Comparing Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel Medium and Winsor & Newton Liquin Original.
by Jesse Waugh
Toxicity
Having suffered a severe skin reaction to odourless mineral spirits (OMS) last year, I recently endured another rash caused by exposure to turpentine. Because of this, I decided to put together a solvent-free studio. This seems a no-brainer – but the solvent-free art supply industry is still relatively new and underdeveloped, and non-toxic products are still costlier than their established toxic counterparts.
So I ordered Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel Medium from Jackson’s and tried it out, in comparison to Liquin Original. First of all I will state that — despite many people’s vociferous disdain for Liquin — I cherish its smooth sheen and extreme ease of use. I have seen it written that the Old Masters would kill for Liquin, and I believe it. I think it is the miracle medium artists have been dreaming about for centuries — except that it is toxic.
I’ll happily concede that Liquin is far less toxic than odourless mineral spirits and turpentine. But it does something to me that no other substance ever has — it hurts my heart! That is not to say that I have romantic feelings for Liquin, but that after breathing it in for a couple of hours I actually have heart pain! I now know this phenomenon is not unique to me, as I have read accounts from other artists stating exactly the same thing, so I hope readers will consider my assertion that Liquin causes me heart pain as more than just anecdotal.
As a disclaimer, I should mention that I have absolutely zero vested interest in any of the companies I mention — Gamblin, Winsor & Newton, M. Graham, et al.

The products under review. Clockwise from the top left they are: Gamvar Satin Picture Varnish; Winsor & Newton Liquin Original, Winsor & Newton Artists’ Gloss Varnish; Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel.
Performance
Opening the tube of Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel Medium, I instantly sensed its lightness – in both physical weight and odour. Its odour is more of a scent, which is reminiscent of mildly sweet plastic candy – it’s quite appetising to be honest. Mixing it in with oil paint (I mostly use Michael Harding and Williamsburg oils), the difference is immediately obvious between Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel and W&N Liquin Original: Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel is that much stickier than Liquin. It doesn’t travel quite as smoothly. This is not really a turn-off — it just feels and behaves a bit differently. However, it constructs a very similar mass with the paint. In other words, it has just as much body as Liquin, which to me is a plus.

Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel Medium in use with Michael Harding Permanent Orange.
Painting with Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel is a joy because it gives off absolutely no toxic fumes. I can paint in a closed room without thinking about it, leaving me to my creativity. Its mild stickiness is a bit of a setback, I must confess — but not bad enough to warrant returning to Liquin.
Caveat: I still plan to use Liquin Original for backgrounds as it can render oil paint virtually strokeless on canvas – leaving a beautifully smooth background which I like (see photo below).
Verdict on Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel Medium
I have already bought three tubes of Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel from Jackson’s Art and will use it from now on, until Gamblin or some other company improves upon it. If at some point I can get my hands on a gel medium that behaves as well as or better than Liquin Original, and is also non-toxic, I will make the switch due to the slight stickiness/tackiness of the Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel. It’s also worth mentioning that Liquin Original is considerably less expensive than Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel. Liquin can be bought in bulk which saves a lot of money.
So, yes — Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel is a suitable, and in some ways delightful, replacement for Liquin Original. I highly recommend trying it; and I highly recommend that Gamblin consider offering it in much larger containers and making it more easily available in Europe (preferably in those larger containers!)
Conclusion
Winsor & Newton Liquin Original is probably the best oil paint medium ever invented, despite its detractors claiming otherwise. However, it is nowhere near as non-toxic as is commonly stated. Therefore I use it with caution, and with a mask, in a well-ventilated studio, and now only for backgrounds.
Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel Medium is a promising new solution for artists wishing to detoxify their studio and also for artists looking for a non-toxic alternative to Liquin Original. Do not hesitate to try it — it creates the same sort of body that Liquin does, if a bit stickier.
I also ordered M. Graham’s fully non-toxic Walnut Alkyd Medium, a superior, non-toxic alternative medium for oil painters who need a liquid, non-gel medium. It smells great — like walnut oil or banana bread — and is good for making loose, inky oil paint. It will be an excellent solution for many artists. It is very liquidy, so maybe not a good substitute for Liquin Original, but for other applications it could be a godsend. I recommend it to anyone who wants a fluid medium which is non-toxic, as it is very high quality and satisfying to use on canvas.
Comparing Gamvar Picture Varnish with Winsor & Newton Artists’ Gloss Varnish.
Toxicity.
I used Michael Harding’s Dammar Varnish V1 on about six large paintings last December, and despite excessive ventilation in the studio (I had a large fan blowing right on me and the paintings – and all the windows and doors open) I still had a bad skin reaction to its constituent turpentine, as well as inhalation issues such as my face turning red. Michael Harding’s Dammar Varnish V1 is a lovely, high-quality varnish, which imparts a perfect old-fashioned ‘Renaissance’ feel to paintings – but I just can’t take the turpentine.

The ‘Renaissance’ sheen created by Michael Harding V1 Dammar Varnish, a picture varnish made of Double-rectified Turpentine and Dammar Resin.
Gamvar is deceptively watery, but it dries to a lovely, satin-gloss lustre. It does not seem like a varnish when it’s in its bottle. I didn’t detect any odour coming from it – but I kept my distance from it because I’ve read it has odourless mineral spirits as an ingredient, and frankly I’m terrified of OMS now after what it did to my skin last year.
Winsor & Newton Artists’ Gloss Varnish is a very professional, clear varnish which I’m sure must be the staple of many an artist. It is non-yellowing, which is a huge plus, and you can see exactly how clear it is both in the bottle and on canvas. It’s tricky to get the right thickness onto the canvas without leaving visible strokes when dry. If too much is applied it can drip, although the drips dry rather smoothly. Although I prefer no drips or splotches, I’m okay with a bit of a hand-made feel and look to the finished painting, so I’m not overly strict about application.

A photo showing the sheen of Winsor & Newton Artist’s Gloss Varnish when applied to an oil painting.
Winsor & Newton Artists’ Gloss Varnish leaves an excellent gloss if applied correctly – maybe the best gloss for fine art paintings in the industry. Gamvar is maybe a bit gummier looking and feeling – but its satin gleam can be enthralling and beautiful. The difference between the two is more aesthetic than anything else, assuming they are both applied with equal care.
Safety Precautions
I varnished outside and used a mask.
I used small disposable paint rollers to apply Gamvar and the Winsor Newton Gloss Varnish on different paintings. The rollers cost about €1.20 each here in Spain, which is worth it because it allows me to circumvent having to clean brushes in odourless mineral spirits or turpentine – I can just throw the rollers away. Not environmentally friendly, but I’ll put my health first.
Conclusion.
Gamvar Picture Varnish is a beautiful, lustrous varnish which imparts a satisfying aesthetic to paintings, and can be used as soon as a painting is touch dry, as it has the unique quality of letting paintings breathe. It’s far superior to exhibition varnish in this regard.
Winsor Newton Artists’ Gloss Varnish leaves a fantastically clear, strong gloss which will impress viewers of your paintings. It takes a bit more work to get right (than Gamvar), but if you apply it correctly you’ll have a winner as it saturates colours excellently.
Gamvar Picture Varnishes (Gloss, Satin and Matte) are available at Jackson’s, as are Winsor & Newton Liquin Original and the Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel Medium. We will have M. Graham’s Walnut Alkyd Medium (and the rest of the M. Graham oil range) in stock soon; please check our newsletter for announcements.
For more information about Jesse’s art, search “Jesse Waugh” on Google or check out the gallery on his website.
I love Liquin, once I discovered it
in 2010 I knew it would be my best
thing. But with regret I had to turn
away from Liquin as it caused
deppression. Breathing fumes, even in
well ventilated room, made me feel
very bad both physically and
psychically plus my lungs hurt. Once
I stopped using it and turned to
Gamblin gel – setting up solvent-free
studio – I felt much better but, of
course, it took some time to recover.
I too think Gamblin would do us,
European artists, a huge favour
selling solvent-free gel in larger
containers (and making it less sticky
too!).
Thanks for the review.
Thanks for your comment Olga! I sent this article over to Gamblin’s management, so hopefully they will read it and act on that suggestion. Best wishes, Duncan
I agree with the “less sticky” suggestion!
I bought some Gamvar gloss varnish
to varnish some acrylic paintings but
was slightly worried by the danger
warnings on the back. I have a dog
with sensitive lungs so does the
varnish give off any harmful fumes
when drying or dry and also as it
contains petroleum distilate does it
increase the flamibility of a canvas
once it is dry and hung on the wall?
Apologies for sounding so cautious.
Hi Ian
Gamvar is one of the least harmful of the solvent-based varnishes. It shouldn’t increase the flammability of the painting.
Since you are varnishing acrylic paintings you don’t need a solvent-based varnish, though. You can use a water-based varnish.
Water-based varnishes:
Lascaux Varnish
Golden Polymer Varnish
Liquitex Varnish
liquin is still my preferred material. Walnut alkyd is also
great. Gamblin paints not bad…lots of oil separation of
earth ppigments…and cereulean just goes hard and non
useable. The solvent is crazy expensive…I mean really
expensive as ccompared to liquin. Wear some gloves and
ventilate..unless yyou are in the habit of eating or drinking
in studio you should be fine…or unless you have
sensitivities to these materials…I would say walnut alkyd i
the best alternative…then there is always acrylic…which i
have always felt was like painting with glue.
I don’t like drafts and especially don’t like fans
blowing on me. If I can ever get a suction ventilation
hood for above the canvas I’m working on I’ll get one,
because that doesn’t bother me.
Well, if I recall correctly from
Liquin’s safety data sheet (look at
the Canadian version, for whatever
reason it is more explicit than the
USA one) it has: cobalt siccative
(VERY toxic although it is used in
tiny portions), butanone (definitely
toxic) and some version of mineral
spirits (mildly toxic). It really is
a cocktail of toxic stuff, although
the really offensive stuff is less
than 1% of the mix to be sure. Other
than that it is *indeed* a dream
medium, but you don’t have to concede
it is safer than OMS, as a matter of
fact, some kinds of OMS like gamsol
or sansodor are way safer than liquin.
Thanks for the comment, Luis. Perhaps Canada has more stringent rules governing hazardous products? Who knows?!
“way safer than Liquin”.. not for me. Odourless mineral
spirits gave me actual skin lesions on my face and
neck which took two or three weeks to heal – I looked
like a leper. And it was without question the OMS that
caused that outbreak. I won’t go near the stuff now.
I also switched to disposable rollers (mentioned in the
article) so I don’t have to clean large brushes with
OMS. For me, that stuff is evil.
Also a well-known artist friend of mine states that he
got leukaemia from having open vats of brushes
soaking in odourless mineral spirits spread
throughout his spacious and airy studio space. So I’m
not alone in avoiding OMS.
Wow. Creepy stuff. Out of curiousity.
What kind of OMS are you using? There
are two “families” of them. One is a
close relative of white spirit and
the second one is more closely
related to mineral oil. The later is
the one I was referring (gamsol and
sansodor are the only two I am aware
that are sold to artists, maybe Mona
Lisa, but I have never used it or
checked it).
At any rate, the safety sheet
(http://www.winsornewton.com/assets/HealthandSafetyDataSheets/OIL%20COLOUR/Oil%20Mediums/2011/Liquin-Original/Liquin_Original.pdf)
claims that 30-60% of the product has
petroleum distillates which seems to
be just a rhetorical maneuver to not
disclose their solvent, but it most
be some form of OMS.
At the end of the day, I agree with
you in keeping mostly away from
solvents. I have heard stories of
people having eyesight issues with
them or claims similar to your
friend. Unfortunately for me,
Gamblin is not sold here (Mexico) and
the closest I’ve found is either
Schminke’s Medium W, WMOs (which are
only sold in student grade here due
to price) or using just linseed oil
(artistic grade for the paint and the
cheap hardware stuff for brush
cleaning). Baby oil has also been
suggested to me, but I distrust it in
the sense that it never dries and
surely some of it will end up trapped
in the ferrule of the brush just to
find its way into the canvas.
Varnish-wise I don’t have any real
solutions. Some varnishes are acrylic
resin based, but likely to still have
at least some mild form of solvent in
them. The best solution I have (for
the moment) is to just have 2 or 3
varnishing sessions per year. Since
oil needs to be at least 6 months old
to varnish it is actually a
reasonable choice. Just varnish twice
a year with decent protective
equipment and leave the house/studio
while the varnish dries and have a
picnic 😉
You may be able to order the solvent-free
Gamblin online – I’ve ssen it on Amazon. I order
mine from Jackson’s for delivery to me in
Spain. I’m not sure which OMS I used – I think it
was Titan brand – but I won’t go near either any
more.
I varnish outside with Gamvar which does
contain some sort of spirits as you mentioned,
but I do it with a mask and a fan blowing
against the painting so haven’t had problems –
the OMS is evidently low enough and I take no
chances with the ventilation.
Here’s a video I just posted in which I compare the two
varnishes, and mention this Jacksons Art blog post – Gamvar
/ Winsor Newton Artists’ Gloss Varnish: “Gamvar vs Winsor
Newton Artist Gloss Varnish – How I Varnish My Paintings”
https://youtu.be/PO0q1qppwO8
I also quite like the M. Graham and Gamblin mediums and
think they’re definitely worth looking into. Walnut and
linseed oil also work well but dry slower. I’ve always
painted without solvents and never felt the need to
incorporate them into my technique. I just don’t see any
advantage to it, and it really doesn’t make sense when one
isn’t using resins. I do use Gamsol when varnishing or
applying oil-based primers, though.
Thank you for your article and
everyone’s comment – that was a
really interesting and eye opening
read. I have been painting for twenty
years with turpentine. Also gilding
using oil size. Recently i have
become aware that my body no longer
tolerates both the turpentine and the
size with the same ease. I came
across this discussion as I was
looking for a European supplier of
Gamsol varnish. I was very interested
to read about your skin problems as I
have been having trouble with a rash
on my legs that won’t heal but is
spreading if anything. It felt from
the start like it was related to
toxins. I just did not think of the
turpentine as a possible cause. I am
aiming to change my studio to a
solvent free environment. This has
given the process new urgency. Thank
you!
Hi Clarissa,
I’m also interested in Gamsol and
Galkyd. Did you find any European
supplier of Gamblin products yet?
Hi Justyna
We sell the Gamblin solvents and Gamblin mediums at jacksonsart.com
The Art Treehouse online offers water washed oils that
can be mixed with Canada balsam and spike lavender
/rosemary essential oils for a historic and effective
medium. I have been using it and I like it- however I
am very aware that people can get over exposed to
essential oils and develop sensitivities over time, so I
try not to get pure essential oils on my skin. Also, it’s
expensive af.
I only paint a few days a month so I can afford the
amount I use, but I could def see it being cost
prohibitive.
Thank you Goldberry for sharing that info, it’s good to know and worth bearing in mind for certain.
I am using Art Treehouse bio thinner (soy
based) for cleaning brushes and their oil of
spike lavender for thinning paint. M.Graham
alkyd walnut medium is good, dries in a
short time, and if you need it thinner,add a
couple of drops of At Treehouse oil of Spike
lavender to it.
Hi Bruce, thank you for sharing that advice it sounds like an interesting alternative and definitely worth trying out.
Agreed Bruce, I’ve been using regular walnut
oil and Art Treehouse spike of lavender oil
for years now… it’s wonderful. And totally
non toxic. Bonus / the studio smells like
Provence in summer. 🙂
Hi Yanna
Thanks!
We don’t stock that brand but we do a wide range of Oil of Spike Lavender solvents as well as mediums made with it. We also have some excellent brands of walnut oils.
Oil of Spike Lavender and Lavender Mediums
Walnut Oils.
Hi,
If anyone’s got the time, I could really do
with some advice. I’ve been working on a
commission of 7 canvas’s, I’ve
completed 3,and halfway through
another. But my health is struggling,
headaches, nausea, sore nose and
coughing. And it only happens when I’m
painting. I work with oils and turps and
nothing else. I’ve been afraid of using
oils as a fear of the oil cracking, which
has happened before with linseed oil.
Would anyone be able to offer advice as
to what I should do to continue in a safe
way? I’m not sure what to use to mix with
the oil, that gives a similar effect as just
mixing with a bit of turpentine. Please
help, as I have no idea what to do next,
and have to continue as its my only
income. Many many thanks,claire.
Dear Claire,
Have you tried using one of the low odour, safer alternatives to turpentine, such as Jackson’s Pure-Sol, Gamsol or Zest It? These do not emit the heady fumes that turpentine does.
https://www.jacksonsart.com/jackson-s-pure-sol-odourless-solvent-studio-safe-with-high-flash-point
https://www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q=gamsol
https://www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q=zest+it
It’s best to use solvent sparingly with oil if you are not also adding a drying oil such as linseed or safflower oil, as if the oil content of the paint is diluted too much, it can become brittle. Linseed oil cracking tends to happen if outer layers dry more quickly than layers underneath, and I wonder if this was the case with your experience?
Many thanks
Lisa
Excellent article! Thank you.
I have been using Weber Turpenoid Natural
(in the green can) to clean my brushes. This
product is completely non-toxic. I NEVER
use the regular Turpenoid (in the blue can).
It gives me serious headaches. You can also
use small amounts of the Turpenoid Natural
as a thinner for your paint. I have also had
some of my brushes with nearly dried paint
in them that Gamsol could not clean out. I
soak them overnight in the Turpenoid
Natural and am able to bring them back to
normal use.
Hi Rob,
Thanks so much for sharing – great info! I swear by Gamsol so it’s useful to know that you find Turpenoid Natural to be even more effective.
Many thanks
Lisa
Gamblin Solvent free gel smells really
strong!
Have anyone else noticed this? I used
Gamblin solvent free gel medium for the
first time, three weeks ago. Till now my
painting stills smell too strong. The
chemical fumes are stronger than any
other medium I have ever used, I can’t
leave the painting in door because the
whole place smells. Have you had the
same problem?
Hi Luis
I wonder what is causing the odour? I will email Gamblin to ask, and get back to you.