Andrea's oil painting hack

I bet you thought I forgot that today was Tutorial Tuesday... Well, you were almost right. Thank you, Andrea Brygidyr for saving the day!

Oil Painting Hack

by Andrea Brygidyr

Back in the day of Leonardo Di Vinci, there were very limited paint options. Most paints were handmade by the artist with pigment and/or eggs (egg tempera). Then along came oil paints, which were usually preserved with linseed oil. These allowed artists to purchase high quality paint in a tube. Oil paints didn't dry out quickly, they didn't crack after being applied and they didn't smell like eggs! Oil paints were a total hit! 

Oils are known for their long drying time. This allows the artist to work slowly, which is a blessing as well as a curse. For model horses, its most often a curse, mostly because dust loves to find wet ponies. If painted thickly, oils can take over a month to dry... oh and it said that oil paint never fully dries, it just cures. 

However, I have a little hack that I learned in university that can help with this. Instead of a conventional plastic pallet, I use a piece of cardboard. 

The cardboard will absorb the oils from the paints, and this speeds up the drying time. Personally I dry brush my oils, and they are nearly dry in an hour.

Hope this helps someone!