Out of all the methods of creating art there are few that carry the same prestige and elegance as oil painting. There are many mediums but nothing compares to the aura of working with the same medium as the great masters of old. Before oil paints were commercially produced, artists used to create them from scratch. Creating an oil paint is an art in itself, but over time, these techniques have passed down and been adapted by artists and art companies alike. I prefer oils to other paints such as acrylic or watercolor because oil paintings are created to last for centuries.

To appreciate oil paintings, one must first understand the anatomy of oil paints. They are comprised of three main elements: the pigment (a powder made from ground rock, earth, root, or anything dry that is intense in color), a carrier (linseed, lavender, or walnut oil), and a drier, such as a thinner needed because oil sometimes takes a long time to dry. Pigment is what gives the paints their color. The more expensive oil paints will have a higher concentration of pigment and less carrier. This allows the paint to last longer on the brush without reloading and gives the truest sense of the color. Student grade paints usually have more carrier, such as linseed oil, and are not as vibrant as the artist grade. Painting in oils is like painting with butter. The quality of the paint is immediately noticeable when the brush hits the canvas. Unlike a watercolor or an acrylic, oil paint usually has a ‘thickness’ so it can be shoveled, spread, pushed, toweled, brushed and scraped.

Acrylics fundamentally lack the ‘body’ and ‘sheen’ of an oil paint but dry permanently as quickly as water. Oils are for the patient. Oil paints take 2 weeks to dry to the touch, and up to 7 months to completely cure. Artists of the past worked in many layers applying each new one only after the previous layer dried. Such techniques often took years to produce a finished product. Many artists today like to use the ‘wet on wet’ technique where fresh layers are added to a piece before the layer underneath is dry. This allows for corrections and revisions if the artist is unsatisfied with a piece in a timely manner. Oils, like acrylics are very forgiving and they can hide mistakes with fresh coats over existing ones. Artists experiencing ‘artist blocks’ can leave their brushes and canvas wet overnight and return the next day to finish a section. Fresh eyes help sometimes and oil paints allow artists to keep your paints fresh over a longer period of time.

Because of the quality of oil paints, they are usually the most expensive. A 5-oz tube of student grade oil paint can start off at about $5 per tube. The prices will vary with the color because each pigment has a specific value based on the rarity and quality of the pigment. For instance, a 5-0z artist grade Cadmium Red may cost up to $40 per tube while an artist grade Ivory Black may only cost $15 per tube.

Like anything, developing skills as an oil painter takes time, and usually money. I started with a cheap set of water-mixable oil paints made by Windsor & Newton and I have added colors and quality to my palette over the years. Specific brands that I would recommend are M. Graham, Windsor & Newton (artist grade and student grade), and Schmienke Mussini (the best paint I have ever used). Brushes also vary in price and quality, but they should be able to carry paint and maintain their shape and integrity. Technically, the best brush on the market is the Kolinsky Sable, which can run you over a hundred dollars for a 2” brush, but the best economic brush I have used is the Bristlon Synthetic brush made by Silver in various sizes starting off at about $5 and running up to about $20. For those just starting out with oils, experiment with your brushes and paints until you get a combination you like. The best way to learn about oil painting is to play around with it and gain experience until you find your niche. In the words of the late, great Bob Ross, “Good luck, happy painting, and God Bless.”