Oil colors are rooted in history.  Oil is the medium in which most of the Old Masters worked, and its inherent durability and lightfastness (fade resistance) have allowed their works to last for centuries.  

Just like any painting medium, oil paints are comprised of: Vehicle plus Pigment. In oils, the vehicle (or binder) is linseed oil.

Linseed oil gives oil paints their workability and long open time (up to several months), the period in which colors applied to the canvas remain workable. 

Re-workability and a long open time are important, as this allows working the fine details in pieces until are just right.  Conversely, other may not like a paint that takes a long time to cure, and paint other than oil might be a better choice for them. 

Pigment Particulars

The other component of any paint is pigment, the coloring agent that is combined with the binder to create artist color.

Here are some examples of pigments:  (* denotes a toxic pigment)

Naturally Occurring

Whites           Flake White*

                     Zinc White

                     Titanium White

Blacks            Ivory Black

                      Mars Black

                      Lamp Black

Blues             Cerulean Blue*

                     Cobalt Blue*

Browns         Raw Umber

                     Burnt Umber

                     Raw Sienna

                     Burnt Sienna

                     Mars Brown

                     Sepia

                     Vandyke Brown

Greens          Green Earth (Terre Verte)

Reds              Carmine

                      Vermillion*

                      Madder

                      Indian Red

                      Light Red

Yellow           Gamboge

Orange          Ochre

Violets           Mars Violet

Synthetic

Black              Payne Gray

Blues             Ultramarine

                      Phthalocyanine (Thalo)

                      Prussian Blue

Greens          Viridian

                     Chromium Oxide Green

                     Phthalocyanine (Thalo)

                     Permanent Green (light, medium, dark)

                     Hookers Green

Reds              Cadmium*

                      Alizarine

                      Quinacridone (Acra)

Yellow            Cadmium*

& Orange       Chrome*

                     Hansa Yellow

                     Lemon Yellow 

                     Azo Yellow 

                     Naples Yellow* 

                     Zinc Yellow

Violets           Quinacridone (Acra)

                      Colbalt*

                      Dioxazine

                      Manganeze 

                      Thioindigo (Thio) 

                      Ultramarine

There is little difference between the current natural and synthetic pigments in regards to tinting strength and mixability. The real choice comes down to particular color preference.

Some Pigment Pointers:

There are some confusing aspects to knowing pigments.  Keep these points in mind:

Similar pigments are sold under different trade names.  For example, Winsor Newton’s Winsor Blue, Liquitex’s Phthalo Blue and Grumbacher’s Thalo Blue are all based on the same pigment:  Phthalocyanine Blue.

The word Hue means imitation or faux. Hue denotes an imitation version of another pigment, created to reduce the cost or toxicity of the true pigment.  For example:  Cadmium Red Hue is an imitation version of Cadmium Red.  True cadmium is very expensive and highly toxic, so the hue version gives a safer, less costly alternative. 

Hues don’t have the same mixability as true pigments.     If you want to mix a small number of colors together to get new ones, suggest real pigments instead of hues.  Hues tend to get muddy and dull when mixed together.  True pigments typically don’t.  

Palette Preferences

One of the most helpful things for a new artist or student is a beginning palette of colors. Here is a great beginning palette:

Whites:  Zinc or Titanium White

Blues:  Ultramarine Blue

Yellows:  Cadmium Yellow Light* and Yellow Ochre

Reds:  Alizarine Crimson and Cadmium Red Light*

Greens:  Viridian or Phthalocyanine Green

Browns:  Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber

Blacks:  Ivory Black

(*If toxicity is a concern, substitute Lemon Yellow for Cadmium Yellow Light, and Quinacridone Red for Cadmium Red Light)

What Size? 

Most prefer the 37 ml or Studio size tube for oil colors.  This size offers the most choice.  Whites, blacks and other common colors may be available in larger sizes.

Let’s Talk Toxic

Although some paints are labeled toxic, they are generally safe for use if not ingested, left on bare skin, or used in airbrush applications.  Alternatives should be used  if there are children present or if there are concerns.

Making the Grade

Oil colors typically come in two grades: Artist Grade and Student Grade

The primary difference between the two is concentration of pigment.  The actual pigments and vehicles used may be the same. 

Artist grade paints contain a higher ratio of pigment to vehicle than do student grade paints.  This makes Artist grade paints more economical in the long run as they can be extended further.  Also, Artist grade paints mix better and have truer color because there are no extenders that are sometimes found in Student grade paints. 

Student grade paints do not have the same mixability and tinting strength as do artist grade paints, but work moderately well when those traits are not a concern. 

Well Done Oil Mediums!

While any paint can perform well right out of the tube, many artists like to push the boundaries of their work and stretch the limits of the materials they use. 

There is a whole group of creative products designed to enhance the appearance or performance of oil paints.  We’ll refer to these products as Mediums.

Note that some mediums perform more than one task.  Here are some of the mediums that are available:

To Increase Flow; enables the artist to create fine brushwork and helps eliminate brush marks. 

Any Linseed Oil

Artists’ Painting Medium

Any Oil Vehicle

Artists’ Matt Medium

Liquin  

To Decrease Flow and Aid Impasto  - allows for more prominent brush marks and impasto, or built up effects.

Wingel

Oleopasto 

To Change Surface Reflectivity ;creates a matt or gloss finish in the dried paint film.

Opal Medium (matt finish)

Dammar Varnish (gloss finish)

Exterior Varnish (gloss finish, water resistant for exterior use)

Picture Mastic Varnish (gloss finish)

Retouching Varnish (gloss finish, for temporary use only)

Conserv-art Varnish (gloss & matt, removable) 

To Protect - varnish is brushed directly on the dried paint film.

Any Varnish

To Clean - artists get dirty!  And so can oil paintings.  And brushes.  And palettes.

Turpentine (brushes, palettes)

Odorless Turpentine Substitute (brushes, palettes, sometimes skin)

Artists’ Picture Cleaner (paintings)

To Speed Drying - artists may want to speed the drying process thru the use of a retarding medium.

Most Linseed Oils (read the label to make sure)

Liquin

Any Oil Vehicle

Features and Benefits of Oil Paints and Mediums:

Glossary

Artist Grade  

Denotes a paint that contains the highest possible ratio of pigment to vehicle.  Artist Grade paints also typically contain only True Pigments, not Hues.

Flow   

The thickness or viscosity of a paint.  Some paints are formulated to be thicker and more pastelike, or have a lower flow.  Others are formulated to be thinner and more buttery, or have a higher flow.

Hue    

An imitation pigment created to approximate a more costly or toxic True Pigment.  Hues have different mixability and opacity characteristics than do True Pigments. 

Impasto          A painting technique that creates thick heavily textured layers of paint with obvious brush strokes.

Linseed Oil   

The primary vehicle for oil paints.  Comes from the flax seed.  Some oil paints may use poppyseed oil as a vehicle, as it is lighter in color and won’t distort the natural color of lighter pigments.

Mediums       

A group of products that enhance workability of oil paints, or are used to clean, thin, or change the texture of a completed piece.

Mixability       

The quality with which two paints can be combined to create a third.  True Pigments have better mixability than do Hues.

Natural Pigment 

A pigment derived from a naturally occurring compound.  Examples include ivory black, from charred bones, and Mars Brown, from iron oxide.

Opacity                      

Denotes how much or little of the painting surface will show thru a layer of paint.  True pigments tend to be more opaque, where Hues tend to be more translucent.

Oxidize

The method by which an oil paint film is created.  In oxidation, the linseed oil vehicle combines with oxygen in the atmosphere, creating a web, which binds the pigment(s) into the paint film.

Paint Film

The layer of applied paint on a ground, after it has oxidized.

Palette

Either a selection of colors used by an artist, or the board on which those colors are placed when painting.

Pigment

The coloring agent in paint.

Pigment Load

The ratio of pigment to vehicle.  Artist Grade paints will have a higher pigment load than Student Grade paints.
Student Grade

A paint that has a lower pigment load than Artist Grade.  Student Grade paints also contain more hues than do Artist Grade paints.  Student Grade paints are typically lower cost than Artist Grade, and are a good option for the hobbyist or beginning artist.

Synthetic Pigment

A paint that has a lower pigment load than Artist Grade.  Student Grade paints also contain more hues than do Artist Grade paints.  Student Grade paints are typically lower cost than Artist Grade, and are a good option for the hobbyist or beginning artist.

Synthetic Pigment

A pigment made by chemists, not occurring in nature.  Examples include quinacridone, pthalocyanine and dioxazine.

True Pigment

A single-pigment color.  As opposed to a Hue, which is created from multiple pigments.  True Pigments have better mixability and are more opaque than Hues.

Varnish

A coating applied over the surface of an oil painting which protects from dust and fading.  A varnish must be applied after a painting is fully oxidized, usually several months.

Vehicle

The material in which a pigment is suspended in a paint.  Oil paints typically use linseed oil as their vehicle.