Let’s face it – oil paints stink. They’re beautiful and you learn to live with the smell, but you wouldn’t put it in your car if it was a hanging air freshener. Those fumes aren’t good for you, but can oil paint cause lymphoma? Well, the good news is that oil paint, acrylics, paint strippers, …
Oil paints are beautiful to the eyes but for the nose… eh, not so much. Let’s just say, it’s an acquired taste. So, why does oil paint smell like fish, anyways? It boils down to their composition. Oil paints incorporate a lot of vegetable matter, such as poppy oil, linseed, or safflower and the pigment …
You’re going to go through a lot of brushes when oil painting. Hogshair brushes are durable, mind you, but they are being dipped in oils and solvents all of the time. So, how long do oil paint brushes last? Oil paint brushes, if properly cleaned and used lightly may last anywhere from 2 years to …
Water-based, oil-based… there are a lot of products out there and it can get a little confusing sometimes figuring out what’s going to work. To that effect, I’m often asked ‘can you use water based primer under oil paint?’. Turns out, that you can. You’ll have to wait for the primer to completely dry before …
Mixing mediums is always fun and so if you are wondering ‘can you use oil paint with pastels’ then I’ve got a bit of good news for you. You can definitely use oil paint with oil pastels and this makes for some interesting effects in your work. The trick to making the most of mixed …
Ceramic is slippery stuff. If you’re wanting to paint a ceramic surface then I’ve got some good news for you if you like painting with oils. Can you use oil paint with ceramic? You most certainly can. While you wouldn’t think it would stick, oil and ceramic actually get along like best friends. You just …
Sealing your work is important and you’ve got a lot of options when it comes down to it. One question I get asked a lot is ‘can you use Mod Podge on oil paint?”. While it’s not the preferred medium for sealing, Mod Podge acrylic seal is advertised as being effective for both acrylics and …
While acrylics can dry in 30 – 45 minutes, you don’t get that kind of luxury with oil paints. It’s not just a matter of water drying, after all, but more of a chemical process that hardens the paints slowly. If you are wondering ‘why is my oil paint not drying’ then there are a …
Most artists are animal lovers and since our beloved pets like to stick close to us, it’s easy to worry that they might chew on or eat something that they shouldn’t. So, is oil paint toxic to dogs? What can you do if they ingest some? Oil paint is indeed very toxic to dogs and …
Let’s face it, some oil paints are a little on the pricey side. While you might want to play with some fancy pigments, it’s easy to put off the purchase because you’re afraid that by the time you use it, it will have gone bad. So, how long do oil paints last in the tube? …
Some of you out there might want to get started oil painting but you’re worried that it’s going to be super-expensive. It’s actually not as bad as you think, though. While there are expensive pigments, when you are just getting started a student set of paints and your supplies really aren’t so bad. So, how …
If you’ve never seen ‘The Joy of Painting’ then I highly recommend that you look it up. In it, artist Bob Ross inspired millions with his own ‘wet on wet’ technique, producing beautiful landscapes in minutes. If you’re wondering, ‘does Bob Ross use oil paint to do this?’ then I’ve got good news. Bob Ross …
Painting can really get messy. It’s only natural that when your slapping paint around or flicking little bits of paint for your brush to add a little zest that some of that zest ends up on you. If you are a little new to this then you might be wondering… Do oil paints stain the …
You’ve got a lot of options when it comes to painting with your oils. You can paint fabrics, woods, even some metals…. But can you use oil pain on plastic? As it turns out, you most definitely can. You’ll need to prepare the surface first so that it will stick, but once you’ve done that …
Part of the fun of painting is finding out all of the places that you can put it. While the canvas is fine and traditional, it’s fun to step away from it for awhile to paint other things around the house. So, can you use oil paint on fabric? Absolutely! Fabric will need to be …
Waiting on your oil paints to dry is a chore, so it’s only natural to try a shortcut or two to see if you can speed things up a bit. So, can you blow dry oil paint to speed up drying? Unfortunately, no, that is not a good idea. While that will make it seem …
Everyone has seen it at one point or another. A normally vibrant painting gets a touch of yellow to it and while this gives it an ‘antique’ look, it can also mess a bit with the color scheme. So, why do oil paintings turn yellow? There are a few reasons why oil paintings may turn …
If you are fairly new to oil painting, you may notice that the drying time is quite different from the 30 to 45 minutes that you get with acrylic. If you’re wondering ‘why isn’t my oil painting drying’ then I’m happy to help. Oil paintings dry a bit differently, as it’s a matter of oxidation …
They don’t let you touch those oil paintings at the museum, but they sure do look smooth when you are viewing them. Are oil paintings smooth? Actually, oil paintings have quite a bit of texture to them, because they are applied in careful layers of varying thickness. If you ever get the change to turn …
When you need to transport an oil painting and it’s sunny out, it’s only natural to worry. With that in mind, will oil paintings melt? While the paints themselves should be fine, you do have to worry about their support. In temperatures which are over 75 degrees Fahrenheit there is a possibly of the support …
Oil paint always seems to take forever to dry. You wait and wait and sometimes you might get a little impatient and wonder things like ‘can you dry oil paint with a hair dryer?’. Well, I’ve got a little bad news. While it might seem to dry faster, drying your oil paints with a dryer …
When you are playing around with your paints, it’s only natural to experiment. If you have some Gesso handy and you wanna paint over something, then you might be wondering the following: Can you Gesso over oil paint? Sadly, you cannot Gesso over oil paint. The reason for this boils down to the basic rule …
Artists seldom limit themselves to only one medium. Sure, you’ll have a favorite, but most of us like to play around with different types of art just to keep things fresh and creative. This begs the question… can you mix acrylic and oil paint? While you can use both of them on the same canvas, …
Once you’ve put oil paint onto a canvas it’s only a matter of time before you start wondering what else you can put it on. Can you use oil paint on glass, for instance? Yes, as it turns out, you certainly can. Best of all, you don’t need to do any special priming other preparation …
Painting on canvas is fun and traditional, but every now and again you want to throw your paints on to something else and that brings us to our primary subject of the day. Can you use oil paint on wood? The good news is that you certainly can but you are going to need to …
Waiting on your oil paints to dry always seem to take forever. There are a number of ways to speed up the process, such as additives and better circulation, but what about light? Does oil paint dry faster in the sun? Oil paints will definitely dry out faster with a few hours of sunlight. The …
It’s a darned shame when good art supplies go bad. If you are new to oils, you are probably wondering ‘Does Oil Paint Go Bad / Expire / Out of date?” and I’ve got some good news for you. While oil paints can indeed go bad, they have one of the longest shelf-life periods of …
If you’ve got a feline friend at home then you know what little mischief makers they can be. Cats want your attention and this means that they’re quite likely to walk right in when you are painting, plop down on a drop cloth, or at least dance around your ankles until you take notice. This …
Oils are pretty tough once they cure and even tougher once they are varnished. Without that varnish, though, is oil paint waterproof? Once oil paints are dry, they are fairly water resistant, but they are still vulnerable when they are still in the process of drying. As it takes about 24 hours for them to …
So, you’re getting into oil painting and you’ve finished a few paintings and then the worst happens… a crack! If you’re wondering ‘why is my oil painting cracking’ then I’ll give you a few reasons to consider. Oil paintings can crack from a few different things. One common reason is a thick lower layer that …
