How to apply a glaze to an oil painting?

I am a beginning oil painter. It isn't clear to me from my book how to apply a glaze. It says apply after the painting is dry. Do they mean dry to the TOUCH or dry as in the painting has sat around for 6 months? Do you thin the pigment with mineral spirits or with linseed oil?





Thank you!How to apply a glaze to an oil painting?
Glazing gives oil paintings beautiful depth and the illusion of inner light. It must be done only when your underlying layers are completely dry... up to 6 months for thick paint. If you glaze when only touch-dry, your glazed layer will crack. You have to give credit to those Dutch Masters for their patience!





Glazing achieves the best results by using transparent pigments, check your tubes %26amp; they should tell you transparency ratings. Mix a small amount of paint with:


- pure linseed oil - takes long time to dry


- equal parts linseed %26amp; damar varnish - less time


- equal parts linseed oil, damar varnish %26amp; turpentine or spirits, least amount of time to dry





If you use only spirits, this is not a glaze but a wash... it doesn't give the same effect at all. Worse, it can damage or lift the paint beneath and may not adhere properly to the painting. Washes are to be used only in the first (lean or fast-drying) layer on the canvas, glazes (fat or slow-drying) on the top - thus the rule ';fat over lean';.How to apply a glaze to an oil painting?
www.pictureframingmagazine.com/pdfs/pres鈥?br>




really good article on the subject^^^





it's not really necessary to glaze oil paintings, but you can if you want. wait till it is done drying for sure, cause it needs oxegen and light to do so, meaning let it sit for six months like you said.





linseed oil to thin the pigment...i never tried mineral spirits, but this article says go for it


painting.about.com/cs/oils/a/solvents.鈥?- 26k





good luck! make beautiful work =)