Gamblin's 3-in-1 Medium
Something new for oil painters!
I'm always trying new products, and here's one that landed in my studio recently: Gamblin's 3-in-1 Medium. Designed for sealing panels, underpainting and block-in-washes, this is Gamblin's leanest medium.
I've long been a fan of Gamblin's gel mediums—Solvent-Free Gel, Galkyd Gel, Galkyd Lite Gel—but my first introduction was to their fluid mediums. I tend to use only the gel mediums outdoors, primarily because of the convenience of not having to use a medium cup, which can be messy. In the studio, I usually end up using the fluid mediums, where I have space to place a medium cup on the table that holds my palette. And this is what I do with the new fluid medium, keeping a bottle handy to refresh the cup as it gets low.
(Disclosure: I’m part of Gamblin’s Circle of Artists & Educators network so, yes, I’m biased! But I’m writing about their products here because I like them.)
The 3-in-1 medium, like the gel products, contains a small amount of alkyd resin to help paint layers dry more quickly. This, and the fact that it is a very lean, thin medium, makes it ideal for my approach to painting. I generally like to start with either color washes or thin block-ins, and I want these layers to become "tacky" so I can work over them within a few hours. Although in the past I've just thinned the paint with Gamsol, I always worry about thinning the paint so much that I risk weakening the paint film. Now I'm using the 3-in-1 medium instead; its lower viscosity is sufficient so I can use it for washes and block-ins without adding Gamsol and thus maintain a durable paint film.
As I get further into a painting, I usually switch over to Galkyd Lite, which because of its viscous nature I thin slightly with a touch of Gamsol. But the 3-in-1 medium feels "right" to me as-is, without any further dilution. Of course, I don't use anywhere near as much as I do in a wash or block-in; just enough to get the paint workable.
As for sealing panels, in the past I've used Gamblin's PVA Size to prepare them. I've used it on both MDF panels and on wooden ones; I understand that wood can withstand the acid in oil paint, but I like to size it, anyway, just in case. I've started using the 3-in-1 medium instead. I'm told it's only about 30% fat in mixture with Gamsol, and the low viscosity helps it to readily absorb and seal into panel substrates. It brushes onto a panel quite easily, dries quickly, and leaves a surface that readily accepts Gamblin's Oil Ground and either acrylic gesso or true gesso.
Gamblin's 3-in-1 medium is so versatile, one might ask, "Will it end up replacing the other mediums?" No, because the other mediums each have their own special characteristics and are useful for different approaches to painting. But the 3-in-1 is, in my mind, a great all-purpose medium, and I'm glad to have it. You can learn more about it at this link.
