Oil Paint

Liquid White Vs Titanium White: What Is the Difference?

Liquid White and titanium white are different materials: Liquid White is a wet-on-wet base medium, while titanium white is an opaque white pigment used as paint.

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The primary difference between liquid white and titanium white is the 2 materials are different products, and the application method is different. Liquid white is used as base coat, and titanium white is used as paint. However, the 2 products are built with the same material. These are pigment white titanium and pigment white zinc.

There are more differences like uses, brightness, consistency, ease of use, and more. I will discuss everything in the article. 

In the article, I already explained more about liquid white. You can check for more information.

Liquid White vs. titanium white: key points 

Liquid White changes the working surface and paint flow, while titanium white contributes opaque color; one is a medium or base layer and the other is a paint color.

Liquid WhiteTitanium white
UsesMainly apply is a base coat Apply as paint
Thickness Very Thin Very thick
OpacityTransparent Opaque 
Tinting strengthLowHigh
Brightness Moderate brightness High brightness 
Else of usesA little bit hard to apply Easy to apply 
Number of coatsOne coat enough You can apply as many coats as possible 
Drying time10-90 hours 2-50 hours (depends on thickness)

What is the difference between liquid white and titanium white? 

Liquid White is applied as a thin wet base to help colors blend, while titanium white is an opaque oil-paint color used for mixing, highlights, and coverage.

Uses

Liquid white is used as base coat on canvas. And it makes the canvas wet so that you can apply wet on wet technique. At the same time, liquid white is also used as a white background to achieve cool natural gradients and get natural highlights easily. 

On the other hand, titanium white is used as white color. It can apply directly on the canvas. Blending with different colors, you can achieve unique colors and effects. 

Thickness 

Liquid white is a very thin white medium, and titanium white is very thick. It would be best if you used some thinner with titanium white so that it will be a little thin, and then you can apply it properly in the painting. 

Opacity 

Liquid white is a very thin material, so it is transparent. On the other side, titanium white is thick and oblique. 

Tinting strength

Liquid white does not have a very good ability to tint any other color, but titanium white has a very strong ability to tint color. Tinting any color with titanium white is a very regular and common practice.

Brightness

Liquid white brightness is moderate, but titanium white brightness is very high. Titanium white is the brightest paint amount, any other paint. 

Else of uses

Liquid white is a thin product, so it is easy to spread on all the areas of the canvas and apply. But titanium white thick and hard paint. It is a little hard to apply. That's why before applying, artists thin the paint. 

Number of coat

To liquid white, one very thin coat is enough. But for titanium white, you can apply as many coats as possible as paint. 

Drying time

Liquid white takes a good amount of time to dry. It can take around 10-90 hours or more to dry completely. On the other hand, titanium white dry time depends on thickness. More thick means more time to dry. However, it takes around 2-50 hours to dry completely.