How to Make Runny Oil Paint
- 1). Find a painting medium that works for you. You can buy premade mediums at art stores, or, if you want to know exactly what's in your medium, you can make your own. A good basic medium can be made from 1 part oil (such as linseed oil or poppy oil), 3 parts turpentine and 1/2 part varnish, according to the art website Notebook.
- 2). Squeeze the amount of paint you will need directly onto your palette. If any color mixing is involved, do it before you add the medium.
- 3). Add a little of your chosen medium to the paint. How much medium you add depends on what effect you want, but you should be as sparing as possible, because too much medium can make the paint dry in unwanted ways.
- 4). Mix the paint and the medium with your brush or a palette knife. Test the consistency of the paint on a practice canvas or panel. If it is still too thick, add a little more medium, but always keep the proportion of paint higher than the proportion of medium. This will help subsequent layers of paint to adhere to the current layer.
