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Choosing Oil Paints

© Susan A. Wenz-Denise

The selection of an art medium is distinctive to the artist and his or her endeavors. Therefore, choosing one type of painting over the other entails taking a few things into consideration not only for the artist's benefit, but also for the subject of the work. In this article I will explain how the medium you decide to use can directly influence the subject of your painting, the textures or effects you'll be able to achieve, and even the safety precautions needed in order to protect your health.

Your Subject
Each different type of paint has a basic chemical makeup that gives it a unique quality all its own. If you already know your subject, choosing to paint with oil colours may make it or break it, depending on what the subject is. Or, if you are on the cusp of choosing a subject for a new oil painting, you will want to remember the natural qualities of the medium before you make your final decision.

For example, oil paints would be the best candidate for a traditional portrait or landscape because of the natural makeup of the medium. This is because organic paints like oil paints work best when portraying organic subjects. Although fundamentally all paints are basically derived from pigments mined from the earth, oil paints enjoy an even earthier quality through its equally organic binder – oil.

Furthermore, since the oil binder in oil colour intrinsically absorbs light, in contrast to polymer binders that always reflect it, the overall effect of light on your painting will contribute to the natural beauty of your subject. Oil paints can be manipulated to create a surface that either reflects light where you want through gloss or varnish, or deeply absorb it by creating opacity. As a result, oils can help you accurately mimic light as it exists in nature in order make the skin of the subject in you portrait more supple, or the dense forest in your landscape more captivating.

The Right Texture and Effects
The consistency, fluidity and drying time of oil paint, and its compatible mixing mediums, enable a wide array of textures and effects unlike any of other types of paint. More specifically, they allow glazing, layering, blending, and cultivation of a painting.

Brushstrokes can be smooth or distinct, and the surface can be glossy and reflective or absorbingly opaque. Furthermore, the slow drying time of the paints allows for manipulation of the paint beyond one application, which is not only essential to achieve the layering and glazing effects of the old masters, but also makes this medium more forgiving for beginners.