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One of the greatest strengths of oil painting is also its biggest frustration—oil paints dry slowly. Though this does allow for beautiful blending and extended working time (for alla prima painting particularly). There are many situations where a quicker drying time becomes essential—such as, if you’re on a deadline for a gallery show or need to deliver a commission on time!
Understanding the factors that influence oil paint drying times—and learning how to control them—can give you quite a big advantage when it come to being prepared. In this article, we’ll explore why oil paint dries so slowly, what affects drying time, and the most effective ways to speed it up when needed.
Why Oil Paint Dries So Slowly
Looking at how long it takes oil paints to dry on an artist’s palette.
Unlike acrylic or watercolor, oil paint doesn’t dry through evaporation. Instead, it dries through a chemical process called oxidation. The oil in the paint reacts with oxygen in the air and gradually forms a solid film. This is why oil paints are made with drying oils such as linseed oil. If it were made with olive oil it would never dry. This oxidation process happens slowly—sometimes over days, weeks, or even months—depending on the conditions.
Additionally, oil paints often contain linseed oil, walnut oil, or other natural drying oils as a binder. These oils dry at different rates (more on that below), adding to the variability.
Typical Oil Paint Drying Times
There’s no single drying time for all oil paints. In fact, several factors cause drying times to vary:
1. Pigment Type
Some pigments naturally dry faster than others. For example:
Fast drying pigments: Cobalt blue, raw umber, burnt umber
The drying time for some oil paints are longer than others−Titanium White for example, dries more slowly.
Oil paints dry at different speeds, because the metal content in the pigment can catalyze (or slow down) the oxidation process.
2. Oil Type
The type of oil used to bind the pigment has a major impact on drying time of oil paints.
Different oils that bind oil paint pigments will make a big difference on how fast they dry (or not).
Types of oils:
Linseed oil dries relatively quickly and is the most common.
Walnut oil dries much more slowly, though it produces a less yellowing film over time.
Poppyseed oil is even slower and is often used in whites and light colors to avoid yellowing.
Different brands use different oils—so two paints of the same color may dry at very different rates depending on the manufacturer.
3. Your Environment
The environment where you paint will make a difference on the dry times of your oil paints and paintings.
Where you live plays a surprisingly important role on how oil paints dry:
In dry climates, oil paint will typically dry faster due to increased airflow and lower humidity.
In humid or damp environments, drying slows down considerably.
Cold temperatures can also retard drying, while warmer conditions can speed it up—though extreme heat should be avoided, as it can damage the paint film.
How to Make Oil Paints Dry Faster
There are many reasons why you might want to accelerate drying—deadlines, needing to paint in layers, transportation needs, or even just personal preference. Fortunately, there are several effective strategies to speed up the drying process without compromising the integrity of your painting.
Dry to the touch oil painting by Elisabeth Larson Koehler.
1. Use a Fast-Drying Medium Like Liquin
One of the most reliable ways to ensure your oil paints dry faster, is to use a fast-drying medium—such as Liquin. This alkyd-based medium significantly reduces drying time—sometimes to under 24 hours, depending on the paint layer’s thickness.
Liquin also improves flow and levels brushstrokes, which is useful when you want a smoother finish.
Tip: Use Liquin sparingly—just enough to loosen your paint without over-thinning it. Overuse can create a plasticky surface.
Liquin improves flow and levels brushstrokes when you want a smoother finish.
2. Avoid Adding Extra Oil
While adding oil (like linseed or walnut oil) can make paint more fluid and workable, it also increases drying time significantly. If you’re on a deadline, avoid oil-rich mediums and opt for leaner ones instead.
3. Start With Thinner, Lean Layers
Working on a base layer of a painting.
In the early stages of a painting—such as block-ins or underpaintings—use paint thinner like odorless mineral spirits (OMS) to dilute your paint. This results in a lean, fast-drying layer that sets the stage for slower-drying, richer paint to be added later.
This practice also aligns with the classic “fat over lean” principle, which helps prevent cracking as your painting cures over time.
4. Use Fast-Drying Colors Strategically
Plan your palette to favor pigments known to dry quickly, especially in areas where you may want to move on to the next stage sooner. For example, raw umber or burnt sienna can make an excellent fast-drying underpainting. Personally, I really recommend these colors as you sketch out your painting and make an underpainting.
Yellow Ochre and Burnt Umber are another combo of faster drying oil paints. Earth tone colors tend to dry faster.
5. Increase Air Circulation and Warmth
Place your painting in a warm, dry room with good air circulation to naturally encourage faster drying. Using a fan (set to low) can help, and a space heater used cautiously in winter can be effective—but avoid placing your painting in direct heat or sunlight, as this may cause wrinkling or surface damage.
Final Thoughts on How Oil Paints Dry
Understanding how and why oil paints dry—is essential for taking greater control of your painting process. Whether you’re glazing, layering, or just trying to finish in time for an upcoming show, knowing how to speed up drying—without sacrificing quality—makes you a more confident and flexible artist.
And while it’s tempting to rush the process, remember: one of oil painting’s greatest gifts is time. Use it wisely when you can, and skillfully when you can’t.
Do you let your oil paints dry at their own speed? Or what do you do to make them dry quicker?! I’d love to hear in the comments below.
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Thank you, Elizabeth. I had not realized that it is an oxidation process that dries the oil paints. Neither did I realize that different oils might be used by different manufacturers to create the same color which then affects drying time across brands. And presumably the resulting color? I thoroughly enjoyed this article.
So glad you enjoyed this article! I was hoping it would be interesting to others as when I myself first learned about different paint brands using different oils and the effects of drying time, I thought it was fascinating as well! And yes, there can definitely be changes/ differences in the resulting color…
Thank you Elisabeth
What important information you have given us yet again! As we are at the beginning of winter here in South Africa, this could not come at a better time. This is the kind of information we as art teachers need, though it is often not communicated at the beginning of our art journey. Therefore my heartfelt thanks for this very valuable lesson.
7 thoughts on “Oil Paint Drying Times: How to Make Oil Paints Dry Faster”
Can you use Liquin with water soluble oils?
Yes you can!
Thank you, Elizabeth. I had not realized that it is an oxidation process that dries the oil paints. Neither did I realize that different oils might be used by different manufacturers to create the same color which then affects drying time across brands. And presumably the resulting color? I thoroughly enjoyed this article.
So glad you enjoyed this article! I was hoping it would be interesting to others as when I myself first learned about different paint brands using different oils and the effects of drying time, I thought it was fascinating as well! And yes, there can definitely be changes/ differences in the resulting color…
Thank you Elisabeth
What important information you have given us yet again! As we are at the beginning of winter here in South Africa, this could not come at a better time. This is the kind of information we as art teachers need, though it is often not communicated at the beginning of our art journey. Therefore my heartfelt thanks for this very valuable lesson.
So glad you enjoyed this article Adele! Thank you for sharing 💙
Does linseed oil also cause yellowing over time? If yes, how much compared to poppyseed oil and walnut oil? Thanks.