapthol ScarletQuinacridone RedUltramarine BluePrussian BluePhthalo GreenPortland Intense BlackTitanium WhiteTransparent Base

Etching InksGamblin Etching Inks re formulated for all intaglio techniques including etching, drypoint, aquatint, mezzotint, and engraving. The palette of pure intense pigments offers a broad range of color mixing potential. Five black inks and Graphite were formulated to meet the demands of printmakers who want deep rich black inks with good working characteristics.

• High tack for all intaglio processes. • Lightfast pigments bound in Burnt Plate Oil

Etching Ink Palette:Hansa Yellow LightYellow OchreSepiaNapthol RedQuinacridone RedDioxazine PurpleUltramarine BluePrussian BluePhthalo GreenEtching WhiteTransparent BasePortland BlackPortland Cool BlackPortland Stiff BlackBone BlackCarbon Black Graphite

Gamblin Relief Ink available in 175ml glass jars.

Gamblin Etching Ink available in 300ml metal cans.

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Depending on the printmaking technique, the inks may need to be adjusted slightly with one of our modifiers in order to print perfectly. Temperature and humidity, the type of plate, and type of paper all affect how inks perform.

Printmaking: Ink Modifiers

Gamsol

Gamsol, the safest 100% pure odorless mineral spirit available, enables printmakers to easily modify inks and is great for studio clean-up, eliminating the need for stronger solvents.

Burnt Plate Oils

Burnt Plate Oils are used to lower the viscosity of the ink. Burnt Plate Oil should be added to the inks sparingly, as the detail of a print may be lost if the ink becomes too fluid. Burnt Plate Oil #000 has less tack and is a good match for use with Gamblin Relief Inks. Burnt Plate Oil #2 has a higher tack and is excellent for modifying Gamblin Etching Inks.

Tack Reducer

Tack Reducer is a gel made from a very light drying oil, making it completely compatible with the inks. Small amounts added to ink will efficiently reduce tack. Tack Reducer is transparent to allow the intensity of an ink’s color to be maintained.

Magnesium Carbonate

Magnesium Carbonate is traditionally used to stiffen ink. It will also reduce an ink’s gloss level. Once added to ink, Magnesium Carbonate becomes transparent and will not alter the color of the ink. We recommend adding small amounts at a time; little is needed to add body to an ink. Mix well. It can be used with both Etching and Relief Inks.

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Pigments are finely ground or powdered colored substances, which give their color to another material when mixed. Pigments do not dissolve. They are dispersed in linseed oil or other media. Only lightfast and permanent pigments, like those from Gamblin, are suitable for use as artists’ materials.

USES:

Contemporary painters are using dry pigments as elements of mixed media paintings and objects. Dry pigments can also be used in traditional processes such as encaustic or egg tempera.

• Dry pigments can be added to glazing mediums. J.M.W. Turner mixed his glazing colors by adding dry pigments to his medium. The look is quite different because dry pigments are not ground into the medium the way pigments are ground into linseed oil to make oil colors so the glaze has a gritty texture.

• Dry pigments can be rubbed on to paper, added to glue or sizing.

• By adding dry pigment to Gamblin Cold Wax Medium, artists can create pastel like effects. Be sure to paint on board when creating artwork from pigments and Cold Wax Medium or paintings may crack when moved.

• By mixing melted wax and pigments together, painters can make encaustic paintings. Painters should research studio safety precautions before experimenting with hot wax.

Artists, who make their own paints, use dry pigments to grind into linseed oil or another binder, such as gum arabic or acrylic resin.

SAFETY

Regardless of the binder used to mix dry pigments, artists should be very careful when handling powders.

• wear respirator masks so that no pigment dust is inhaled

• wear gloves to protect their skin from staining or from pigment entering their bodies through the skin.

• Modern organic pigments, while non-toxic, are very concentrated finely ground powders with high tinting strengths. Open jars carefully. Mineral based pigments, such as Cadmiums, Cobalts and Manganese are heavier and more dense. They do contain elemental metals so handle with care.

Gamblin has 18 dry pigments available:

Burnt Sienna Prussian BlueBurnt Umber Raw SiennaCadmium Red Medium Raw UmberCadmium Yellow Medium Ultramarine BlueCobalt Blue ViridianIndian Red Yellow OchreIvory Black Titanium DioxideManganese Violet WhitingMars Black Zinc Oxide

Dry Pigments

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www.gamblincolors.com

Gamblin Artists Colors is dedicated to supporting oil painters with technical information about their materials. Our website is a valuable resource for painters, providing expansive product descriptions, notes on painting techniques, video demonstrations, newsletters, and technical support.

• Our Navigating Color Space video presentation can be viewed at http://www.gamblincolors.com/navigating.color.space/index.html

• Video demonstrations of Gamblin products and techniques include:

• Varnish Application: http://www.gamblincolors.com/oil.painting.techniques/varnishes.html

• Ground Application: http://www.gamblincolors.com/oil.painting.techniques/varnishes.html

• “Oiling Out”: http://www.gamblincolors.com/newsletters/studionotes17.html

• Information about Torrit Grey, our limited edition color made from recycled pigments, can be found at http://www.gamblincolors.com/torrit.grey/index.html. Winning images from our Torrit Grey Painting Competition, along with a gallery of all of the entries, are also exhibited.

• Our Interactive Painting Medium Guide, which allows painters to choose the qualities they are looking for and receive a recommendation of which medium might be best suited for their needs, can be found at http://www.gamblincolors.com/mediums/interactive.guide.html

• Painters can sign up to receive our Studio Notes e-newsletters. Archived newsletters can be found at http://www.gamblincolors.com/newsletters/index.html.

• Painters can contact Gamblin to receive personalized technical support at http://www.gamblincolors.com/contact.html.