Getting Started with Oil Painting: Recommended Materials and References

Oil paint is made from fine particles of color pigment mixed with a drying oil. The pigments in oil paint can come from many different sources, man-made and organic. Dirt, stones, vegetable matter and even insects were used as pigments in the past and are still used today, although synthetic chemical pigments are now more common and come in a wider array of colors than ever before.

The oil used in making oil paint must be of a kind that will eventually dry and solidify into a solid, uniform coating. Oils such as linseed, walnut and safflower have traditionally been used for oil painting, each having slightly different drying times and clarity (safflower, for instance, is typically preferred for white paints as it is the clearest and does not yellow the color as linseed oil can.) One could not, however, use olive oil as the oil would never completely dry.

In the past, artists prepared their own paints by grinding pigment and dispersing it in oil. Today, pigment powder can be directly purchased but most artists prefer to buy pre-made oil paints in tubes for convenience and consistency. Beginning oil painters may wish to start with "student grade" paints, which are less expensive than "artist grade" or top name brands. However, student grade paints can contain fillers to stretch pigment and are often made from synthetic, inexpensive materials. Those who become seriously interested in oil painting should invest in better quality paints which contain fewer impurities and the highest pigment strengths.

Many people feel cautious about giving oil painting a try because they are worried about the paints, solvents and mediums used, and whether they are safe outside of a controlled studio environment. Certainly oil painting is different from watercolor and acrylic painting, where water is the primary "solvent" used for both painting purposes and for cleaning up. But oil painting can be done safely in the home with a little common sense precautions and care.

First, try to have a designated painting room in the house with good ventilation: windows which can be kept open during warm weather, fans to encourage air circulation to the outside, or potentially have an exhaust fan specifically installed in a room for the best safety precautions. Make your painting space a room which can be closed off from the rest of the house, especially if you have young children or pets who could get into materials hazardous to them.

Many oil paint mediums and solvents are flammable so they should be handled with care and with proper ventilation. Keep solvent bottles closed when not in use. Put painting medium in small cups as you are using them and only put out as much as you actually need at a time. Do not throw used solvent down your drain; collect and save it in containers to be disposed of according to the chemical waste regulations of your community. Likewise, painting rags and paper towels are a potential fire hazard and should be hung outside to dry instead of dumped in an indoor hamper or trashcan. Do not use spay varnishes or sealants in the house; always take outside, check wind direction, and stand away from the spray as you are using them. Allow the spray to dry as much as possible outdoors before bringing inside your home.

Many paints are actually quite safe to handle but certain pigments are more toxic than others. Be careful with Flake White and other lead-based paints; Cadmium and Cobalt colors are also of concern. This list is a good guide to the most toxic pigments (found not just in oil paints, it should be noted-many are used in acrylic and watercolor paints as well) However, some artists swear by these potentially hazardous colors and do not feel there are "safer" substitutes. If using them, be sure to wear gloves and avoid exposure to your skin or any ingestion.

Oil paint can be applied to virtually any painting support surface, including canvas, wood panels, masonite, copper, cardboard and yes, even paper. However, the surface to be painted must first be prepared and primed so that the paint will adhere properly and also not cause the support to degrade and rot with time.

Wooden panels were the first support typically used in oil painting and are still popular today. Gesso, a mixture of binding glue plus white pigment and chalk, is used to seal the panel from moisture and provide an absorbent surface for the paint to be applied. Up to 10 thin coats are applied and sanded to a desired smoothness, typically similar to an eggshell.

Canvas became more popular for oil painting in Venice, where the shipping industry was booming during the Renaissance and canvas was cheap for artists to buy. Canvas also made it possible to create extremely large yet lightweight paintings that could be used as ceiling or wall decorations. Canvas is traditionally sealed with glue to prevent rot of the fibers with time, and then primed with a base white primer paint. Gesso can be mixed with linseed oil to make it flexible enough for use on canvas as well, otherwise it is too rigid and could crack. Canvas can be painted loose, pre-stretched on a frame, or glued to a support panel.

While many serious artists like to prepare their oil painting supports themselves, to get just the smoothness and absorbency they prefer, it is easy to buy canvas and panel already prepared with gesso or primer and just start painting!

Painting medium is where many beginning oil painters start to get really confused. Why do you need medium, and what kind to use?

Medium is not absolutely necessary, if your paints are already very soft and workable and you want to paint in thick, heavy brushstrokes. However, medium is useful in thinning store-bought oil paints to your desired fluidity and transparency as some paints can be very thick and difficult to blend at first. Medium also can also affect the appearance and properties of oil paint, speeding drying time or increasing the gloss if the medium contains an amount of varnish in it.

Artists have for centuries experimented with different painting medium formulas and combinations for oil painting, but one of the most traditional is linseed oil and turpentine in a varying ratio. If working in layers of paint, typically you should add more oil to your medium in each successive layer. This principle is called "fat over lean" and can help prevent paint cracking with time as the lower layers of paint should dry faster than the top layers. Varnish may be introduced into the medium for finishing layers, but it should be a different kind of vanish than used to finally coat the painting (this way, if the painting is later cleaned, a chemical can be used to remove the protective varnish with less chance of removing layers of actual paint.)

I recommend all oil painters experiment with mediums and medium additives to determine which they find the most comfortable to use, personally. If you want paint that dries very slowly and with a flat finish, then you will likely appreciate a different medium than an artist who wants a high-gloss appearance and fast-drying paint.

Traditionally oil paintings have been finished with a finishing coat of varnish applied once the painting was fully dry (often 6 months waiting time is ideal). Varnish gives the painting a uniform glossy appearance and also provides a layer of protection from smoke, air pollutants, moisture and other destructive elements. Applying varnish takes some skill and practice to ensure the coat is uniform and adheres properly to the oil paint surface. Varnish can be removed and reapplied with care to clean a painting, preserving it for many years - even centuries!

Varnishing fell out of favor with the Impressionists, who preferred a flat, matte appearance to their final work. Many artists today choose not to varnish - perhaps because they do not want to spend the extra time waiting for the varnish to dry before framing and selling their work. I am personally a fan of varnishing myself, and find it can be most easily done for canvas paintings using a spray varnish in 2-3 applications.

If you'd like to see examples of my own oil paintings, please check out my personal website, Nicole Pellegrini's Gallery. You can also find select paintings for sale in my Etsy shop. I have been oil painting for six years now, having quickly fallen in love with the medium after many years of working in watercolor and gouache. Oil paint has indeed become my favorite painting medium as I love the level of detail and realism which is possible, especially for still life and portrait paintings.