Oil paint is not a standard product because different manufacturers may use different types of oil as the main ingredient. Even when you have two oil paints made from the same oil type but different manufacturers, you may notice differences in consistency, density, colour, etc.
Sunflower oil (or in other words the cooking oil or vegetable oil, made out of sunflower seeds) can be used in oil paint but is not something that is seen very commonly. Two ingredients from the sunflower oil can pose an issue – oleic acid and the presence of anti-oxidants. Both slow down the drying time or make it practically impossible, which is not a feature you want an oil paint to have.
Please note that we are talking about artistic oil based paint, not about alkyd paint or alkyd resin. Also, please notice that we are not suggesting you to use baby oil. This and any other mineral oil will not dry and will not work as a painting medium!
Here you will see what types of oil are most commonly used in the oil paint mixture and their pros and cons. In the end, I will explain the use of sunflower oil in more detail. So, Can I Use Sunflower Oil in Oil Paint? Keep reading.
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What Is an Oil Paint?
Painting with oil paint can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know what you are getting into. To understand what exactly oil paint is, here we bring you some essentials you need to know.
Oil paint is basically a combination of drying oil (and later on, I will explain what those are) and a pigment in a grounded form. The third active ingredient of oil paint is usually a solvent, making the paint more or less fluid.
There are numerous reasons why someone prefers using oil paint over other types of paints, including the following:
- They can be used in many ways since the consistency of the paint is not standardized. This allows artists to play with the paint and to find the right consistency for their needs.
- It can be combined with various techniques, like blending, glazing, or scumbling. This allows the painters to have more freedom of choice since they are not limited only to one painting technique.
- Back in the past, oil paintings used to be more prestigious and were favored over paintings that were finished using other types of paints, like watercolors, for example.
Further in the article, I will explain the difference between oil paint and its main competitor – acrylics, but first, let me explain the main difference between oil paint and all other types of paints.
These two groups differ in the technique that is used for drying the painting. Oil paints dry by oxidation, and this means that they will require more time to be finished, in general. All other types of paint dry by evaporation – this means that the water in the paint evaporates and thus dries the paint and the painting itself.
What Oils Can Be Found In Oil Paint?
Oil paint is so versatile because numerous types of oil can be used as a part of the mixture itself. Different oil types provide different features, and some artists tend to prefer one type over another.
You can easily check which oil has been used in the oil paint you have bought by simply checking the ingredients written on the tube’s back. This will help you realize what to expect from the oil paint in terms of consistency and how it will behave on the canvas.
Linseed Oil
Linseed oil is the most commonly used oil, and you are very likely to see it in most oil paint products. It is an oil that is derived from flax seeds. The main feature this oil provides is that it can significantly slow down the process of drying.
For sure, you might be asking yourself why someone would want to do this. The oil painting, by default, is drying very slowly, and slowing it even further may sound like nonsense until you realize why it can be beneficial.
If you are painting in various layers, slowing down the drying process can greatly impact the picture quality in the end. The first layer you paint should be the one that dries the fastest. Each additional layer on top requires more and more time to dry.
If you tend to speed up this process by shortening the drying time, the paints layer may not have enough (quality) time to bond together, and the picture may eventually crack due to these inconsistencies.
But if you are using linseed oil, with each additional layer, you can add a drop of oil in the paint mixture to extend the drying time by a little. This will allow the layer to have more time to cure and set on the canvas.
Before you proceed to the next layer, always make sure that the existing one is completely dry. If you don’t do this, you will create gaps of wet paint on the painting, or you can smudge the details, so be careful not to make that mistake.
Linseed oil is known to increase the transparency of the paint. This means that if you have very dense and pigmented paint, you can use this oil to increase the transparency of that particular shade.
This doesn’t have to be dark shades by default – sometimes, you can have a very white and completely dense paint you’d like to dilute a little bit. That is where linseed oil jumps in to help.
Have you noticed how oil paintings tend to have that extra shiny finished look? Well, this is all thanks to the linseed oil. This oil increases the shine and gloss of the paint, so it is easier to achieve that shiny look with linseed oil.
Linseed oil has a drying time of around 3-5 days, which is considered ok, considering all the factors that I have mentioned above. This is enough for the layer to completely harden and create a solid surface for the next layer to adhere to. This oil dries consistently, so you will not end up with wet patches after this time has passed.
One drawback of linseed oil is that it has a slightly yellow undertone, which can affect and modify some lighter color shades, for example, white or beige. Also, any other pale color you might be using can be influenced by the yellowish color of the oil.
This issue can be solved by using less linseed oil in the paint mixture. When this is not possible, the only solution is not to use white or pale colors so that the color of the oil doesn’t show up on the painting and ruin the overall looks.
Liquin
If you are not very fond of linseed oil’s prolonged drying, you will love this product. Winsor & Newton have created this oil medium to help you with the issues you might have when using linseed oil-based paints.
This medium is supposed to neutralize and eliminate the yellow tone linseed oil is producing and thus allow you to work even with white and pale colors if needed. This will help you do the paintings without any fear that the linseed oil color will show up in the end.
Another benefit this product provides is the drying time – it can cut the drying time, compared to the standard, average drying time of the linseed oil. Liquin has a silky texture, and it will perfectly mix with the oil paint (even the oil paint will change its texture and adopt the silky one).
However, this change in texture will not influence the behavior of the oil paint. The paint will only get an even glossier finishing look. One remark has to be here – liquin should never be used for finishing looks due to the nature of the product.
Poppy Oil
The oil that is drying even slower than the linseed oil is poppy oil. Because of this feature, this oil has not been so popular among artists and other users. However, it poses a good alternative because it doesn’t have a yellow tone like the linseed one.
Poppy oil will reduce the consistency of the paint, so it will be easier to work around it. In general, less experienced artists, or beginners, prefer to have more fluid oil simply because it is easier to work with it.
Combine this with the slow drying rate, and you have found the perfect combination for beginners who are just getting into training. It also gives that nice and shiny look after the painting is finished.
However, if you add too much poppy oil to the mixture, you will have a hard time for the painting to become completely dry. It may seem to have dried at first look, but you will notice patches of wet paint if you look carefully.
This is why poppy oil paint is usually used only for finishing layers. If you are using a poppy oil paint mixture for all layers, you might fall into a trap that the layer is dry and paint another one on top, while in reality, there are still patches where the paint hasn’t completely dried.
Walnut Oil
Walnut oil is one of the rarest used ones, and thus many artists don’t even bother to try it. But the truth is that many are avoiding it because of its very pale but still present, brown tone. If not properly mixed, it can change the properties of the color and change its shade completely.
However, what does go in favor of walnut oil is that it dries way better than other types of oil. This means it is more durable so that the painting will be less prone to cracks over time.
Each oil painting will crack after some time – this is just a natural process. Depending on the quality of the paint used, the proper layering, drying, and storage, you can prolong the endurance period.
Walnut oil has excellent binding properties, so it can significantly reduce the appearance of any cracks on the painting over time.
Also, some oils like the linseed one will show their yellow tone over time so that the whole painting will take that yellowish look. This is not just the issue with the linseed oil; every oil is prone to yellowing over time, some more and others less.
Walnut oil can be classified in the latter because its composition contrasts slowly, showing the yellowish tone.
Safflower Oil
Safflower oil is the one with the reputation of the purest one. Because of this, it is less likely this type of oil will show any yellow tone that will be significantly noticeable over time. This is what makes it very favorable to use with white and other pale tones.
This type of oil is that it takes really long to dry – longer than linseed oil. This is why some artists don’t like it, but hey, if you want to avoid yellow tones, you need to make some compromises.
Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is very similar to safflower oil and thus can be used for oil paintings. The thing is that any oil can be used for paintings as long as it belongs to the drying oil group.
This means that the oil will eventually dry completely – some oils will require more time, while others will require less. Regardless of the time, they require one thing for sure – it will dry. Olive oil, for example, is a non-drying oil, meaning that it can never be used for paintings because it will never dry.
The issue with this type of oil is that you cannot have constant consistency between different manufacturers. Some oils may be high in oleic acid, which will make drying practically impossible. Others may not have a high ratio in the mixture and might be suitable for use in the process.
Also, if there are any antioxidants present in the oil, it could pose a problem since it will slow oxidation, which is essential for oil drying. To know what type of sunflower oil you have got, make sure to check the label on the back before using it.
Sources
- Oil Painting – The Ultimate Guide For Beginners
- Oils for Oil Painting – Jackson’s Art Blog
- The 5 Key Differences between Acrylics vs Oil paints – a Beginners Guide – will kemp art school
- Sunflower Oil – Discussion