Drying Characteristics
Drying Characteristics of Genesis® Artist Colors
With practice, you will very quickly get to know the characteristics of Genesis® Artist Colors and heat setting will become second nature.
Genesis® Artist Colors utilize a non-drying synthetic oily liquid, imbedded with a heat sensitive curing agent. Genesis® Artist Colors stay wet until heated enough to activate the curing agent. After the drying temperature is reached, Genesis® Artist Colors dry immediately. For thin layers this means very fast times–as little as two minutes. For thicker impastos, longer times are needed for the heat to thoroughly penetrate the paint.
Genesis® Artist Colors require adequate drying time and temperature to deliver the flexibility and resiliency necessary for the longevity of your work. Remember to dry the paint long enough for the heat to fully penetrate the depth you have applied. While it is possible to damage Genesis® Artist Colors by overheating, it is easy to prevent by keeping the heat source at least one inch away from the paint. The drying process is not reversible. After Genesis is dry, it should not be dissolved.
To dry fully, Genesis® Artist Colors the temperature must reach 250°F/121°C to 280°F/138°C for several minutes. Bringing the paint to this temperature without overheating is important. The Genesis Drying Gun has adjustable temperature settings appropriate for working with the paint. Keep the gun an inch or more away from the canvas to prevent scorching the paint or canvas. Genesis® Artist Colors dry better at the recommended temperature range applied for a longer time rather than through extreme heat brought to bear quickly. If you see smoke or fumes coming off the canvas or notice small bubbles forming in the paint, you are overheating. If you do happen to overheat the paint, ventilate your work area and use less heat either by lowering the gun temperature or by holding the drying gun further away from yo ur work.
With a little practice, you will also learn to dry an isolated area so that you can try a change in color or add a detail. With the underlying area now dry, new work can be wiped off and tried again until you are satisfied.
If you paint in thick layers or impastos, experiment drying different amounts of Genesis® Artist Colors and breaking them open once they have fully cooled. If they break open easily and have a dry, cracked texture, the paint did not dry long enough for the heat to penetrate or dried at too low a temperature. This is easily resolved by expanding the heating time, and in some cases, by increasing the temperature applied.
After you have heated Genesis® Artist Colors, allow a few minutes for cooling before applying the next layer. After a few minutes of cooling, the paint becomes firm yet still quite flexible.
