Velazquez Medium

Velázquez Medium is a flowing paste that makes colors slightly transparent while allowing you to build impasted, thick paint applications. When added to oil paint, it does not alter the color temperature. It can be thinned with solvent or oil. Depending upon the proportion added to the paint, it does not affect the drying time significantly. Velázquez Medium is softer and ‘longer’* than Impasto Medium, which is ‘short’ or buttery.

Velázquez Medium does not contain stearates, solvents, driers, or natural or synthetic resins, so it is safe to add to oil paint without the worry of cracking or delaminating.

*Long refers to the consistency of paint that displays tall peaks when a palette knife is pressed to its surface and lifted. Long paint is also described as “ropy” and refers to a stringy quality, like honey. Paint that behaves in this way is said to have long rheology. Short rheology refers to paint that exhibits a more buttery consistency, typical of most commercial oil paint. Rheology studies how substances flow, such as liquids and soft solids, that flow rather than deform elastically.

Velázquez Medium is a calcite-rich oil-painting medium.

The soft white paste has little effect on color, making them less opaque and slightly less saturated. Use it to build thick applications of paint.

Comparing Impasto Medium (top left) and Velázquez Medium (top right) shows the different handling characteristics added to the paint.

Velázquez Medium slightly increases the transparency of colors while introducing flow-out and leveling. These properties allow you to create fine detail in impasto or thick paint easily. Although the paint becomes long when Velázquez Medium is added, it holds brushstrokes well. In the above example, when added to green earth artist oil (bottom center), the mixture of Impasto Medium (bottom left) extends the color and consistency. In contrast, the mixture with Velázquez Medium (bottom right) gives the paint a long, ropy consistency.

Directions

Mix Velázquez Medium directly into your paint right on the palette.

Velázquez Medium is a great way to add calcite to your paint. Add Velázquez Medium and linseed oil directly to pigment powder until you obtain a stiff paste (almost the consistency of putty). Grind the paste with a muller on a flat surface before storing it in a collapsible tube. Some of its properties will be temporarily lost when grinding Velázquez Medium with a muller but should be restored when allowed to stand.

Health and Safety

Based on the toxicological review, there are no acute or known chronic health hazards with the anticipated use of this product. Always protect yourself against potentially unknown chronic hazards of this and other chemical products by avoiding ingestion, excessive skin contact, and inhalation of spraying mists, sanding dust, and concentrated vapors. Contact us for further information or consult the MSDS for more information.