Testing R＆F Drawing Oils: Layering, Drying Time, and Mixed Media Experiments
I've been testing the new R&F Drawing Oils, and I wanted to share all the experiments and thoughts I gathered over several paintings, swatches, and mixed media tests. This post gives a full breakdown of how these drawing oils perform on watercolor paper, sketchbooks, and mixed media surfaces — now updated with deeper insights after 5 studies and two detailed eye paintings.
🎨 The Artworks I Tested With
I created multiple studies and paintings, including:
A watercolor and Drawing Oils portrait on Baohong 4x4 inch watercolor paper
Three smaller studies testing them on mixed media paper, black sketchbook paper, and Yupo
Two detailed eye studies comparing primed vs. unprimed surfaces
Various swatches blending colors, layering over watercolor and gouache, and using them alone
These experiences taught me a lot about surface prep, layering, and even how to get fine detail with Drawing Oils.
✨ What I Noticed in My Final Painting
In my final study—a watercolor painting of an eye—I wanted to use more of the Drawing Oils than I did in my previous 3 studies. I still used watercolor first because my current color range in Drawing Oils is limited (I only had two blues, one white, one gray, and one red), and I was missing yellows and greens to build skin tones.
Working with more Drawing Oils was really fun. I could layer colors on top of each other, and even when I made mistakes, I could smudge or layer over them easily. The only challenge was fine detail—it’s still difficult to get precise lines with these sticks.
🔍 Bonus note: If you love painting eyes, I actually teach a simple watercolor Lover’s Eye class on Skillshare. You can find the link to that below!
https://skl.sh/3CDeD8O
💡 Update:
I tested two surfaces side by side — one gessoed (primed) and one unprimed. Surprisingly, I preferred the unprimed surface! The grip helped me control the sticks better for detailed features like eyelashes, and I liked the dry-brush texture it created.
Working with more Drawing Oils was really fun. Even when I made mistakes, I could smudge or layer over them easily. The only challenge was fine detail — but more on that in a future post.
🧪 5 Things You Have to Know About Drawing Oils
(From my August 2025 YouTube video)
1. They’re basically oil pastels… that dry.
They sit right between Sennelier Oil Pastels and R&F Pigment Sticks — soft enough to blend, firm enough to hold shape. Think of them as oil sticks you can actually use on paper.
2. You don’t need varnish, but priming matters.
R&F says they dry without needing varnish — but for archival results, they recommend priming your paper or surface. Clear gesso works well.
3. Your surface changes everything.
Primed paper gives a buttery painterly look.
Unprimed paper offers crayon-like grip and better control.
For portraits and fine lines, I personally prefer unprimed paper.
4. Some pencils work beautifully… others don’t.
✏️ Polychromos: excellent on wet or dry Drawing Oils
✏️ Luminance: blends well when oils are fresh
❌ Pastel pencil: not effective on dry layers
❌ White pencils: mostly invisible
✒️ Gel pen: possible when dry, but finicky
5. Yes — you can get detail.
It took a few experiments, but I was able to achieve fine iris lines, shadow definition, and edge highlights — all without solvents.
Some of the methods I discovered surprised me — I’ll be sharing more about that in next week’s post!👉 Testing Pencils & Other Mediums on Top
This is one of the most common questions I get. Here’s what worked best:
✅ Graphite pencils: cut through Drawing Oils and leave crisp lines.
✅ Polychromos pencils: consistently gave the best results.
➖ Luminance pencils: softer, better for blending on fresh Drawing Oils.
❌ Pastel pencils: too chalky, don’t grip on dry layers.
❌ White pencils: not visible enough.
🎨 Acrylic paint: layered well over Drawing Oils.
Also tested: Gelly Roll pen worked okay once the Drawing Oils dried, but not reliable for fine whites.
🤯 Comparing with Oil Pastels & Neo Pastels
The more I use Drawing Oils, the more I feel like I’ve found the medium I was quietly searching for.
Here’s how they compare:
Neo Pastels (Caran d’Ache): similar feel, but never fully dry
Sennelier Oil Pastels: extremely soft, but smudge forever
R&F Drawing Oils: feel like a happy medium — soft enough to blend, firm enough to hold detail… and they cure over time.
If you’ve ever felt stuck between liking texture but hating the smudge, Drawing Oils might be your answer.
⏳ Drying Time Results
⏳ Drying Time Results
After about 2 days of drying:
Neutral Grey Medium: fully dry to the touch, no transfer.
Unbleached Titanium: almost dry.
Cerulean Extra Pale: still transferred slightly when touched.
Even with heavier applications—like the girl-and-bird portrait using Cerulean Extra Pale, and the eye portrait where I layered Drawing Oils more heavily—everything dried fully in about 6 days.
(Temperatures where I live ranged from 13–28°C / 55–82°F.)
If you're using these in a sketchbook, I'd recommend placing a sheet of glassine paper over your page until it's fully dry to protect the opposite page.
Overall, the drying times lined up with what R&F listed on their color chart, which was reassuring.
Here’s the full color chart for your reference:
🎁 R&F Drawing Oils Sets Available (as of July 2025)
Here’s a look at all the colors that exist today:
Currently, you can find these Drawing Oils in:
R&F Drawing Oils, Introductory Set: https://amzn.to/4nugn77
R&F Drawing Oils, Modern Set: https://amzn.to/4eC2tLV
R&F Drawing Oils, Landscape Set: https://amzn.to/3TY4ys0
🖌️ Getting Fine Details (Update Coming Soon)
I’ve been experimenting with new ways to push Drawing Oils further — including how to get them flowing enough to work with a brush for fine lines, even without solvents.
If you’re curious how to stretch this medium even more… I’ll be sharing a separate video and blog post soon.
Stay tuned — you’ll want to try this.
🔧 Final Thoughts
R&F Drawing Oils are a really fun medium to play with—especially if you’re a watercolor or mixed media artist wanting to explore oil textures on paper without the mess of traditional oil sticks. They’re firmer and waxier, making them easier to control in a sketchbook, and they feel similar to oil pastels like Caran d’Ache Neopastel—but unlike oil pastels, they do dry over time.
One thing to note: while you can work directly on paper, R&F recommends using a gessoed surface if you want your work to be archival. These don’t need varnishing, but for proper curing and longevity, surface prep is important. For watercolor artists, that added step of gessoing might feel like a limitation.
That said, none of the tests I shared above were done on gessoed surfaces. I’ve since bought more Drawing Oils because I’m genuinely excited to keep experimenting—next up, I’ll be testing them on both gessoed and ungessoed paper. So if you’re curious how that turns out, stay connected!
🎥 If you're curious about how they perform in motion, you can watch my full videos here:
Can You Get Fine Detail with Drawing Oils? Yes — Here’s How (Publishing on 12th of August)
Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried Drawing Oils or have your own favorite techniques — I’d love to hear how others are using them!
