Oil Painting Medium & Solvent
- Marion Dutton
- Sep 29
- 1 min read
Updated: Oct 1
Zest-it LEAN Painting Medium
Zest-it Lean is my go-to for underpaintings. If you can’t get hold of it, don’t panic — you can easily make your own lean medium by mixing 50:50 solvent (like Gamsol) with your oil of choice (refined linseed or walnut).
Gamsol Odourless Mineral Spirits
Gamsol is one of the safest solvents for oil painters, letting you use all the traditional techniques without compromise.
Maz Says: I often mix Gamsol with refined linseed oil in a 50:50 ratio to create my own lean medium — perfect for underpaintings when Zest-it isn’t available.
Old Holland Bleached Linseed Oil
increases the fluidity and gloss of oil paints.
Maz Says: Mix with Gamsol in a 50:50 ratio (half linseed, half Gamsol) to create a lean medium that’s perfect for underpainting. Used straight from the bottle, it becomes your “fat” medium for later stages. While I use Old Holland, other brands such as Michael Harding, Winsor & Newton, and Gamblin all produce refined linseed oils — the brand isn’t important, as they all do the same job. Alternatively, you can use refined walnut oil, which is slightly less yellowing than linseed.
