Methycellulose Medium for Oil Painting
This article will describe how to make and use methylcellulose as a painting medium for oils.
What is it?
Methylcellulose (MC) is a chemically processed starch of cellulose ethers made from plant fiber, usually wood or cotton. The powder gels into a viscous liquid in water to make a slightly flexible and resilient film. There is another variety of it called sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) which has stronger adhesive properties, but the sodium makes it slightly more crystalline. It's less prone to mold than animal glues and other starches that can be emulsified with oil, has virtually no shrinkage when it dries, and will not spoil like egg or casein.
How is it used?
As a glue, it is often used in bookbinding and paper repair for conservation purposes. It can be found in soft pastels and chalks as a binder to hold the pigment together, or used for sizing paper, and in making wallpaper paste. It is completely non-toxic, and can also be processed as a food additive and candy glaze. Ceramists use CMC to help harden the glaze on pottery. As a paint ingredient, MC is used as an emulsifier or plasticizer along with other binding agents and liquids. For oil painting, it can replace or extend the use of oil mediums, and make the oil water-miscible. Because it dries very quickly, it works as an excellent under-painting medium for oils. It can be used with oil paints directly, or mixed with an oil medium and pigment to make paint.
Methylcellulose (MC) is a chemically processed starch of cellulose ethers made from plant fiber, usually wood or cotton. The powder gels into a viscous liquid in water to make a slightly flexible and resilient film. There is another variety of it called sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) which has stronger adhesive properties, but the sodium makes it slightly more crystalline. It's less prone to mold than animal glues and other starches that can be emulsified with oil, has virtually no shrinkage when it dries, and will not spoil like egg or casein.
How is it used?
As a glue, it is often used in bookbinding and paper repair for conservation purposes. It can be found in soft pastels and chalks as a binder to hold the pigment together, or used for sizing paper, and in making wallpaper paste. It is completely non-toxic, and can also be processed as a food additive and candy glaze. Ceramists use CMC to help harden the glaze on pottery. As a paint ingredient, MC is used as an emulsifier or plasticizer along with other binding agents and liquids. For oil painting, it can replace or extend the use of oil mediums, and make the oil water-miscible. Because it dries very quickly, it works as an excellent under-painting medium for oils. It can be used with oil paints directly, or mixed with an oil medium and pigment to make paint.
Preparation of the Medium:
In the picture above, I diluted some CMC powder with water to transform it into a gel, and then mixed that with an oil medium.
To make the gel:
To emulsify with oil:
The gel is too thick to use as is for painting, so I thin it first with distilled water by 50%. I then add this to the same amount of oil by volume, stirring very briskly as though making mayonnaise. The result is a thin creamy oil medium. This dries clear when painted.
In the picture above, I diluted some CMC powder with water to transform it into a gel, and then mixed that with an oil medium.
To make the gel:
- 4 ounces of distilled water
- 10 drops of white white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of CMC powder
To emulsify with oil:
The gel is too thick to use as is for painting, so I thin it first with distilled water by 50%. I then add this to the same amount of oil by volume, stirring very briskly as though making mayonnaise. The result is a thin creamy oil medium. This dries clear when painted.
How to Use the CMC Oil Medium for Painting:
There are two ways to use this medium. The simplest is to mix it with paint on your palette. Just add a few drops, and mix it in. I wouldn't recommend using more than 20% or so of the amount of paint. I typically only add a drop or two to a dab of paint. A second way to use it is to mix up your own paint, as I have shown in the picture above. The pigment is a mixture of ivory black and titanium white. I've placed a small pile of this on a large glass plate, and made a small indentation in the center. Into that I've dropped some of the medium. I take a palette knife or cake spatula and rub in the medium with the pigment. I very rarely have to worry about the mixture needing to be mulled down smooth, but that may be necessary with some pigments. A drop or two of grain alcohol can also help the pigment mix better. You'll notice in the image on the right that the powder in the spoon is lighter in value than the mixed paint, which is to be expected, The paint will stay that way due to the oil content. I can then scrape this into a small bottle or paint tube, and it will last indefinitely.
There are two ways to use this medium. The simplest is to mix it with paint on your palette. Just add a few drops, and mix it in. I wouldn't recommend using more than 20% or so of the amount of paint. I typically only add a drop or two to a dab of paint. A second way to use it is to mix up your own paint, as I have shown in the picture above. The pigment is a mixture of ivory black and titanium white. I've placed a small pile of this on a large glass plate, and made a small indentation in the center. Into that I've dropped some of the medium. I take a palette knife or cake spatula and rub in the medium with the pigment. I very rarely have to worry about the mixture needing to be mulled down smooth, but that may be necessary with some pigments. A drop or two of grain alcohol can also help the pigment mix better. You'll notice in the image on the right that the powder in the spoon is lighter in value than the mixed paint, which is to be expected, The paint will stay that way due to the oil content. I can then scrape this into a small bottle or paint tube, and it will last indefinitely.
This picture above shows my use of the CMC oil medium using cerulean blue and dioxazine violet pigment made into my own paint. This was applied to a gesso coated wood panel. The lighter values where made by thinning the paint slightly with water. After only a few minutes this was able to be painted over with another layer of oil paint. Keeping to the "Fat over Lean" rule of oil painting, you want all successive layers to have more oil than the dried layers beneath. Below you can see the finished painting.
References and Resources:
Conservation Information on MC & CMC
Lineco Methylcellulose
CMC powder from Prescribed for Life
Conservation Information on MC & CMC
Lineco Methylcellulose
CMC powder from Prescribed for Life