Alkyd paint

Alkyd paint

The introduction of acrylic paints to the painting market and the popularity they have gained over time, characterized by drying times in the 10-20 minute range, also helped create a demand on the part of oil painting artists for a product that could dry faster than traditional oil paints. To meet its customers, Winsor&Newton in 1976 developed a range of alkyd paints, known today as Griffin Quick-Drying Alkyd Paints.

Alkyd paints are made from naturally sourced vegetable oil (most alkyd oils used in the production of artwork materials are soy-based oils). This oil is polymerized through a chemical reaction with alcohol and acid ("Polymerization" means the joining of individual molecules into more complex units - longer chains). The polymerization of the oil results in a resin-like product that, when mixed with suitable, low-odor solvents, takes on many of the characteristics of traditional linseed oil. Like traditional oils, alkyds dry by oxidation (the bonding occurs due to oxygen in the air), however, in this case we are dealing with a much faster reaction than having traditional oil painting as a material. This is because the color coating is ready after just 18-24 hours.

The Griffin line of quick-drying alkyd paints offers a rich, balanced spectrum of 50 colors (51 in the US). All of the Griffin line of paint colors used for art painting purposes are described as durable and have been classified as either extremely durable (AA), or durable (A). The paint remains fully workable on the palette for 4-8 hours, drying completely in 18-24 hours. The faster drying rate allows traditional techniques such as impasto or glaze to be created in much less time than with traditional oil painting. Because of their properties, Griffin paints are ideal for outdoor work. The strictly defined drying time, consistently maintained across the entire product range offsets the limitations to which, typical oil paints are subject. This makes it easier to paint the substrate, regardless of the paint previously used. Since alkyd resin has slightly different physical properties than the components of traditional oil paints, the pigment load is also slightly different. Experienced artists will certainly notice the slightly higher transparency of Griffin paints compared to the Winsor&Newton /Artists' Oil Colour/ product range. At the same time, it should be remembered that pigments by their very nature differ when it comes to transparency, hence Griffin paints are labeled in the color chart as transparent or semi-transparent, as well as opaque or semi-opaque. The level of transparency of a given paint is determined in relation to other paints. The higher the transparency, the stronger the depth and at the same time the transparency of the color coating.

Durability and stability of alkyd paints

As a paint material, alkyd paints form a color coating whose stability is comparable to traditional oil paints. Dr. Marion Mecklenburg, a researcher at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., has been studying the stability of oil painting coatings since 1978, thus trying to determine what factors can contribute to creating the most stable and safe paint coating possible. In light of this research, Winsor&Newton Alkyd Oil Paint shows exceptional stability and tensile strength. With few exceptions, tests conducted on Winsor&Newton's 20-year-old alkyd paints have shown that the paint film remains stretchable up to 10% before it cracks. This is an impressive result considering that traditional oil paints of the same age show a stretch of only 1-2%. In addition to their excellent properties that provide the artist with a comfortable working environment, as well as giving an ideal medium for underpainting and glaze, Winsor&Newton alkyd paints have exceptional qualities of stability and durability.