Scared of Oils
A recent article in a main UK art magazine made me remember why I took so long to discover the joys and beauty of using oil paint. Although oil paint is one of the oldest and widely used art materials, many people will hesitate to use it, like me at the time, because of all the stories they hear about toxicity, strict rules, and the complex array of materials needed. For a long time I feared all these technical issues would spoil the joy of painting for me, and so stayed away from oils.
Learning from Other Artists
However over the past ten years I have learned a lot from professional and amateur artists who were a goldmine of help and information. They provided experience and – sometimes opposing – opinions on the use of oil paints, mediums, techniques and oil painting brands and when I decided to jump into oils I could experience a lot of it myself and come to my own conclusions.
Books, many online resources, chats with other artists and practice have got me where I am today. I have not read enough books nor learned enough yet to be able to publish the one-and-only guide to using oil paints (far from it, in fact) and I cannot test the longevity of my painting techniques ( where is that time machine when you need it), but I hope that my take on things might help some hesitant beginners to get started.
I do my best to always paint with archival materials and according to techniques that will stand the test of time as best as I can. I strongly believe that whomever is gracious enough to pay money for my work, should expect it to be created with proper, professional materials that won’t disintegrate over time. But I am also painting because I love doing it and I avoid methods and materials that are overly methodical or complex.
The enormous amount of questions I had and many beginners have about oil paint is enough to put anyone off the stuff forever:
Which brands should I choose, which colours do I start with, can I mix different brands, what is a medium and do I need it, and which medium should I choose? Do I need solvents like turps or white spirit and what is the difference, can I use solvents from the hardware store, how can I avoid toxic fumes, are the paints toxic 
themselves and are they safe to use with pets/kids around (or any living creature like artists perhaps)?
How do I mix my colours, do I premix or not, should I use a brush or a palette knife to mix? Is it ok to use ‘convenience mixes’ such as skin/sky colour? What does fat over lean mean and how do I apply that rule?
Can I clean my brushes in solvent, or in oil or with washing-up liquid? What is glazing, scumbling, impasto and alla prima?
What support should I use and which is better in the long run: cotton or linen, wood, or aluminium? Should I prime canvas myself, and if so how, or is it ok to buy ready-primed materials? What is the best primer to choose and how do I apply it?
And I haven’t even started on brushes or pigments yet…..Surely this would put anyone off who just wants to have a go and have some fun?
Keeping it Simple
All this said, there are always those who enjoy a methodical and exact approach to what they do. They might enjoy finding the answers to all these questions and carefully learn and note down medium recipes and priming methods. I must admit I am not one of them, and although I want my work to be sound and archival (and therefore I do learn about pigments and priming for example) you won’t find me measuring out exact oil/solvent ratios for my medium with a pipet (I was always rubbish at maths and science at school). It was a revelation to find out that with oil paints there is actually the option of KEEPING IT SIMPLE.
Of course a blog post like this is not the place to answer all of the questions above and I am not going to try to unless you really want me to. Time and place and all of that. But when I learned that it really doesn’t have to be as complicated as I feared and that you can actually just buy a canvas, a brush and some paint and just go for it, a whole new world opened for me. When I hear some others talk about the strict rules and regulations of using oil paints it sounds more like a chemistry project instead of art.
* How to get Started in Oil Painting
The Fat-over-Lean Principle
The Fat-over-Lean principle is one of these (in-)famous ones that has a tendency to scare people. Talk of cracked paint falling off your canvas in the future is scary to say the least. Not that we all envisage our art to need to last for centuries, but surely it would be nice to know that in a few decades our doodles in oils are still remotely visible. So artists explaining this rule as if it is a vital necessity to carefully and exactly measure the oil/solvent ratio in your medium, and slowly adjust it in parts with a pipet, as you paint in clearly defined layers, are taking it too far in my opinion.
The Fat-over-Lean principle is fairly simple. Artists should keep in mind that added oil slows the drying time of paint. It also makes total sense (I hope) that applying a quick drying paint over a slow drying paint will cause problems. The top layer of paint would dry quicker and ‘seal in’ the slow drying flexible layer underneath, causing it to dry even slower as no air can reach it, and cracking the upper layer of dried paint.
Therefore, IF you decide to use additions to your paint such as solvents (making your paint ‘leaner’) or mediums (making your paint ‘fatter’ as it usually contains oil) you need to keep in mind to use ‘lean’ paint (less oil content and therefore faster drying ) first and make sure you don’t seal in oily layers of paint (‘fat’ paint and slower drying). This is especially relevant if you work with thick paint, or in layers.
Use Common Sense
It is important to apply common sense when using additions to your paint such as solvents or mediums. Too much of it (additives I mean, not common sense) will break down your paint and pigments and cause trouble. Too much added oil will disperse the pigment and you’ll end up painting with just oil – which will dry slowly, wrinkly and has no ’tooth’ for next layers to adhere to. Too much solvent will break down the paint as the pigment will not mix with solvents alone. As a general rule it is wise to not add more than 20% or so (or so!) of medium to your paint. Keeping in mind the fat (oily) over lean (less oily) principle you should not start a painting with medium-rich paint. Many artists use only (a tiny bit of) solvent for the initial underpainting as it dries quickly and is, by definition, lean. Alternatively you can use no additions at all in the first stages.That brings me to another point.
IT IS OK TO NOT USE ANY MEDIUM AT ALL. Yes really.
Some oil painters enjoy talking amongst each other about mediums and the various recipes they discovered featuring exotic sounding ingredients. So let them. It does not mean you have to use a medium. It sounds all snazzy and exciting but honestly you can actually paint with a brush and a couple of tubes of paint. Unless you want the paint to do something that it doesn’t naturally, there is no need for a medium or a solvent. No need whatsoever. And if you find your paint too fluid or too thick, instead of adding a medium, you can also try to change brands as all brands have different characteristics. Try and experiment until you find what you like.
Talk to Other Artists
I am still experimenting and learning. There is a lot I don’t know and more seasoned artists do. Thankfully I can ask, read and learn and I would always recommend that artists do that. Don’t take my word, but ask others, read up and decide for yourself (that’s me covering my back). The more I learned and listened the more I realised that many artists have their own way of doing things. What works for them, might not work for you. When they say you should do this, someone else might say the opposite. Use common sense and you will find your own way.
Some things are more set in stone than others, of course, such as oily paint drying slower than lean paint, and the various behavioural characteristics of types of oils, solvents, supports and pigments. But while paddling around the facts, use your own instinct and sense in finding your way. And don’t forget that the more stuff you add to your paint, the more complex the potential problems can be. Keeping it simple has its benefits.In the end I have come back to using a fluid paint brand (as I like to paint thinly) so that I don’t need to add a lot of medium. Fluids paints are Vasari, Blockx, Mussini, but I also use Michael Harding and Winsor & Newton. You are by no means limited to a single brand.
When I want my paint to be even more fluid I do add a little bit of medium, but after experimenting with quite a few (some of which had ingredients I turned out to be – ugh that was fun -allergic to) I often come back to the simplest version: a tiny drop of linseed oil. Sometimes I use a mix of linseed oil/stand oil/odourless white spirit (I have always used and liked W&N Sansodor) for detail work. I do an underpainting with a touch of of Sansodor. But most of the time and the vast majority of my paintings are painted without any additions at all. Its just paint and a brush and that’s all.
You Choose your Painting Process
So although you might not want to work like this, I just wanted to share that it does not have to be complicated. You can choose the level of complexity you apply to your painting process. Many artists will just dip their brush in a bit of medium now and then. Our aim is not to come up with the most scientifically archival painting, but with an amazing art work that will stand the test of time. So increasing the oil ratio in your medium mathematically, according to the layers of your painting, is not something we have to do in order to produce a sound and archival painting. If, like me, you don’t want to work with pipets but just brushes, just keep your sensible hat on, don’t forget some basic principles and dive in. Turning the painting process in an overly methodical science process kills the fun and creativity for me (but perhaps not you), is unnecessary, and will put off many newbies wanting to try. A brush, a few tubes of paint and a canvas is really all you need and maybe all you’ll ever end up with.
If you are a oil painting newbie, I hope these thoughts have helped to get started. I’d encourage you find more information online, in books and magazines and ask other artists if you can. If you are a more seasoned artist, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you are a mathematician who likes pipets…well, er… never mind. 😉
Updated November 2017
Would you like to practice your oil painting skills within a private community of like minded arty folk? Join in monthly workshops? Take a course? Why not have a look at Sophie’s Art School where we do exactly that. You can try it out and join the next monthly workshop!
Hello, Sophie. I was overjoyed to discover your enlightening advice! I just discovered a way of underpainting that uses simply linseed oil (rubbed into the canvas very thinly) and tidy raw umber (which obviously itself is in a linseed binder). As an underpainting layer, I prefer this over using mineral spirit-thinned paint. Will this, however, create cracking later on, particularly if I use Liquin in consecutive layers? I'm hoping that because the ground is a very thin coating, it will be OK after a day of drying… What are your thoughts on this? Thank you very much! Dylan
Hi Dylan, I would be careful with this. Using pure undiluted linseed oil as an underpaintig is super ‘fat’ and to go over it with liquin (fast drying) is probably not a good idea. Do you really need the linseed oil in the underpainting? Why not just use paint? Just my thoughts. Happy painting!
I want to paint strong brush strokes that hold on the canvas but mine disappear even if I use thick paint
Is it the paint quality or am I doing something else incorrectly
Hi Denise, it is hard to answer your question without knowing more. I doubt it is the quality of your paint, but it can be the fluidity/stiffness of your paint. Some brands are stiffer than others. So you might want to try a stiffer brand like Old Holland. Also, make sure you don’t add any medium that will make your paint more fluid, like linseed oil or solvent. Use paint straight from the tube without additions. Use sturdy brushes, like bristle brushes. Hope that helps!
Hi Sophie, I was delighted to come across your demystifying guide! I have recently come across a method of underpainting using only linseed (very thinly rubbed into the canvas) plus neat raw umber (which obviously itself is in a linseed binder). I prefer this to using paint thinned with mineral spirit as an underpainting layer. I'm wondering though, will this cause cracking later on, especially if I use Liquin in subsequent layers? Hoping that as the ground is a very thin layer and after drying for a day it might be ok…what do you think? Thanks so much! Kate
Hi Kate, good to hear you liked my article. I am always for keeping things simply and adding as little extra as possible. So working with linseed oil first (slow drying) and then with liquin (fast drying) will most likely cause problems. The underlying slow drying layers will not be able to properly cure and dry if you seal it with a faster drying layer. Linseed oil will need much longer than a day to completely dry. So I would not recommend this method. Your best bet is to stick to ‘just paint’. Hope this helps.
I have been experimenting with oil paint a lot lately and because of time I like to do a thin underpainting and allow it to dry and then the following day paint over it. Sometimes I do not have enough time to finish this second layer all in one sitting especially if it is a bigger piece. Am I able to continue painting the following day while the paint is still wet? Or so I have to wait for the painting to fully dry to get back to it.
I mainly use straight paint out of the tube with a bit of linseed oil occasionally to increase flow.
I like painting in this somewhat Alla Prima style but don’t want to be forced to rush my paintings that take longer than 4 hours.
of course you can continue painting! The fat over lean rule is to make sure you don’t put a quick drying layer over a slow drying layer, but if you are painting with paint from the tube (and a bit of linseed) you’ll be fine. Just keep going!
Okay thanks. Everyone seems to complicate everything and I haven’t seen anyone answer whether or not you could paint on top of paint that wasn’t fully dry without causing an issue. I really appreciate the simplicity in your explanations.
Perhaps for my larger paintings it may actually be beneficial to add a slower drying medium like walnut oil to continue to paint wet on wet throughout the week?
You can definitely paint over a layer that isn’t fully dry – as long as you haven’t added any quick-drying mediums to your new layer of paint. If, as you say, you simply paint with paint straight from the tube (and the odd bit of linseed) you can paint on and on. There is no need to wait for anything to dry (unless you prefer to). You do not need a medium at all. I paint continuously over the course of weeks and months. I don’t use any medium and sometimes things dry (overnight or if I haven’t painted for a couple of days) and sometimes things are still wet, often things are in between and a bit tacky. Your new layers of paint will not ‘seal’ in the ‘stil wet’ layers underneath, so everything can simply dry at normal rates. It really is that simple. Just enjoy painting! 🙂
That's nice a simple explanation, ta.
You’re welcome! 🙂
Hi Sophie, thanks for the awesome article! i have heard some people use W & N LIQUIN. whats your opinion with that? PS – i have yet to try oils – i am one of those sitting with all i need to get started but terrified to start!
Liquin is a very popular medium, but be careful when you layer as things dry fast. So it would be a ‘lean’ layer which you don’t want to put over a layer without liguin in it. Best bet is to just use it throughout the painting process. I know many people love it, but I prefer slower drying paint. If you are just starting out with oils I would really recommend to just explore the paint itself yet, without adding any extra products, so you can learn how oil paints work and what you like and don’t like about them. Mediums are only required if you want to change the normal behaviour of the paint. You may will like the paint as it is! Enjoy experimenting!
Hey Sophie!
Thanks for the article. It was very helpful for a novice like myself. I have two questions I was hoping you could answer.
1.) Can you add layer over layer, without any trouble, if each layer has the same amount of oil?
And second…
2.) If you're following the fat over lean (or possibly equal over equal) rule, once the first layer is dry to the touch,
can you apply your additional layer without creating any issues or do you have to wait a certain amount of time? If so, how do you know when it's safe to do the next layer?
Any info would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!
Jordan
Hi Jordan, thanks for your comment! To answer your questions: 1. Yes, in theory that should work. It is important however to not get too exact about it as many factors are at work (for example the amount of oil in different tubed oil paint colours can vary). Painting is not science and all we are trying to do is make sure our paintings last for as long as possible. It is also important to keep in mind that you are painting with paint (pigment+oil) and not with oil. So the amount of oil added should be minimal or none. 2. This is why it is sensible to work without any mediums at all. If you work ‘equal over equal’ all layers will dry at the same speed (relatively speaking) so in that situation it does not matter. If you are adding more oil to subsequent layers than your subsequent layers will dry slower than your initial layers and so your initial layers will continue to dry with the subsequent (oilier) layers on top. So, no, you don’t have to wait at all if you don’t want to. The ‘rule’ is about not sealing in oily layers by less-oily layers. But if you stick to the building up of layers from less oily to more oily, there should not be any problems. Hope that makes sense! 🙂
Yeah it absolutely makes sense, thanks for your reply!
I'm finally beginning to understand the workflow and you're right, it's not that complicated once you get it. I will say though that it is initially confusing when all the terminology is new. I think, more than anything, novices like myself need to keep a positive mindset when trying to learn and make a commitment to not give up even when it get's confusing – because at some point it will click! It's inevitable
I laughed when you said that sometimes you would get opposing opinions from other artistsundefinedsources. That can be frustrating when you're just trying to get a straight answer.
I want to mention for anyone else reading this that learning all about mediums was a big breakthrough for me. I just watched a couple tutorials on youtube. That's where a lot of the confusion comes in because of all the variables and new terminology.
But all in all, if you understand "fat over lean", dry times and mediums you're good to go!
Thanks again for you reply and article. You're a clear, comforting voice in a sea of information.
I experimented with oil over 20 years ago and I’ve been painting in acrylic for many years. I’ve reached a point where I want to give oil a whirl again, and I’ve picked up some very basic supplies to start (some Winsor & Newton, odorless mineral spirits since I live in an apartment, stand oil, etc.) and have found a lot of info online to be overwhelming (and scary!) regarding mediums, toxicity, disposal of oily rags, fat over lean, and other items. I just want to say thanks for keeping it simple and less intimidating. This is very helpful and you have greatly reduced my anxiety about tackling a new challenge.
Hi Stacey, thanks so much for your very kind comment! Keep on painting and do hang around. If ever you have any questions, do let me know. 🙂
Just wanted to mention some techniques used by illustrators. Frank Frazetta painted most of his work in a single day, painting backgrounds very thin with a lot of turp and drying it with a hair dryer, then doing thicker paints and again drying it with a hair dryer. Many of Jeffrey Catherine Jones paintings look like watercolors because he used just turps and applied paint very thinly. The earlier works of both of these artists have lasted over 50 years with no signs of cracking. Steven Spielburg recently bought a Frazetta for over 2 million so this technique certainly didn’t lessen the value.
Thanks for that story! Really interesting! Must look up that artist. Cracking usually comes from linseed oil and it sounds like he didn’t use much of that. Overly turps thinned paint won’t crack. Thanks again! 🙂
Yes, fat over lean…you only have to worry about it when you have 2 pigments that have different drying rates and solvents in use. If your paint dries quickly (…see calcitesunoil.com ), there is nothing to think.. about. The only other concern is paint film thickness when glazing. Most people I meet think that a glaze is some paint diluted by oil ; as if it were some kind of w/c wash. The old masters would first take a small amount of medium and push it around with their fingers and then wipe it off, leaving the thinnest film. Then when the medium appears to stick, put one drop of medium into the paint and SCRUB the paint in , full strength over the glazing area…then wipe it off…let it dry and work on another area of the picture. When dry to touch, repeat the process.
Tintoretto would use an emulsion glaze medium when working on large pictures ( “timberone ” …see kremer pigments ). He could do 10 layers in a day. The old guys didnt hang around waiting for paint to dry. Rubens could knock out a copy of a masterwork in ONE day ! Titian would do 30 to 40 layers in some of his pics ; in a glaze-scumble combo. Being a venetian, he also used ground glass in his paint and calcite…
One trick to get your paint to dry quicker…put your picture in a dust-free area in direct sunlight for an hour. You could build a drying box with one side of clear perspex. I have tried this in clear plastic file A4 boxes with walnut based paint ( m.graham ). The UV appears to have something to do with accelerating the drying process. ( it dried overnight after 6 hr exposure ). Van Eyck used to do this. The old stand oil of the C17 was completely different from today’s concoctions that take 1 to 2 weeks to dry. This is the frankensteins laboratory approach that you get when you let accountants and chemists make your paint for you. The old masters didnt paint like this.
None of today’s commercial linseed oils can stand up to the oil used by the masters in the 1600s.
2000 yr ago the romans knew you had to wash the oil so it didnt yellow. It has never been a secret.
As for washing your brushes…dont…if you paint daily…put them in plastic cutlery drawers, add walnut oil and tilt…one section…one colour…6 sections around the colour wheel…just wipe them off on a rag or that shirt you hate that the wife /your mother bought you ! Just buy more cheap brushes and throw them away as they turn crappy.
You can find a lot of good technical info in the tate gallery journals, the rembrandt research project, luis velasquez, james c groves, tad spurgeon, MITRA at the university of delaware ( the rebirth of AMIENS ) ,the Cennini forum…even wetcanvas forum…see jim francis reports/tests on many brands of oil paint…in colour. Jim…aka ” gunzorro .”
For the final word on the technicalities of colour…handprint.com…bruce mac evoy ,also david briggs at
huevaluechroma.com
For old master like skills in design,proportion, colour and drawing, you cant go past Myron Barnstone.
One final word…dont waste your time getting into debt with art courses at loonyversity…seek people with real skills…it is so much cheaper. How many people have the cash to drop over a 100+ grand at a fancy academy in a foreign land a over 4 yr period.?
Ciao now
Thanks for your thoughts. I don’t agree with all of it (the old masters are no ‘be all and end all’ for me) but it is always good to hear opinions and experiences from others. Thanks for contributing – much appreciated – not just by me but I am sure by many readers as well. 🙂
Oh and ‘Gunzorro’ is a goldmine! I wonder if he’s still around on Wetcanvas!
I mean, do the fat over lean-rule apply even in such isolated small areas on a bigger painting?
Hi Emelie, thank you so much for stopping by. I am so pleased you like the blog and found it useful!
To answer your question: yes, the fat-over-lean rule applies also in small areas. After all if you seal in a small oily area of paint and it cannot ‘breathe’ to dry, it will try and find air somehow and crack the layer above it.
But! And this is an important ‘but’: don’t get hung up on this. Oil paint has linseed oil in it already and adding a small drop to your paint is not going to dramatically change the consistency of your paint. I cannot imagine you will paint so methodically you would actually seal in that ‘oily’ layer of paint completely – surely it is a brush stroke here and a brush stroke there. Paint is never applied as if we are rendering a wall with plaster. It is thin, thick, oily, less oily, and in various stages of drying.
Most painters I know, myself included, add a drop of oil to make some paint more fluid and keep painting with other paint that doesn’t seem to need the extra drop. So some colours are oilier than others. A painting can take this. The whole fat-over-lean guideline is something to keep in mind (especially if you use a lot of oil) but that is all. It is not a rule to work by at all times and it is a very, very flexible guideline. Just paint, and keep painting. Add some oil if your burnt umber needs it, paint over it if you think it can be improved and do not worry. Just don’t overuse the oil, you want to paint with paint after all, not linseed oil. Hope this helps?
Yes!! Thank you so much for your reply! I feel so less nervous about trying oils now.
Have a great day!?
(I have been trying to visualize how a painting is build with this rule in mind, and It seemed impossible! I mean to keep track of where in your painting, you have added a drop of oil to the paint! I thougt “omg, oil painters must have a great memory, or maybe they take ALOT of notes…..”)
Love your work by the way!
(I am from Sweden. Have you seen any of the swedish painter Markus Åkesson paintings?)
Same here – surely, it would be nearly impossible to create a painting following some of these rules to the letter. The article in a UK art magazine I refer to in my blog post did this. It recommended going from a first layer of paint with a medium of oil/solvent according to a certain ratio, then paint layer two, with a slightly oilier ratio, etc. That sort of mathematical exactness would kill any joy in painting for me. Besides, I know loads of artists do not work this way and create perfectly stable works of art. The fat-over-lean principle is a guideline to keep in mind. Try to paint with little or no medium and just keep common sense in mind.
I had not heard of Akesson before but I have now! Thank you, what an amazing painter – bookmarked!
Hello! What a great site this was!! This post was just what i needed to come over my fear of oils. (yep, sounds weird even in my ears -since art should be fun!) I just have one question: say i have a painting where i havent used any mediums in the layers yet, but in this session i feel the need to add a drop of linseedoil to my paint for just a small (lets say 2*2 inches) area in my painting. Then next session (this small area is now touchdry, not fully dried) i paint again with no medium involved and paint over the area that had linseed oil in it.
Will this small area then crack?
Emelie
Great blog post Sophie. Mind if I give kudos to it and have people link to it from my page about using volatile chemicals and mediums in small apartments over at my art site at joambigelow.com?
Hi, thanks so much. Feel free to link to my article, just mention my name along the way.
Hi there, i am a complete novice to painting and began a painting with oil several years ago. I never finished it and yesterday decided to pull it out/clean it up and keep working on it by painting on top of the old painting. I basically painted over some sections exactly as they previously were with new paint (to freshen up the colour) however, overnight a line of moisture (not sure if its oil or not) seems to have seeped out from the new paint around everywhere i painted, leaving a ‘wet looking’ line around the new paint (on top of the adjacent colour). not sure if this will dry, if its ok to paint over it, or what i might be doing wrong to avoid it happening?
Nick
Hi Nick, congrats on getting back to painting after all this time. And I am sorry you’ve run into some troubles. To be honest, I am not sure what has caused this line seeping out. I cannot imagine it is moisture as oil paint does not contain any, but it could be oil? Have a feel to see what it is. What paint brand are you using? Assuming the ‘old’ painting is indeed years old and so therefore bone dry and was never varnished, it cannot have anything to do with that so all it can be is the new paint. Did you add much medium to your paint? Try a change of brand, leave out the medium and see how this ‘line’ dried up or, if it still wet, wipe it up and off your canvas. Hope that helps!
I have a confusion here; you said you like to paint thinly, which suggests you like to paint in many layers over time?
If so I’m struggling to visualise the working process to do this.
For following layers how do you make them fatter in a vaguely correct ratio? I’ve tried and just end up with oil everywhere!
Do you add your medium to the globs of paint straight out the tube before mixing or are you adding medium as you go? I basically gave up oil painting cos I can’t figure it out
I also believe in making art archival cos we invest so much time creating it it may as well last!
Also I’m glad you mentioned viscosity Cos that’s another issue I could never get the paint off the brush onto canvas with any detail or prescision cos so damn stiff and thick
Note: my goal is to paint without any solvents cos I have a health issue
Hi Brendan, thanks for commenting! I will try to take the confusion away… 😉 Yes, I paint thinly; there are no big fat brush strokes on my paintings. Although the paint is, in the end, put on the canvas in layers, I do not actually think in layers. I don’t apply a first layer and then a second, etc. I just keep painting. I do not make my next layers fatter either. There is no need. The ‘fat over lean’ rule does not mean you have to add more oil to your layers as you go along. It just means you need to make sure you don’t end up putting fat layers UNDER lean layers as that would cause problems. So I do not add any medium in any of my layers! That is the simplest and safest way of doing things.
As for viscosity, well I would suggest you try another brand? I find a lot of paint very stiff, but some brands are less so (try Blockx, Vasari, Mussini, W&N). If it is still to thick and stiff then perhaps add a drop of linseed oil and see how that goes. Hope that helps! Do check out my latest blog post on solvent free painting !
Also, i just remembered after posting my last comment, and reading through some of your other articles, that you were one of the first writers i came across when i started researching brands a few months ago. You were one of the first places i read about mussini (among other brands).
Hi Brigid, thank you for stopping by. Mussini is a lovely quality of paint. Their colours are beautiful and many of the paints are transparent so you can make some lovely glazes and scumbles. Thanks so much for your kind words, I am so glad my posts have helped you! Getting back into oil painting can be a bit daunting, can’t it. So glad you found your way and hope you’ll enjoy it! (btw, I often don’t use any medium, and sometimes just some solvent and linseed oil, so yes keeping it simple is fine). Would love to know what your are painting? Portraits, landscapes? Anyway, happy painting!!
Hi — I came up with a method to paint entirely solvent free — with spike lavender oil, there’s no need for turpentine or mineral spirits. This includes the varnishing step. I’ve outlined the complete method at my blog if you are interested–
https://dritgirl.com/2017/05/03/my-non-toxic-method-for-oil-painting-from-start-to-finish/
I paint in my small apt without any ventilation and this is totally non toxic. Hope this helps.
Hi Michelle, thanks for contributing! Great point. I have heard of Spike Lavender Oil as a substitute for turps and it sounds like a great idea. Mind you, although it is not considered toxic as such, it is apparently still a good idea to keep the bottle closed and avoid breathing in the vapours too much. I have never used it so know very little about it but do your research and Happy Painting! Sophie 🙂
Hi.
I couldnt get my browser to leave a comment except in reply to previous comments.
I just wanted to say thanks for your post. I am getting back into oil painting after about a decade or more away from it. When i was painting with oils previously, my knowledge was minimal and mostly self taught, i just knew i loved oil paints. I didnt think much at all about various brands, let alone pigment numbers, and just used turpentine or some mineral spirit and a bit of linseed oil, and just painted.
Now, wanting to get back into it, i have done all this research on brands, pigments, brushes, surfaces, blah blah blah, and then trying to think of mediums, it can all be overwhelming especially with the internet.
After literally months of research (which can happen without a decent art store nearby), i finally just purchased online, 13 tubes of mussini oils (i like glazing a lot and mussini seemed very compelling. Ive never used them.)
Then came the question of which medium. This post has reminded me i can keep it simple. Since i live somewhere with very hot humid summers, i may add something to speed drying time, as oils could take weeks to dry. Maybe I’ll just stick with turpentine and linseed for the time being, until i decide to try something else.
Thanks for the reminder that i dont need to get a medium im not familiar with before i can just start the joy of oil painting again. Because you are right. It doesnt have to be so complicated.
Thank you Shruti! Really pleased you liked my post. Do hang around or sign up to stay up to date ong more posts.much appreciated. 🙂
Very nicely written…Art should be done with a free mind and i believe in the same thing rather making it too complex to understand. Lot of people fear starting with oil paints just coz of this, i am glad you wrote this article….l have just started with oil paints and loving it , this article was like a breath of fresh air after going through some technically correct articles…Thankyou 🙂 Do share some more tips …..
Well said Sophie. I concur with you on putting off using oils for a long time. This is true of my practice. When I finally went for it, I found myself learning simply through doing. And getting the ‘feel’ of it. I also attended courses with professional oil painters and this has really helped. All, I found, use oil intuitively (as I used and found out about acrylics). There is no substitute for the DOING. Generally, I’ve discovered cold wax because I like my paintings thick and matte. And I’ve also discovered I like dropping pure pigments into the layers. This has all been through trial and error. Love your blog post. Thankyou.
Hi Lesley, thanks for your comment! You are so right; doing is what gets you further and what makes you find out what works for you. You mention some great ideas to try! Thanks!
I am sorry Jill, it seems your comment did not get through. Thanks for stopping by though, I hope you found the blog post useful!
Hi this has been a really good confidence inducing blog.
I am just going to harp on a little more about stuff here, so do you worry about various pigments having different drying time to be used in different layers when it comes to fat over lean? Eg titanium white dries slowly so is there another white I should use till I get to my top layers?
Thanks.
Thanks Sophie! I didn’t think to try zinc white. Funnily enough I bought a tube 6 months ago and never touched it, because everyone recommended titanium. So I just tried it. It’s so nice! I have some MH titanium white too which is not as sticky as the WN stuff so it seems that you’ve helped me to sort out my whites (combine titanium and zinc, or use medium, as you say), my paint consistency and medium “issues”. Thanks! I have lots more “issues” though… 😉 So I will now go and the rest of your blog and we’ll see what else I can learn… Ps. Love your paintings. Pps. you’re near Bristol! I used to live there (university, Clifton, Redland)… best place in the world, except Bath of course (home town).
Cheers Chris. Zinc white is not recommended on its own but some whites come tubed mixed. Glad to be able to help! And yes – small world. Bath is lovely.
HI Sophie, this is very helpful and informative! I’ve been painting for a few years and am now selling at a decent enough price to make me conscious of the longevity of my work. I’d been using Liquin until recently, but have now swapped to a Stand oil/Liquin/Turps mix. When I first paint my underpainting, I thin this with 50% turps, to thin it out further. My question to you is, given that oil straight from the tube contains a fair amount of oil (duh!), should it be safe to use it without medium on the top layer of a painting? I have just completed a portrait, but read that you should add MORE rich medium as you advance through your painting’s layers. My common sense would tell me that finishing with pure oil paint would give you the fattest layer?! Please advise if you can, many thanks!
Hi Linnie, thank you so much for reading my blog! I am so pleased you enjoy it.
As for your question. Well, it depends a lot whether you paint thick or thin. Paint straight from the tube is by default fine to use on its own. I usually paint with just paint from the tube, without any medium at all. Paint from the tube is neither lean nor fat. So as long as you do not paint a leaner layer over a thick fat layer you should be fine. If you do want to paint lean over fat than make sure it had a long time to dry. Since you are using liquin in the layers underneath your drying time will have sped up? So I suspect it is fine, but I have no experience with liquin.
There is no rule saying you need to add oil to top layers. The rule is to not use wet oily layers underneath something leaner as the wet oily layer will be sealed in by subsequent layers and if not totally dry, will crack.
So using ‘straight’ paint as a final layer should never give any problems unless you have used lots of oil underneath it.
I hope that helps. 🙂
No problem, glad I could help!
Thank you so much for responding so quickly, Sophie. That really helps. As I paint with quite thin layers, I think that I’m probably in the clear. I guess I’ll know for sure in about 6 months’ time!!! Thanks again, you’re very generous with your time and knowledge x
Am still looking for that “Control Z” function for oil painting…. have you found it yet? Let me know if you do!
Hah! yes, that would be good. But actually… I have found it. The equivalent of Control-Z is a rag. To wipe off. Or if the paint has dried, simply paint over it. I do it all the time. My whole painting process is about fixing mistakes. I am hitting Control-Z all the time….
Thank you so much….you are a doll! My paintings are not varnished and good to know both ways for now and the future!
You’re welcome! 🙂
btw, love your recycled art! Looks wonderful!
Hi Sara, thank you so much for reading my blog and taking the time to comment! It is great to know you enjoyed it. But ooh, an oil painting itch! Well, you cannot ignore that! 😉
If your old paintings are not varnished there is no reason why you could not paint over them. I would perhaps wipe them clean first with a tiny hint of solvent on a cloth; just to remove old dirt, dust and grime. That way your new layers of paint will adhere properly. If the paintings are varnished you should really first remove the varnish to make sure of good adherence. I hope this helps! Good luck! 🙂 Sophie
Hi Sophie and Linda, I too use ws paints of various brands and find them just the same as conventional oil paints when using no medium (my prefered method) and when laying down the drawing and blocking in the darks I dilute with water only which dries quite quickly and feels a bit like watercolour which i guess it is really, then move on to the pure paint. But for fine detail using a rigger I cannot mix a thin and suitable mix, I find that using the ws mediums a hinderance and too sticky and slippery for me, and will not dilute further with water! I think I would prefer to use conventional oils – I have a large collection, but am unsure about toxins, I know I could use toxin free substitute and I may go back to them but for the time being I’m happy with what i use. I run a small class and we use ws paints with quite a bit of success and certainly the clearing up after is less messy than otherwise it would be. Really enjoy reading your posts Sophie keep blogging!
Hi Nigel, thanks for commenting on this post. I am sorry it took me a bit long to respond, I’ve been away for a few days. Well, that’s my excuse anyway. 😉
It is wonderful to hear your experience with water-soluable oils, I am sure that will be very helpful for readers!
As for conventional oils, I just wanted to ad that you don’t need toxic materials to be able to paint with conventional oils. The paints are generally not toxic (except for the cadmiums etc but as long as you don’t eat it you should be fine as there are no vapours etc) and if you don’t want to use turps or white spirit you don’t need to as there are plenty of alternatives. I’d be happy to write a blog post about painting without toxins! Hope this helps, happy painting!
Hi Sophie, I wanted to thank you for this wonderful blog post (I love your great sense of humor in it too), which answered straight away my question : “Do I need medium to do oil paint?”. I had the intuition that no, we are not obliged to work with medium, but I needed a confirmation to feel good about buying oils. For the quick anecdote, I live since 8 month in a lovely island called Fuerteventura in the Canaries, which is very enjoyable, but there is not a single art shop down here. I only found some oil paint on a chineese shop, without the possibility to buy mediums, which explains my question. So I am happy, I’m gonna begin oil paint despite not having the possibility to buy medium! Thanks a million Sofia. All the best, Nicolas
Hi Nicolas! I am so sorry for not replying sooner. For some reason I did not get a notification for your comment. What a wonderful place you live in. Well, except for the lack of art shops then. Perhaps you should open one, the landscape sure is worth painting there! Indeed, you don’t need a medium so hopefully you are already happily painting away. Best wishes and thank you, Sophie
Wow. That was a bit releasing! Sometimes I think the less we know the better off we are. I have done a couple of oil paintings recently after painting in acrylics for years and my naivety helped me create two lovely paintings. Then I started thinking about the mediums etc and now am totally scared to the point of not painting almost! I painted a layer using a lean medium. My question. If my lean medium layer is completely dry, can I paint another lean layer over it? My No.2 medium seems to be really sticky and drys on my palette faster than the lean medium! Now I’m confused. Both bottles of medium are a bit old. Could that be the reason? Anyway, I think I’ll take you advice and just paint.
Hi Ronnie, thanks for reading and commenting! How wonderful you have found the joys of oils. I must admit I never really got on with acrylics, but I never say never…
If your lean layer is dry you should be able to paint over it easily. Absolutely. There could only be problems if you paint a lean layer over an oily layer. If the oily layer is not completely dry (inside) it might get sealed-in by the subsequent layers and cause cracking later on.
I don’t know what your no.2 medium is but it might have something in it to accelerate drying time. Not sure what is going on. I would not change mediums within a painting too much. Find a medium that you like (if you even need a medium – I am quite happy with no medium at all) and only use a tiny bit of it throughout your painting, making sure in the first few layers you don’t use any or very little. And indeed… just have fun and don’t worry too much about it! Happy Painting!!
Have you had any feedback on water-soluble oils? I have been using Holbein’s Duo-Aqua for a while, and as I understand it, they are still oil paints in the traditional sense and can be mixed with regular oils. They seem the same to me, but I am a lifelong watercolorist. The advantage is in the clean-up, which is fine with water only unless they are mixed with traditional oils. Holbein makes a medium similar to Liquin if you use a medium,as well as water-soluble stand oil, etc. and they are absolutely odorless. I see no difference in the consistency other than what one might expect between pigments. The oldest painting I have with these materials is only 10 years, but seems fine and I can’t see the difference. If I need a color that I can’t find I simply use another brand of traditional oils. And I never use water as a medium. Has anyone any experience with these paints, since there is so little written in the blogs that I can find. I’m not a beginner and my initial attraction was the odorless aspect and no need for solvents. My studio is part of my house and I personally love the smell of oil paints but others do not!
Really enjoyed your blog. Filled with common sense as far as I see. Also sharing it on my timeline to reach more artists (whether they agree or disagree). Found this refreshing and down to earth. Thank you!
Hi Elizabeth, thank you indeed! 🙂
Excellent, Sophie – very clear, sensible advice. Mediums can be helpful to achieve particular effects and particular paint-handling, but you can get a very long way with just paint, a little bit of linseed, and a little bit of white spirit – fancier mediums should only come into play at a point where artists have a *very* clear idea about what they are trying to achieve with them. A lot of people with a few month painting under their belt take a big detour into mediums in the hope that this will make them better painters, when they would usually benefit far more from improving their drawing skills and colour-mixing. (And I say this as someone who sells some mediums!)
Thank you Dave. You know your stuff (your mediums I should say) so I really appreciate your comments. Well said. 🙂
Great blogpost that will ease the minds of many I am sure. I opt for no, or very little, medium after experimenting with recipes from different articles and artists suggestions. I use a little linseed oil. I am always experimenting though and love reading about others processes.
Hi Maria, thank you for your nice comment. You sound like me; using very little medium if at all. Glad you enjoyed my post!
I always run into problems when trying something new. It’s part of the learning process. I had problems with heat and cold so the paint reacted different every time. That makes for longer progress time but I know now how to work in different extremes. I love you’re simple method using common sense. I work with several artists and none of us use the same techniques. It is all about figuring it out for yourself. Doing it is how you learn. We have lots of advice and info at our fingertips but much of it all though invaluable will never be used because it doesn’t apply to how I work. This takes time to realize after much experimenting. But all we do is worth the effort. Stay positive. Thanks for the straight forward explanations.