vinyl ethers vinyl benzenes and acrylamides and epoxy and urethane oligomers the monomers and oligomers preferably have a molecular weight not less than about 200 the acrylate and methacrylate monomers and oligomers are preferred some illustrative acrylates and methacrylates that are set forth in the u s pat no 5 039 740 patent include isoctyl acrylate isobornyl acrylate stearyl meth acrylate n lauryl acrylate cyclohexyl acrylate 2 ethoxyethyl meth acrylate 2 phenoxyethyl meth acrylate isodecyl meth acrylate 1 4 butanediol di meth acrylate 1 3 butanediol di meth acrylate 1 6 hexanediol di meth acrylate diethylene glycol diacrylate neopentyl glycol di meth acrylate ethoxylated bisphenol a di meth acrylate tripropylene glycol diacrylate and trimethylolpropane tri meth acrylate preferably stearyl meth acrylate tripropylene glycol diacrylate ethoxylated bisphenol a di meth acrylate trimethylolpropane tri meth acrylate and 1 6 hexanediol di meth acrylate are used the present invention is based on the discovery that the metal salt of an u03b1 u03b2 ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid can be advantageously employed with the above described fatty acid modified alkyd resin component to produce fatty acid modified alkyd coating compositions which exhibit improved adhesion to substrates preferably the metal salt is a metal salt of an acrylic or methacrylic acid the metal component of the acrylic or methacrylic acid metal.