How To Store Oil Paintings While They’re Drying

You’ve just completed a reproduction of Van Gogh’s Sunflower series when you realize that you have no idea how to store your twelve canvases while they’re drying. What do you do? 

To store oil paintings while they’re drying, place them in metal wire file organizers, CD racks, spare cupboards with shelves, or cardboard boxes. Be sure to keep your studio squeaky clean, between 70-75° F (21–23°C), and at 55% humidity for optimal results. 

This article will describe some of the dangers that wet oil paintings face and some practical ways on How To Store Oil Paintings While They’re Drying.

Dangers for Wet Oil Paintings

Wet oil paintings face many dangers that could ruin all of your hard work! These dangers come in two different categories: environmental and climate. Environmental challenges consider the cleanliness of your tools and storing location, while climate challenges include temperature and humidity concerns. 

Environmental Challenges for Wet Oil Paintings

Almost nothing is worse than noticing a piece of dust or dirt stuck in your painting! That’s why keeping your studio clean is an essential part of preserving your work while it dries. Lessening the amount of dust that collects on your flat surfaces reduces the risk of dust sticking to your paint. 

Youtuber Florent Farges says that the type of rag you use matters, too. 100% cotton rags made from torn t-shirts are a favorite among artists due to the low price.

While cotton rags don’t produce much lint, they retain a lot of dust. So, if you leave it lying around for a day and then wipe your brush on them, you’re bound to pick up some unwanted particles that inevitably end up in your painting. If you must use cotton rags, be sure to wash them thoroughly after use, and store them in a sealed bag or box. 

Artists who enjoy the company of a furry friend might also find pet hair to be a threat to their art. Instead of shaving your cat, vacuum your space frequently and loosely cover your painting with plastic when you’re not working on it. It’s also best to store your art in a place where your cat can’t brush against it or knock it over. 

Climate Challenges for Wet Oil Paintings

Placing your wet oil paintings in an optimal climate is essential to preserving the quality of your art. If the room is too hot or cold, dry or humid, or dark or light, the oxidation process will be disrupted. An unstable climate could also ruin paintings, so keeping the fluctuations of these variables to a minimum will spare your artwork some hardship.

Gamblin Colors conducted a study on the best conditions to store an oil painting. Here’s what they found:

The perfect temperature for an oil painting is between 70–75° F (21–23°C). A colder temperature below 40°F (4°C) will slow down the drying process to the point where the paint freezes and cracks, but if your room is hotter than 90°F (32°C), the painting might warp. That’s why it’s a bad idea to dry your art with a hairdryer. 

45–55% humidity is perfect for the oxidation process. While drying, the painting’s layers will expand and contract, so there is a risk that your painting will trap moisture and grow mold if the humidity is too high. But if your climate is too dry, your masterpiece might crack.

The degree of light is also an important thing to consider. I recommend that you keep your painting out of direct sunlight so it won’t darken or fade. Sarah Sands from JustPaint warns that drying an oil painting in a pitch dark room increases the drying time but might also yellow your art. 

Creative Storing Methods To Dry Oil Paintings

Drying racks designed for oil paintings tend to be pretty expensive. Fortunately, there are plenty of DIY and repurposing options:

Metal Wire File Organizer

A metal wire file organizer like this 1InTheOffice Incline Desktop File Sorter (available on Amazon.com) can hold up to seven paintings! Better yet, you might have an extra one of these lying around your home or office. These are great for placing on top of a shelf. 

Last update on 2024-04-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

CD Racks

With the rise of the internet, CDs (and consequently CD racks) have become obsolete. But did you know that a plastic or wire CD rack can double as a drying rack for small oil paintings? These handy organizers are perfect for up to eight-by-ten-inch paintings and might be available at your local thrift store.

Boxes, Cupboards, and Other Places Around the House

You can also stash larger paintings around the house! A cupboard with a closing door and many shelves is a great way to keep your canvases out of the way while they dry. 

Alternatively, you could protect your art by placing it in a cardboard box that can slide under the couch or fit in the back of your closet. Just be sure not to keep it in darkness for too long. 

What To Do if Your Wet Painting Gets Dusty

No matter how careful you are, you might still encounter a speck of dust, lint, or cat hair in your painting. But never fear! There are plenty of removal strategies to try: 

Use Tweezers or a Needle

If you’ve got a larger piece of matter stuck to your drying paint, carefully tweezing the offending particle might be your best option. You could also consider a sewing needle or pin, but be careful not to scrape your painting. Once you have extracted the particle, smooth over the area with a clean brush. 

Use a Sticky Tack Cloth or Dry Brush

A beeswax-based or other type of sticky cloth such as the Stead & Fast Painters Tack Cloth (available on Amazon.com) is great for picking up fine dust, and it’s safe for your artwork. Simply scrunch up the cloth and wipe away dust, lint, and other contaminants. 

Last update on 2024-04-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Alternatively, take a broad brush that is clean and bone dry and carefully dust off the face of your painting. Before attempting to clean your art in these ways, wait until the paint is completely dry to the touch.

Use an X-Acto Knife

Sometimes, you may not notice cat hair or a brush bristle in your painting until it’s dry two days later! Using an X-Acto Knife (available on Amazon.com) with a number eleven blade to dig it out will be the least damaging method. 

Last update on 2024-04-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Final Words

Wet oil paintings face many dangers, but artists can reduce the risk of cracks, discoloration, or warping by keeping their art in a clean, stable environment. 

Repurposed metal file organizers, CD racks, and spare cupboards act as affordable drying racks that free up your tabletop space and protect your masterpieces from becoming damaged. 

Sources

• Reddit: How to Store Oil Painting While Drying?
• Sadie Valeri: Dust and Lint Solution: Wet Sanding
• JustPaint: Impact of Light on the Drying of Oil Paints: Initial Testing
• Gamblin Colors: Storing Oil Paintings