Using Whites to Mix

[Lesleybirchart]

I keep reading that Titanium White takes longer to dry than other oil colours. However, I love mixing it with other colours to create thick, luscious tints. Should I be using Zinc white or flake white or whatever? If one oil colour dries faster than another is there a rule about mixing? Especially when using Titanium White?

[ural jones]

Well, this is news to me. I have used Titanium , Zinc white and Lead white for years. Never [FONT=”Franklin Gothic Medium][/FONT]had that problem.

[AllisonR]

Lead white (flake) is an extremely fast drier, compared to titanium and zinc. It is also a warmer white, better for reds, yellows, browns, flesh… it also blends more subtly, compared to titanium, which is a quite harsh blender. But titanium is much more opaque and more solid.

Being born places you at a greater risk of dying later in life.

http://www.artallison.com/

[ianuk]

The only rule I know about mixing any colours, whites or any other regarding drying time is, try not to get the paint on your clothes.

[Dana Design]

Titanium white is opaque and zinc white is rather transparent and is a better mixer with color.

Try this link: https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235455

You may also do a search for “White” as there have been numerous threads on this subject.

When life hands you lemons, add some tequila, a sprinkle of salt and call me!

[stapeliad Moderator, NYC]

The only rule I know about mixing any colours, whites or any other regarding drying time is, try not to get the paint on your clothes.

This is not a hard and fast rule.

Lady Mars Orange Marmalade Stapleford
Moderator: OIls, Pastels, Plein Air
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde

[Crystal1]

Titanium white does take a while to dry even when mixed with colors, but it doesn’t cause any trouble with mixing with other colors or next to other oil colors. It just takes longer to dry. If what you want are “luscious, thick tints”, then you’ll probably just have to allow for the extra drying time. Zinc white is believed to have some cracking problems, especially in thick layers of paint, and Lead White is becoming difficult to find, due to it’s lead content.
You might try to paint 2 or 3 paintings at a time, so that you always have something you can work on. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

The drying time depends a lot on the particular brand, some use more driers and different mixtures of binding oils, etc. that control the drying time. Permalba is a titanium zinc white that dries fast and it is in safflower oil, so I am thinking they use driers.

[Crystal1]

That’s true permalba white actually came 1st in a test on how white their paint stays over time, while the other brands yellowed more over time.

[stapeliad Moderator, NYC]

I have a swatch panel i made about 4 years ago (I think) at home with all different kinds of white. It has been kept indoors, and in the dark for a few years too. I ran into it a few weeks ago while I was pretending to clean my studio…and none of the whites have yellowed. I’ll try and find it tonight and post it.

I’m in a minority of people who do not like Permalba white. I think it has a pasty consistency. Gamblin’s radiant white is my current non-leaded favorite.

Lady Mars Orange Marmalade Stapleford
Moderator: OIls, Pastels, Plein Air
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde

[Dana Design]

I’m with the Lady Mars. I don’t like Permalba either. My favorite go-to is Holbein Titanium White. Love it and buy it by the bucket! I use my lead white sparingly.

When life hands you lemons, add some tequila, a sprinkle of salt and call me!

[rltromble]

Each pigment dries at different rates, titanium, cadmium yellow, and ivory black are slow driers compared to cobalt, lead based, umbers and phalos pigments. On top of that the drying time is greatly effected by where you live and the weather. In the current weather and where I live, titanium white takes up to two weeks to dry without medium. But oxidation of oil paint can be sped up by using mediums that contain alkyds or siccatives. You can also buy oil paints that are made with alkyd refined oils.

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[Forestgrass]

I have found that Gamblin Titanium White definitely takes longer to dry but sounds like other brands can be different. I really like lead white and haven’t tried Permalba.

[J_Franco]

The only rule I know about mixing any colours, whites or any other regarding drying time is, try not to get the paint on your clothes.

Not really possible even for the most meticulous painters.

Visit my website at JFrancoArt.com

[Ben Sones]

Drying time depends on a whole bunch of things. Titanium white, by itself, in linseed oil is actually an average drier. Williamsburg’s, for instance, will be touch-dry in three days in thin layers.

There are numerous factors that can extend the drying time of titanium white, though. The addition of zinc white, for example, will make it take longer to dry (zinc is a very slow-drying pigment). Many brands’ titanium whites contain zinc to increase brightness and improve handling.

Additionally, many titanium whites are made with oils other than linseed, to reduce yellowing. Safflower oil, walnut oil, soybean oil, poppy oil, sunflower oil–these are all binders that paint makers frequently use for whites, and they all dry much more slowly than linseed oil.

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