Gamblin Oil Painting Ground makes a strong, bright, non-absorbent foundation for oil paintings. Gamblin Ground is formulated from alkyd resin, titanium dioxide, and calcium carbonate titanium dioxide gives opacity, while calcium carbonate gives tooth for strong adhesion.

Gamblin Ground makes a brighter and less-absorbent ground layer compared to acrylic gesso primers, meaning that the oil paint layers on top will better retain their color saturation. The lower absorbency also allows for reductive painting techniques when painters need to wipe back into the white of their Ground.