5 Things You Need to Start Cold Wax Painting
Painting with cold wax and oils
Have you ever wanted to try cold wax painting but felt unsure about where to start? The good news is—you don’t need a ton of supplies! Here are the 5 essential things to get going:
1️⃣ Cold Wax Medium – This is what makes the magic happen! It thickens the paint, adds texture, and helps with layering. There are different brands of cold wax medium, with Gamblin being the most commonly used. I make my own and have tested others too (Zest-it is my favorite!). There isn’t much difference between brands, except for thickness—Gamblin is the thinnest, while Kremer is the thickest. (Check out my blog where I compare 4 brands of cold wax!)
2️⃣ Oil Paints – Any oil paints work! No need for special ones, you can use artist grade paints and student grade paints. I often use student grade paints in the base layers and towards the end, I use the artist grade paints as they contain more pigment and are more transparent.
3️⃣ Substrate – Wood panels or oil paper work best. I love both, I also paint on canvas, even though it is recommended to work on a rigid surface but I take a canvas with a sturdy frame and my layers are quite thin.
4️⃣ Bowl Scraper – My favorite tool for spreading and layering paint.
5️⃣ Palette Knife – Great for adding texture and mixing colors.
🎨 Bonus Tools (Optional but Fun!): Drawing tools, texture tools, and pigments can add even more depth and creativity to your paintings.
Want a full beginner’s guide to cold wax & oils? Watch my video and start painting today! 😊 and if you have questions on the process, don’t hesitate to ask!
More Blogposts that might interest you:
4 brands of cold wax mediums compared, which one is the best?
What is the difference between cold wax for oils and cold wax for acrylics?
As always, don’t hesitate to ask me questions, I would love to connect with you!💙
If you want to learn more about painting with me, here’s things you can checkout now: