The right oil painting medium can change how your oil paint flows, blends, dries, and looks on the canvas. Some mediums improve transparency and gloss, while others help create smoother brushwork, accelerate drying, or protect the finished painting.
With so many oil painting mediums available, choosing the right one can be confusing.
The Kusakabe range makes the choice easier by offering products for different stages of the oil painting process—from traditional oils and solvents to fast-drying mediums, retouching varnishes, and final protective varnishes.
The key is simple: choose your oil medium according to what you want your paint or painting surface to do.
| Kusakabe Product | Best For | Main Effect | GHS Hazard Pictogram* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linseed Oil | Traditional oil painting | Flow, gloss, transparency | |
| Poppy Oil | Whites and light colors | Smooth blending, pale finish | |
| Safflower Oil | Light colors | Smooth flow, minimal yellowing | |
| Stand Oil | Smooth brushwork and final layers | Leveling, gloss, durable film | |
| Spirit of Turpentine | Thinning and brush cleaning | Lean, fluid paint | |
| Petrol | Thinning oil paint | Lean, relatively quick-drying layers | |
| Neo Painting Oil | Everyday oil painting | Smooth flow and faster drying | |
| Dammar Painting Oil | Classical oil painting | Flow, depth, gloss | |
| Ultra Drying Medium | Fast-drying techniques | Accelerated drying | |
| Retoucher | Dull or sunken areas | Restores gloss and color | |
| Tableaux | Older dried paintings | Removable surface coating | |
| Tableaux Special | Freshly surface-dried paintings | Temporary surface coating | |
| Crystal Varnish | Final protection | Clear, lower-gloss protection | |
| Glossy Varnish | Final finishing | High gloss and protection | |
* GHS pictograms should be reproduced according to the current product label and Safety Data Sheet (SDS). Hazard classifications may differ between products.
Linseed Oil is one of the most traditional oil painting mediums. It improves paint flow while increasing gloss and transparency, making it useful for smoother applications and transparent passages.
Choose Linseed Oil when:
You want traditional oil painting characteristics with increased flow, gloss, and transparency.
Poppy Oil is a pale, slow-drying oil that provides smooth blending while maintaining a relatively clean appearance.
It is particularly suitable for white and very light colors.
Choose Poppy Oil when:
You want extended blending and frequently work with whites or light colors.
Safflower Oil is a pale, slow-drying oil that provides smooth paint flow with minimal yellowing.
It is especially useful with light colors and whites.
Choose Safflower Oil when:
You want smooth handling and a pale oil medium for light-colored passages.
Stand Oil is a thick oil medium that helps create smooth, level brushwork. It can reduce the appearance of brush marks while producing a glossy, polished surface.
It is particularly useful for smooth final layers and refined brushwork.
Choose Stand Oil when:
You want smooth brushwork, increased gloss, and a polished final layer.
Solvents are different from oil mediums. Rather than adding oil to the paint, solvents are primarily used to thin oil paint and create leaner applications.
Spirit of Turpentine is a traditional volatile solvent used to thin oil paint and clean brushes. It can produce lean, fluid paint that is useful during the early stages of an oil painting.
Choose Spirit of Turpentine when:
You need a traditional solvent for thinning oil colors or cleaning brushes.
Safety:
Check the product label and SDS for the applicable GHS hazard pictograms and handling instructions. Use appropriate ventilation and follow the manufacturer’s safety recommendations.
Petrol is a less volatile and less powerful cleaning solvent than Spirit of Turpentine. It can be used to thin oil paint and create lean, relatively quick-drying layers.
Choose Petrol when:
You want a less powerful solvent option for thinning oil paint.
Safety:
Always follow the product label and SDS, including the applicable GHS hazard information and ventilation requirements.
Neo Painting Oil is a versatile oil painting medium for everyday use. It improves paint flow and smooth application while offering faster drying than Dammar Painting Oil.
It is a practical choice for artists who want a convenient medium for general oil painting.
Choose Neo Painting Oil when:
You want an everyday medium with good flow and relatively faster drying.
Dammar Painting Oil is a classical oil painting medium designed for smooth application and improved flow. It can also add depth and richness to paint that appears dull.
Compared with Neo Painting Oil, Dammar Painting Oil provides a more classical painting experience and dries more slowly.
Choose Dammar Painting Oil when:
You want smooth flow, added depth, and a traditional oil painting approach.
If drying time is your priority, Ultra Drying Medium is designed to significantly accelerate oil paint drying.
It can be useful for artists working with multiple layers who want to move through the painting process more quickly.
Choose Ultra Drying Medium when:
You need faster drying between painting stages.
Not all fast-workflow mediums serve the same purpose:
Simple rule: Neo for everyday painting. Dammar for a classical approach. Ultra Drying Medium when speed matters most.
Solvents are not the only option for maintaining your oil painting brushes.
For artists who prefer to reduce their use of volatile solvents during painting, Kusakabe Mushuu Brush Cleaner provides an alternative for cleaning brushes between painting sessions.
Use Mushuu Brush Cleaner when you need to clean your brushes during or between painting sessions without relying on a traditional volatile solvent for every cleaning step.
Best for:
After the painting session, use Kusakabe Ateler Detergent for a more thorough brush-cleaning routine.
It is designed for deep cleaning your brushes after painting, helping remove remaining paint and residue before storing your brushes.
Simple brush-care routine:
During painting / between sessions → Mushuu Brush Cleaner
After painting → Atelier Detergent for deep cleaning
This approach lets artists separate routine brush cleaning from deep post-painting cleaning, rather than relying on a strong solvent for every brush-cleaning task.
Oil painting varnishes have different purposes. Some are temporary coatings used while a painting is still being worked on, while others are intended for the final surface.
Retoucher is a temporary varnish used on dried or dull areas of an oil painting. It helps restore gloss and enrich colors that may appear dull or sunken.
Choose Retoucher when:
A dried area has lost visual depth or gloss and you need to restore its appearance while continuing to paint.
Tableaux is a removable varnish intended for oil paintings that have dried for approximately six months.
It provides a removable surface coating rather than a permanent final finish.
Choose Tableaux when:
You need a removable varnish for an adequately dried oil painting.
Tableaux Special is a temporary varnish intended for freshly surface-dried oil paintings.
It is useful when the surface has dried but the painting is not yet ready for the longer-term final varnishing stage.
Choose Tableaux Special when:
You need a temporary surface coating for a relatively fresh oil painting.
Crystal Varnish is a clear, permanent protective varnish with a lower-gloss appearance than Glossy Varnish.
Choose Crystal Varnish when:
You want permanent protection with a more restrained finish.
Glossy Varnish provides a high-gloss final finish while protecting the surface of the finished painting. The increased gloss can also enhance the visual richness of colors.
Choose Glossy Varnish when:
You want a high-gloss finish together with permanent surface protection.
Choosing the right Kusakabe oil medium becomes easier when you start with your goal:
| Your Goal | Recommended Product |
| Traditional flow, gloss, and transparency | Linseed Oil |
| Whites and very light colors | Poppy Oil |
| Pale medium for light colors | Safflower Oil |
| Smooth, polished brushwork | Stand Oil |
| Traditional solvent | Spirit of Turpentine |
| Less powerful solvent for thinning | Petrol |
| Everyday oil painting | Neo Painting Oil |
| Classical painting with added depth | Dammar Painting Oil |
| Significantly faster drying | Ultra Drying Medium |
| Restore dull or sunken areas | Retoucher |
| Removable varnish for older paintings | Tableaux |
| Temporary varnish for fresh surface-dried paint | Tableaux Special |
| Permanent protection with lower gloss | Crystal Varnish |
| High-gloss final finish | Glossy Varnish |
| Routine brush cleaning between sessions | Mushuu Brush Cleaner |
| Deep brush cleaning after painting | Atelier Detergent |
You do not need to use every oil painting medium in your studio. Start with the result you want.
Need more flow and transparency? → Linseed Oil
Need smoother blending with light colors? → Poppy Oil or Safflower Oil
Need smooth, polished brushwork? → Stand Oil
Need to thin paint? → Spirit of Turpentine or Petrol
Need an everyday medium? → Neo Painting Oil
Want a classical medium with added depth? → Dammar Painting Oil
Need faster drying? → Ultra Drying Medium
Need to restore a dull area? → Retoucher
Need temporary or removable varnishing? → Tableaux or Tableaux Special
Need permanent protection? → Crystal Varnish or Glossy Varnish
Need to clean brushes between sessions? → Mushuu Brush Cleaner
Need deep cleaning after painting? → Atelier Detergent
There is no single best oil painting medium for every artist or technique. Each Kusakabe product has a specific role—from traditional oils that modify paint flow and gloss, to solvents for thinning, fast-drying mediums for a quicker workflow, and varnishes for restoring or protecting the finished painting.
And when it comes to brush care, you do not have to rely on volatile solvents for every cleaning step. Mushuu Brush Cleaner can be used for routine cleaning between painting sessions, while Atelier Detergent can be used for deep cleaning after the painting session.
The best oil medium is the one that solves the specific problem you have at that stage of your painting.
