Oil Paint and Supplies

This Week's Featured Products in Oil Paint and Supplies

Choosing Oil Paints

Accomplished and beginning artist must have quality oil paints in order to produce high quality paintings. Basic supplies can get anyone started and are great for studies. More expensive, archival oil paints and supplies can be added with experience.

Artist oil paints are available in two grades – student quality and artist quality. For those beginning painters, or painting students, student grade quality oil paint will suffice. For those who consider themselves serious artists, then artist grade quality oil paint is necessary for the longevity of your pieces. The student grade is a bit cheaper, but not as vibrant and typically has synthetic substitutes in its makeup to cut costs. You will also notice a more limited spectrum of colors available with student grade oils than with artist grade oil paints. Nevertheless, many artists are quite happy with student grade oil paints and find they serve them well. Since we are a comprehensive artist supply directory, we ask you to be your own judge when choosing between student or artist grade oil paint for your masterpieces!



Alkyds	Artist Oil Colors	Bob Ross	Oil Painting Gift Sets


Oil Painting Mediums	Oil Sticks	Student Grade Oil Colors	Water Miscible Oils

Artist grade oil paint can last for hundreds of years and features colors split into series such as numerical (1,2,3) or alpha (a,b,c). Higher number or letter will signify higher quality and better performing oil paints. Artist grade oil paints have more intense colors that tend to “go further” than their student grade counterparts because of the rich pigment used in creating them. Artist quality oil paints and supplies should be considered an investment in your art – not an expense to be born.

Oftentimes, artists use thinners to either make the oil paint easier to blend and use, or to make the piece dry faster. A good quality turpentine or linseed oil can be used for this purpose, although turpentine is usually frowned on by those artists who don’t have a great deal of ventilation in their studios. There are lots of low odor thinners available that work well also.

Oil paints are extremely popular among artists of all skill levels and talents, and our directory specifically recommends that you use the best quality paints available – namely Holbein, Gamblin, M. Graham, Winsor & Newton, or Rembrandt. Starting out with quality oil colors and oil paints not only makes your artwork look better – but it will last longer, too.

Sennelier Venice Turpentine
Add to oil paints, mediums and varnishes for an exquisite jewel-like quality and tough, enamel-like surface. Derived from European larch trees, this resin has the consistency of honey and is offered in its pure, undiluted state. Dilute with 20% turpentine and use sparingly to a 5% maximum of the total paint mixture.

Maroger Medium
Modern Maroger Medium (an emulsion of linseed oil, mastic resin, gum arabic and black oil) improves paint handling while making colors richer, deeper and lustrous even when dry. It makes oil colors non-migratory, making it easier to paint details that will remain separate. Caution is advised when using this product as it does contain small amounts of lead.

MG Underpainting White
This permanent, fast-drying Titanium White oil paint is designed for use in underpainting or in wet-in-wet (alla prima) painting. Specifically formulated to create a lean, dry paint film, MG Underpainting White has enough tooth to readily accept glazes. Other uses include creating surface textures and impasto techniques. In normal applications, MG Underpainting White dries to the touch in 4 to 6 hours and may be painted over immediately. Need to control drying time? Mix MG Underpainting White with oil colors or mediums. To dilute, mix it with Pure Gum Spirits of Turpentine or Grumtine only. Petroleum solvents and paint thinners and odorless paint thinners are not compatible with this product. Mixtures of MG Underpainting White in excess of 1:1 will result in a brittle, dry paint film.

Oil painting brushes are available in many sizes as well as shapes. Certain types of brushes are required for various types of painting. Portraits, landscapes and others all need a separate kind of brush. Beginning oil painting artists should acquire several small round brushes for work requiring detail. Various sizes of flat oil brushes will be needed and blending will be done using a fan brush. Brush cleaner and preserver will also be needed. High grade cleaners and preservers should always be used.
Superior oil paints provide exceptional results. Oil paints are available in professional and student grades. Better paints will give artists more vibrant and bold colors to work with. Beginners may wish to use student oil paints and with experience move to professional grade oil paints.
Most all artists have their own preference in oil painting mediums. Beginning artists should experiment with mediums in order to find those that give the desired results.
Many beginning and accomplished artists use cotton canvases. Other popular choices are boards, canvas papers and linen canvases. Rolled canvas is a great option as well. Once again, beginning artists will simply have to experiment in order to find the surface that is most desirable to them. Medium sized canvases are much easier to work with for beginners.
Palettes of paper, glass, wood or other materials are a must have supply for any oil painting artist. Most artists choose a palette that is large enough to hold needed colors and is easily cleaned.
Easels come in many sizes. Artists should choose an easel that is very stable for painting. Unstable easels will allow canvases to shake and move while attempting to paint. There are easels crafted for studios and outdoors. Outdoor easels are usually very lightweight. These sturdy easels can be easily set up and quickly folded for storage and transport.

With all of these top grade oil painting supplies, artists of all skill levels should be able to perform their craft well. Quality pieces of artwork are created using exceptional oil paints and supplies.