Why Are My Oil Paintings So Dark?

Like everything else, colors fade, darken, or become more translucent over time, but the change is slow, spanning decades or even centuries.

After owning a painting for some time, you may discover that the image is no longer as crisp or sharp as you remember. If the painting has been handled and treated appropriately, the changes are most likely due to the painting’s natural age.

Stay tuned while we explain why oil paintings change color and look dull, and teach you how to brighten and oil out your painting and protect your canvas. We’ll also touch on the subject of what exactly is oil paint made of, and the possible effect different painting techniques have on the final outcome. Let’s answer the question Why Are My Oil Paintings So Dark?

What Is Oil Paint Made Of?

Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that comprises pigment particles contained in a drying oil that, when exposed to air, forms a durable, colored coating. Understanding the properties of the chemicals that make up any oil paint will help you paint more successfully and avoid creating works of art that are too dark or have dull colors.

Oil paint, like all other types of paint, is made up of three components: pigment, binder, and solvent. Pigment usually comes in the form of powder and gives the color and name to the oil paint. Pigments were first obtained from the earth in the form of rocks or powder, but nowadays they are made from synthetic materials. 

Cold-pressed linseed oil, which is derived from flaxseed, is typically used as a binder in oil paint, because it extends the drying time of oil paints, enabling the paint to be worked with for longer periods of time, sometimes even months. On the other hand, artist oils can also be created with less common oils such as walnut oil, poppy seed oil, and safflower oil.

Solvents are added to oil paints to temporarily alter their properties and are intended to dissipate evenly and completely as the oil paint dries. Solvents are also used to dissolve resins, create mediums, clean up, and clean brushes. While the solvent can be anything, turpentine or mineral spirits are most commonly used.

In modern times, other chemicals, such as those that slow or speed up drying, provide texture, or help recalcitrant pigments bond to the medium, can also be found inside a tube of paint. Inexpensive paints frequently include too much binder, which can lead to discoloration over time.

Effect of Different Oil Painting Techniques

There are a plethora of distinct painting techniques, each of which is made up of a combination of different brush strokes and color variations.

Many beginners feel that the essence of an oil painting may be found in the works of the old masters, who are recognized for their chiaroscuro technique, which creates paintings with heavily darkened parts. 

However, because bright pigments, such as blue pigment made from lapis lazuli, were often expensive to make, early oil painters were limited in terms of choosing the colors they could employ, which is the reason why the colors of early paintings appear subdued. Moreover, lighter colors faded over time.

Why Oil Paintings Change Color?

The hue of an oil painting begins to alter the instant the artist completes the work. The transition is gradual, taking decades or even centuries, but colors inevitably fade, darken, or become more translucent over time. Because of the range of pigments employed, some colors are naturally prone to fading.

Mineral-based pigments, like verdigris, which is made of copper, change color to dark brown as time passes. This type of green pigment, which was popular in the 15th century, caused many outstanding works of art to be much darker than their author originally planned.

On the other hand, pigments made from organic dyes, such as rose madder and indigo, fade when exposed to light. As such, green foliage in Dutch flower paintings might appear blue due to the loss of color from a yellow gamboge glaze based on plant resins.

Over time, dust accumulates on paintings, and dust alone can obscure the image. Grime from other sources, such as soot and tobacco tars, will build upon a painting surface as well. Although most grime may be carefully cleaned, soot and smoke damage can permanently affect the tone of a painting, particularly if the support is unprimed or the painting is unpolished.

Not only that, but paint films tend to shrink when they dry, causing them to rupture or tear apart in fissures. Small fissures may also trap and keep dirt, making the painting look dark and grimy. The painting’s visual does not have to suffer if it is well-constructed and the artist employs sound techniques, but even if that’s not the case, in many instances removing the dirt with a cursory cleaning will eliminate the disfiguring effect. 

Colors can also be harmed by environmental pollutants. Hydrogen sulfide in the air, for example, turns white-colored lead-based paint into black-colored lead sulfide. Natural resin varnishes, which are traditionally used to protect artworks, age and darken over time, making the picture on a painting difficult to view and change the tonal balance. This also causes white highlights to appear stained, blues to appear green, and reds to appear orange. 

Why Do Colors on The Oil Painting Look Dull?

The main reason for a dull finish is an incorrect drying oil-to-paint-and-solvent ratio. More specifically, it occurs when the solvent content in the paint is too high. This is fine for the early stages, but it will result in a dullness effect in the top layer.

When an oil painting dries, the colors may appear faded. The saturated appearance of the colors will be restored by varnishing them. Glazing, a method in which a thin coating of oil paint is put over a paint layer, could help an oil painting that appears flat. Glazing gives oil paintings depth and richness, but more than four glazes are probably unneeded.

Many oil painting sets contain oil colors which can cause dull color mixtures. Such colors are earth tones such as raw sienna, raw umber, yellow ochre, brown ochre, cadmium brown, sepia, Vandyke brown, but also Cadmium orange, flesh tint, sap green, olive green, lamp black, cadmium orange, Payne’s grey, Naples yellow, and flesh tint. These hues, on the other hand, may be extremely useful in a watercolor or pastel kit. 

Some pigments are by nature susceptible to ultraviolet radiation, acids, and bases, causing the colors on the painting to fade if it’s exposed to any of these circumstances. Because UV radiation is naturally present in the sunshine, exposing a painting containing sensitive pigments to direct sunlight might cause the colors to turn dull. Additionally, using either acidic or basic cleaning solutions on a painting can cause some delicate pigments to deteriorate.

How to Brighten an Oil Painting

Oil paintings are typically not framed beneath the glass, allowing the observer to see the artist’s brushstrokes and use of light and shade. This exposes the painting to the elements, necessitating extra love and care in order to preserve its beauty. 

Believe it or not, but to clean the painting that’s gone dark over time, you could make use of a piece of bread. Dust and grime on the canvas can be buffed and gently rubbed away using the white, fluffy inside of a loaf of bread, while any remaining breadcrumbs can be brushed off with a gentle stroke of a paintbrush. 

Another trick is to use a toothbrush to clean the dust by brushing the oil painting in a tiny, circular pattern. However, make sure to gently slide the toothbrush over the grooves of the canvas rather than rubbing too hard, as this might pick at the texture of the paint.

You can also clean the painting with a gentle solution consisting of water and a few drops of dishwashing soap. After dipping it in the water, wring out the cloth until it is only slightly moist, and proceed to blot the painting lightly to remove dust and debris. In order to protect the texture of oil paint in the process of cleaning, pay close attention to the dampness of the cloth. 

It’s possible to brighten a painting by using a cotton ball or cotton swab, lightly dipping it in alcohol, and dabbing it along the paint. Nonetheless, this is a dangerous procedure that should only be used on limited sections of the painting when no other cleaning method appears to be effective.

But it’s not only the canvas that needs special attention-both the round and square timber frames require a little tender care. To make the picture frame gleam again, clean it thoroughly and proceed to apply a coat of wood oil. Cleaning antique oval frames with a cleaning solution of lukewarm water and white vinegar can help restore their luster, and make them as good as new.

How to Oil Out a Painting?

Oil may sink into the lower layers because the lower layers may be too absorbent, or the solvent has been used too much or too little. In the past, this problem was commonly addressed by applying retouch varnishes or other media recipes to restore matte regions and aid color matching during repainting. 

Unfortunately, coatings were frequently applied to the entire painting, causing problems for conservators later on because these layers yellowed severely with age and, in the case of varnish, became brittle and susceptible to solvents. As a result, contemporary recommendations are much more specific and straightforward.

When repainting isn’t a realistic option, modern artists often rely on the technique of oiling out the painting in case the oil sinks into the canvas, leaving the top layers of the painting lacking vitality.

Oiling out refers to rubbing a little amount of linseed oil or transparent painting media over a dry paint surface that was previously worked on. Apply as little oil or medium as possible, barely enough to smooth out the shine, and use the same oil or medium contained in the paints or in that department. You can use a clean, lint-free rag, cheesecloth, or a wide bristle brush to apply the oil and then a rag to remove the majority of it. 

However, this treatment should never be applied to the entire artwork or to portions that will not be painted over in that day’s session. Doing otherwise might lead to adhesion issues and ultimate darkening and discoloration of the affected areas.

How to Protect Your Paintings? 

There’s nothing you can do to stop the natural aging of your paintings except to take good care of them and handle them carefully. A painting will also suffer structural damage if it is exposed to extremes of dryness, humidity, heat, or cold for an extended period of time with little airflow. Low or high relative humidity and temperatures can cause warping or splitting of the wood panel support in panel paintings.

Painting conservators, which have received specialized training and have years of expertise, can help you save your paintings for as long as possible. They can help you with the general upkeep of your paintings, like dust and grime removal, as well as handling any unfortunate mishaps (paintings that fall from their hooks, fire, flood, insect damage, etc.).

However, there are a few things you can do yourself if you want to properly store canvas prints and other artwork at home: 

• Make sure to keep canvas prints and paintings upright when storing them;
• Make sure to avoid exposing your painting to direct sunlight;
• Canvas prints and paintings should be stored in a cool, dry location;
• Canvas prints should not be stored on the floor;
• Use a cloth to protect your canvas;
• Mirror boxes are ideal for storing large paintings and canvas prints;
• Crates are great for storing large pieces of art.

Sources

• Do oil paintings darken over time?
• Why do My Oil Paintings Look Dull?
• Changing Oil Paintings | A Moment of Science
• Oiling out: to brighten dull areas and prevent sinking
• What Does Oiling Out Mean In Oil Painting?