So, what are oil paints? Well, if you squeeze a tube of oil paint onto a palette, a rich, buttery substance will emerge. This substance consists of ground pigment, which provides the colour, suspended in oil (usually linseed), which provides the flow.
How to Use Oil Colour
Apply the oil paint neat from the tube and it can be pasted on with a brush or a palette knife. This is called impasto. Water cannot be used with oil paint (except for water-soluble oils described below). Artist’s thinners are used to clean the brushes. This, as well as linseed oil can be used to thin the paint into washes, or “glazes”. This is the equivalent to adding water to watercolours.
The Difference Between Oil Paint and Water Based Paint
Water-based paints, such as watercolours should never be used with oil paints in the same painting, as the two mediums are incompatible like oil and water. They operate differently too. Unlike water-based paints, oils do not dry by evaporation, but by oxidization. This means that the oil in the paint absorbs oxygen in order to harden. Depending upon the thickness of the paint, a skin will form after three to seven days. The drying process then slows, as the paint dries throughout. This might take anything up to five months.
The Advantages of Oil Paint
The slow drying time of oils can be a great advantage, as it can be reworked and manipulated at leisure. If something doesn’t work out, the paint can be scraped off and begun again. Oils are robust, too. Once dry, it forms a rock-like substance. And thanks to the permanency of oil paints, one can appreciate the diversity of oil techniques and styles throughout the centuries.
Different Types of Oil Paints
Oils come in many different packages and sizes (Winsor & Newton and Daler Rowney being the main manufacturers), but there are really only three main types:
- Traditional oils, which have already been described.
- Water-soluble oils
- Alkyd Oils
Traditional Oils
Traditional oils can be divided into two grades: artist quality and student quality. The former is made from expensive pigments, sometimes organic. The latter is more often made with synthetic pigments. This is denoted by the word “hue” on the tube. The range of colours is smaller, too. However, these oils almost meet the same standards as artist quality, so are ideal for the beginner.
Water-soluble OilsThese are made with modified linseed oil. Winsor & Newton’s Artisan is a well-known brand. These paints behave like traditional oils, but it can be thinned with water instead of solvents.
Alkyd OilsThese fast-drying oils are made from oil-modulated resin and is designed for glazing techniques.
Definition of Oil PaintsOils, or traditional oils, are simply ground pigment suspended in oil. It can be used thick (impasto) or thin (glazes). Water-soluble oils can be thinned with water. Alkyds are a fast-drying oil paint made from resin.
Many effects can be achieved with oils, and is a remarkably forgiving medium. It is ideal for the beginner and for the venturer.
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