Fluid matte medium for reducing the reflective quality of oil colours. Allows the artist control in adjusting the relative gloss/matt level of oil paint.

Constituents

Stand Oil, Gum Turpentine, Linseed Oil, Fumed Silica, Cobalt Drier.

Product Application

Shake well before use. 

Langridge Matte Medium may be added to oil colours in quantities at the discretion of the artist.

Initially small additions will purely aid the flow qualities of existing oil colours. As more medium is added to the oil colour, the transparency will be increased due to the further dispersion of the pigment throughout the medium.

After 20-30 minutes of applying Langridge Matte Medium the surface will set-up to a tack that grabs any succeeding brush strokes. The wet, but tacky, paint surface can be readily painted into, even quite aggressively, without moving or disturbing the areas of fresh paint underneath. This allows for a wet-in-wet technique with very controlled manipulation of paint including soft blending.

Upon drying the matte medium will take on a matte sheen. The more medium used, the more the dried painting will exhibit a non reflective surface.

Be aware that the matting agent will alter the depth of tone of colours with which it is mixed. This will be especially noticeable with blacks and other dark tones. It is the nature of matt surfaces to reduce tonal depth as the light is refracted to reduce gloss and glare.

Stand oil used in Langridge mediums has pronounced leveling qualities. However, the matting silica will prevent the resulting paint film from exhibiting an enamel finish. 

Langridge Matte Medium has a high oil content and, as such, is a ‘fat’ medium. It should not to be used for underpainting if oil colours with no additional medium are to be applied on top.

Dries to a matte finish.

Additional Product Information

For the prevention of sinking-in of paint

If a support for painting (e.g. canvas) is poorly primed, oil colours will ‘sink-in’ to the surface and exhibit a dull and lifeless colour reflection. The oil from the paint is absorbed into the support, leaving the pigment underbound and the surface liable to crack or dust/flake off. In this case ‘oiling-out’ can rectify the paint film

Additional Product Information

Sinking-in with Matte Medium

Due to the physical nature of the matting silica, when Langridge Matte Medium is applied to absorbent 

surfaces there is the potential for the oil to be drawn into the surface, leaving underbound matting silica. This will display as a chalky residue that will easily ‘dust-off’. Test for absorbancy and if this occurs the painting must be oiled out as mentioned above to reduce the absorbent nature of the painting.

To even out the final reflective quality of the painting

There are numerous reasons for an uneven reflective quality in the final paint film. Differences in the particle size of individual pigments, the various recipes of individual oil colours, the variety of oil mediums, layers and techniques employed etc. generally lead to a finished picture which has a wide range of reflective finishes within it. 

Some may like the effect however others may find it distracting.

If the surface has only minor variation, the application of Retouch Varnish once touch dry or a final picture varnish after the painting has had time to dry thoroughly (approx. 3 – 6 months) can generally unify the surface.  

If the reflective disparity is highly pronounced, a picture varnish may not even the differences out. In this case the surface can easily be rectified by “oiling out” using Langridge Isolating Medium or another “Fat” medium. Oiling out is a non removable process and does not replace a removable artists’ varnish. (See…)

Thinning

For best results thin with Distilled Gum Turpentine. However, Artists White Spirit or Langridge Low Toxic Solvent may be substituted. The use of the latter solvents will tend to reduce the fatness of stroke and the oil film will dry with less richness due to the partial destruction of the paint film.

Appearance

Langridge Matte Medium is a pale amber colour liquid with characteristic Gum Turpentine odour.

Very fresh medium may exhibit a green cast. The colour of the medium will not effect the oil colours with which it is mixed.

Clean Up

Clean brushes with any artists’ solvent (eg Gum Turpentine, Low Toxic Solvent, etc.).

For further washing apply a small quantity of Marseille or other pure olive oil soap and massage the bristles of the brush to release any remaining colour. Wash thoroughly in warm water. Leave to fully dry before using for oil colours.

Drying Times

24-48 hours to touch dry. Any airflow over the surface will evaporate the solvent more rapidly which will reduce drying times.

Full film drying 3-6 months