Rublev Oleogel
A simple, honest gel medium that adds a little body and flow without heavy gloss or a fast drier, the one I keep on the palette.
Rublev Oleogel is a stiff gel made from linseed oil and fumed silica. It thickens paint slightly and adds a little transparency and flow without adding a lot of gloss or a strong drier. The point of a medium like this is restraint: it changes handling a touch without introducing variables you cannot diagnose later.
Oleogel is the medium I use. I keep mediums simple and intentional. It adds a bit of body and flow without the heavy gloss or the fast-dry behaviour of an alkyd, which suits the way I work. If you do not know what a medium does or why you would use it, do not use it.
What it is. A gel medium of linseed oil and fumed silica, made by Rublev (Natural Pigments).
Why it matters. A restrained medium lets you adjust handling without flooding the paint with gloss or drier. Fewer variables means fewer problems to diagnose down the line.
The tradeoff. It is not a fast-dry medium. If you need a quick-drying film between layers, an alkyd does that job instead. And as with any medium, if you are not sure why you are adding it, leave it out.
It adds a little body, flow, and transparency to oil paint without heavy gloss or a strong drier. It is a restrained medium, meant to adjust handling slightly rather than to change drying time or finish dramatically.
No. It is not a fast-dry medium. If you want a quicker-drying film between layers, an alkyd medium is the tool for that. Oleogel is about body and flow, not speed.