Oil Paint: What Is It, History, & Uses
“When using oil paint, I’m able to slow down and push my emotions into each stroke of my paintings. Oil dries slower than most paint, meaning that it is pliable throughout the session and the same paint can transform many times until the painting is complete. Sometimes I will add a color to the canvas with my palette knife and in the next stroke, change it entirely! Oil paint feels similar to a dance — in some ways I know what step to take, and in other ways I never know what may come next. I love surprising myself with that *perfect stroke* that can sometimes make all the difference. Using my palette knife often forces me to let go of my perfectionism and accept things just the way they turn out sometimes. A life’s lesson in itself.” -Edna Pines
Oil paints offer a wide range of colors, a strong consistency in hue and texture, and an impressive capability to mix and layer colors to create depth and richness. Oil paint is among the oldest and most well-respected mediums in the world of fine art, and most artists consider oil paint the gold standard.
What Is Oil Paint?
Oil paint consists of pigment and a binder. The pigment is usually powder-based, providing the paint with its rich color. The binder in oil paint is typically linseed oil, though some paints use walnut or sunflower oil. A solvent, usually turpentine, is used to thin the paint when necessary.
Oil paints are heavier and thicker than acrylics or watercolors. They’re produced by mixing the pigment with the oil to create a stiff paste, which is then ground down using steel roller mills. High-quality oil paints have a thick, smooth consistency similar to butter.
Because oil paints take a long time to dry, some contain liquid drying additives to accelerate the process.
When Was Oil Paint Invented?
While the exact invention of oil paint is not known, the earliest oil painting dates back to the seventh century. Later forms of oil painting emerged in the early Renaissance, as evidenced by Northern European painters of the fifteenth century.
Where Can Oil Paint Be Used?
Oil paint works well on several surfaces, including canvas, wood, and paper. Ideally, any surface taking oil paint should receive an initial coat of acrylic primer. Many canvases come already primed for oil paint.
Oil Painting Techniques
The slow drying quality of oil paint serves as an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on how the artist likes to work.
Artists who like to make changes as they paint benefit from the long time it takes oil paint to dry. Additionally, many artists enjoy mixing colors directly on their surface as they work.
However, those who prefer to work with a dry underpainting or to layer their paint are at a disadvantage when using oils.
The consistency of oil paint allows artists to use a wider variety of techniques than other paints do. Three of the most popular methods used with oil paints are impasto, underpainting, and scumbling.
Impasto
The impasto technique creates thick, three-dimensional texture by building up many layers of paint, often using a palette knife.
Underpainting
Underpainting creates more complex colors and richness through layering. It adds built-in contrast and unites the colors by creating an overall tone.
Scumbling
When using the scumbling technique, an artist layers an opaque color over a color that has already dried. They then remove the top layer of paint with a solvent, a palette knife, or a brush to reveal the color underneath.
Scumbling develops more complex texture and atmosphere in a painting. The technique also allows artists to soften transitions and create more depth.