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How to Use Natural Solvents With Oil Paints

Natural solvents work well with oil paints. Solvents are also called thinners or diluents. Add solvent to thin and smooth out store-bought oil paint. Turpentine is the best known natural solvent. The most readily available kind of turpentine is derived from pine tree resin. The resin, or gum, is distilled and purified. The resulting liquid blends evenly with oil paint without altering the paint's chemical structure. It also evaporates quickly. Oil binders, such as linseed or poppy oil, also mix with oil pigments. They suspend and distribute pigment rather than thin it, creating what we buy in tubes. Mix oil paints squeezed from the tube with some extra linseed oil to increase the flow and workability of the paint.

Things You'll Need

  • Oil pigment paints
  • Artist palette
  • Palette knife
  • Artist-grade turpentine
  • Refined linseed oil
  • Metal or glass containers
  • Paint brush
  • Paper towel
  • Canvas board
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Instructions

    • 1

      Open a can of turpentine and fill two metal or glass jars 1/4 full. Put a clean brush into the first turpentine-filled container.

    • 2

      Squeeze out some paint onto your artist palette. Add a few drops of linseed oil to the paint. Press down on the paint with the palette knife and smear the paint and the oil together. Blend until the oil is incorporated into the paint.

    • 3

      Remove the brush from the turpentine-filled container. Press the brush tip gently against the side of the jar to remove excess solvent from the bristles.

    • 4

      Swirl the paint brush in the pigment and linseed oil mixture. Notice that the paint thins out in terms of consistency, becoming more fluid. Load the paint brush with the paint mixture.

    • 5

      Drag the brush across the canvas board, distributing the pigment. Thicken the paint mixture by adding more pigment to the palette if the paint runs down the canvas board. Add more oil if the paint does not flow smoothly. Add more turpentine if the paint is too hard or thick to use.

    • 6

      Add more brush strokes to your canvas until you are finished painting. Put the used brush in the second turpentine-filled glass jar. Swirl the brush in the solvent to dissolve and remove any leftover paint. Remove the brush and press it dry with paper toweling.

    • 7

      Cover both containers. Wait a few hours then pick up the container used to clean the brush. Pour off the cleared turpentine (now separated from the paint sediment settled at the bottom of the container) into the first container filled with clean solvent. Store covered in a cool place for your next painting session.

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