So...I painted tonight!!! It was however a fence so unsure if that actually counts?

I think im at this point now ,I love drawing and painting but as you say ..life gets in the way .im only a ametuer artist although I have been painting and drawing for years ,so I get stuck .. usually I get our photos out and find one to paint ,I will have to find more time to do your idea of starting another before one as dried ..hope you get more paintings on the go from now on ....

Thanks peter, im going to try that.

I paint mainly in oils and prepare my boards or canvases with a coat of gesso mixed with calcite (chalk powder) which dries to a good absorbent base layer which dries thin layers of oil paint practically straight away allowing over painting without waiting. I have not tried it (Yet) but I believe the same effect can be achieved by combing white acrylic primer with Polyfilla! Obviously thick layers of paint will take time to dry but 'fat over lean' means these thick layers would normally be the final ones anyway.

I work primarily in oils but I also use enamels, spray paints, pen, collage and lots of glazes...hence the horrifically long drying times! I would experiment! Oils are defiantly my thing but maybe I should go down a quicker drying medium (and less collage etc. but baby steps!)..off to the art shop for me tomorrow 😀 Thanks Timothy, good advice, guess logically it gives more of a poisonous surface, to an extent, but I think its more the use off loads of mediums...and really thick oil paint! I will try that tho thanks.

I paint a lot on gessoed MDF and often lay a thin acrylic ground on (in grey or black) before I paint in oils on top. I get the impression this helps the drying time a bit. This works for me. Good luck in whatever you do.

I guess every artist has their sticking points Alesha. I'm thinking you must work in oils if you are waiting for your painting to dry and that was one of the reasons I gave up oils - you just run out of drying room. Hope you work out your problems and are able to paint when you want and not when you have access to your easel.