The oil painting has based on a realistic representation of art. This representation needs appropriate material that allows the artist to best realize his values and intentions. Oil-based paints enabled the artist to realize the vision of color because artists work with textures and structures of paints. This is so much important to know all the information related to oil-based paints and their characteristics.
No other painting technique is able to give so much detailing as oil painting. This is only possible with oil paints. Oil in these paints also facilitates a gradual drying process to enable them to be applied and reapplied on paintings.
Table of Contents
How oil paints are made?
Oil paint is a mixture of pigment and oil. These pigments come in powdered form. Then they mix with some solvents such as water or mineral spirits. After all the procedures, they are mixed with oil such as linseed oil. After getting in touch with oil, they get a shinier and liquid-type form. The consistency of this liquid is like butter.
Characteristics of oil-based paints
Oil paints come in different varieties and consistencies. There are so many companies making oil paints that create a slight distinction in their characteristics. We have enlisted some of their most common characteristics of them to make sure they are noticeable in any kind of oil paint.
Slow drying composition
One of the most unique characteristics is slow drying composition. Due to the presence of oil, they take much more time than other paints. Usually, it takes 1 week to 1 year to dry an oil painting. As oil paints have a greater density, artists can create thick paintings. The more thick paint means the more time it will take to dry. There are also some examples that show that oil paintings can take up to 100 years to dry if you leave the surface so thick.
Oil painting is such an art that is full of mistakes. You do mistakes then you correct them and again make changes. One can make changes until the painting gets dry. This slow drying time helps here and give enough time to artists to make painting according to their concept.
Slow drying can also be offensive for some beginners due to their lack of patience. Oil painting is easy but giving so much time and attention can only be done by a full-time artist.
More realistic representation
Oil paints have a clear advantage over other painting media because there are some traditional techniques that create transparency in painting. Great artists were able to create reality in oil paintings by creating different layers for different parts. For example: In the Mona Lisa painting, the artist supplied the color in a certain order in which it start from the first layer by creating the sketch, and then he built up the image step by step by making every minor part to make more realistic. This can not be achieved by direct paints.
By using oil paints, any kind of color and shade could be made by intermixing colors with each other. This feature allows artists to make the exact color as real. This thing also highlights the skills of the artist in painting.
Transparency
Oil paints provide transparency to the artist when they use them. Oil paints are more transparent as compared to other ones because they are fully clear and understandable. Oil paints always shine better as compared to other paints.
High quality
They are more expensive than any other paint because the manufacturing process is so lengthy and tough. They always come in high quality providing a rich texture of pigments. That’s why artists only use some fixed brands like Winsor & Jhonson because their quality of paints is so high. Oil paint is always rich pigmented which makes paintings more costly, attractive, and realistic.
So many mediums
Oil paintings are fun because of the presence of oil paints. There are so many mediums available for oil paints through which we can enhance their quality, thickness, and glazing. On the other hand, other paints do not contain so vast choices. For example: during manufacturing, linseed oil has been coated with paint to make it ready. But before using it, artists can add more linseed oil to boost the performance according to the need.
This is necessary to have basic information about the working and features of oil paints to understand them better. It will not just increase knowledge but also motivate them to use oil paints for painting.
FAQs
Is oil paint toxic?
There are no adverse effects of oil paints unless you eat them. Some of the pigments are made with toxic ingredients which can be harmful.
What should a beginner start with watercolor or oil paints?
A beginner should start with watercolors to understand colors but after getting experience, he could go into oil painting to become a full-time artist. Oil painting artists make much more.
Does it take an oil painting up to 90 years to dry?
Yes, this is possible if the painting has an additional amount of medium. Moreover, artists made so many thick layers of paint that air is unable to reach the lower layers. In this situation, 90 years are also short to make it fully dry.
Conclusion
Oil paints are unique as compared to other paints. There is a certain respect for those artists who do oil painting because it is a work of great patience and skill. Oil paints are permanent, paintings made out of them can survive more than 100 years without any restoration.
Special for beginners
If you are a beginner in oil painting or want to start oil painting, you can definitely check out more from us. If you have any questions, you can leave a question below. It will help us to improve our content.
