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Types of Oil Paints for Artists

Though painting with oil was first used in Afghanistan around the fifth century, it gained popularity in Europe during the Renaissance. Oil paints use a full pigment load, and the pigment is suspended in a binder. Linseed oil is commonly used, as is poppy seed and walnut oil. The sheen and gloss of the painting varies based on the type of oil used, and often an artist will mix different kinds of oil paints in one piece to achieve various effects.
  1. Williamsburg Handmade Oil Paints

    • A common form of oil paint is created by grinding pigments into linseed oil. Williamsburg Handmade Oil Paints are created with this process, using pigments imported from dozens of countries over the world. The pigment is carefully ground into pure, alkali-refined and pH-balanced linseed oil. The result are colors that are unique in texture, ranging from very smooth to gritty. The paints are simultaneously richly pigmented and dense, resulting in a desirable and uncommon effect. Williamsburg Handmade Oil Paints were first created in 1985.

    Old Holland Classic Oil Colors

    • Creating paint since 1664, Old Holland Classic Oil Colors creates oil paints completely by hand. Pigments are ground in stone rollers, rather than the metal rollers that are often used. Linseed oil is used to create the paints, but Old Holland Classic Oil uses only cold linseed oil from the first pressing of the seed. This results in more optimal, quicker drying time of the paint, and it provides more lasting permanence for the paints. Additionally, this process and the linseed oil create cleaner brushstrokes for the artist.

    Blockx Artist Oil

    • Since 1885, members of the Blockx family have created top-quality oil paints in Belgium in the style of Flemish masters. To create Blockx Artists Oil, pigments are hand-ground using a three-stone mill that rotates slowly. Only pure pigment is used, and all pigment rates seven out of eight on the Blue Wool British standard lightfast scale. The lightfastness rating conveys the hue's resistance to change when exposed to light. A rating of seven or higher is considered excellent, and the hue is not likely to change for over 100 years. All paints are considered completely lightfast. Earth pigments, blacks and iron oxides are all ground using linseed oil. The other colors in the Blockx line are ground using poppy seed oil. This method of using poppy seed oil prevents yellowing of the colors over time, and it allows the paint to dry without wrinkling.

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