Linseed Oil

Cold pressed linseed oil is at

the heart of making oil paint.
Despite a tendency to yellow it
has proven over hundreds of
years to make strong durable
paints that have many
characteristics that many
artists like in a paint
History of paint...
Besides pigment and oil, the
artist needs appropriate
solvents.
About solvents...
For pigment info
About pigments...
Pigment paste
Making the pigment paste
before grinding. The pigment
is mixed to a stiff paste with
the spatula, but it does not
become paint until dispersal
with the muller. Only then
does the paste gain the plastic
qualities that we call paint.
Making pigment pastes...
Safety tips More...
Oil Paint
Preparing the binder Adding wax to the oil
The following is the way Linseed oil was prepared for grinding colors during the
Renaissance and since. Beeswax needs to be added in precise proportions depending
on the pigment. Those pigments that make stringy paint (Ultramarine is the worst) may
benefit from up to 4% wax, although about 2 % is sufficient for most purposes. The
following method makes an oil with 2% wax. adjust quantities and proportions to suit
your exact needs. This same method applies which ever type of oil being used.
Heat 250 ml (7 fluid ounces) oil in a double boiler. Heat very gently as over heating
causes weakening and darkening of the oil paint film. Add 30 g (1 oz) of white refined
Beeswax and stir in until it is completely mixed. You cannot afford to have imperfectly
mixed oil. Once mixed thoroughly, take off the heat to cool. When cool make up to 1 liter
(1 quart) by adding approximately 730 ml (24 fl oz) room temperature oil while stirring.
Allow to stand for a day before use.
The oil should be stored in a well stoppered glass jar ideally with air excluded. This is
achieved by adding glass marbles to the jar to raise the level to the top. To use the oil
pour the required quantity for that days grinding into another jar carefully as this
prevents any problems of marbles accidentally landing in your pigment and causing
dust in the air. As you use the oil add more marbles to keep the level high as any oil
that starts to skin has to be discarded. It is possible to make up 2 oil mixtures, one at
2% and one more at 3 - 4%. Some pigments will not need any wax, but most benefit.
Be very careful with proportions as too much wax can prevent the oil from forming a
hard film (think of oil sticks, they are able to be used like a pastel at least partially due to
the high proportion of wax in their formulation)
Grinding on the slab Also called dispersal or milling
or mulling
If you have predispersed the pigment place the paste at one corner of the slab, Put a
small amount of the paste in the center with the spatula. If you have not done so yet, it
is wise to read the notes on predispersing pigments for oil paint here. If you have not
predispersed place the dry pigment in the center. Make a 'well' in the center of the
pigment and pour a small quantity of oil into the well. Proceed to mix with a spatula. add
oil only a little at a time. The mixture could easily have a crumbly look and be stiff and
difficult to mix. Don't be tempted to add too much oil as you need to have as little oil as
possible in the paint. Some pigments absorb more oil than others so judge how the
grind is proceeding by observing the mixture on the slab. As a general guide some
pigments will make paints with as much as 80% pigment while others might be only
60%. As oil both has a color of its own and tends to yellow over time the pigments that
absorb less oil will tend to retain their color better. Now you know why those oil
absorbency figures on tech sheets are important. Note that the pigment needs to be fed
with just a little extra oil than the oil absorbency figures suggest, thus a pigment that
has a figure of only 10 to 15% would actually take 20%, 35% would take 40% ond so
on. That is just the gap between theory and reality showing. Your goal is to make that
amount as small as possible without weakening the paint by under oiling.
Start to grind with the muller. Hold it as in the photograph, and grind in a circular motion
gradually spreading the grind across the entire surface of the slab or at least until it is in
a thin layer. There is no need to use a lot of pressure as the pigment particles are
already finely pulverized, and the action of mulling is in order to coat every particle as
thoroughly as possible but while using the least possible amount of oil. You will need to
periodically lift the muller and scrape off the excess that gathers at the edge of the
muller. This is not a fault, the muller shape is designed as a rounded wedge as this
most easily helps the grind, but does require scraping from time to time.
Scrape the mulled paint into the center and inspect. Is it forming a stiff mass that will
hold shape and does not flow and collapse in a very liquid manner. Do a drawdown if
you are at all uncertain about the grind (How to do a drawdown). In any case repeat the
grind, spreading the paint in a circular mulling action across the slab and adding
pigment as necessary. With experience you are likely to notice a subtle difference in
paint character between when the pigment is insufficiently dispersed and when the
dispersal is complete, as a well dispersed paint handles differently to one where the
particles are clumped or otherwise imperfectly dispersed. It will also get a difference in
surface sheen as it reaches the sweet spot. These differences occur because as you
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Dispersal
Also commonly called
grinding, or mulling. This is the
hand powered version of the
mechanical milling that
happens in factories. Mulling
is intended to evenly coat
every pigment particle with a
minimum of oil. It is at this
stage that any extenders and
other ingredients that the artist
prefers to modify the paint is
added, although wax will
already be in the oil.
Extenders and additives...
Characteristics of oil paint.
More...
Filling tubes
Now you have made beautiful
pure paint it is time for testing
and filling tubes. The tubes
are filled from the bottom and
then the hand holding the tube
is thumped against the table to
eliminate air bubbles.
Testing...
initially mull the oil coats groups of pigment particles. It is what would happen if the
pigment was merely mixed into the oil rather than mulled. As mulling proceeds the
clumps of pigment particle break up into smaller and smaller clumps until finally it is just
single particles being coated. It is this transition to single particle coating that visually
looks different and can only discovered by doing. After the second grind do a drawdown
which will reveal any problems that may require further grinding, although most
pigments should be well done by this stage.
Filling tubes and jars Storing paint
Having made your paint the storage method needs to be decided on. It suits many
artists to store paints of all sorts in small jars. That may be necessary for paint that is
used immediately and replenished like Tempera. For Tempera the jar is a convenient
option that can be painted directly from, can be sealed with a lid for breaks in painting,
or over night and so on. Encaustic is most conveniently left in its small pans where it
solidifies, and then can be melted anew the next painting session. All other paints are
most conveniently stored in tubes.
Empty tubes are obtainable where you buy your paint. Small ones as well as large ones
are needed to meet every situation. The tubes are made of Aluminum. Make certain
that they are coated on the inside so the paint cannot come into contact with the metal.
They will have a plastic cap screwed on, and the base will be open through which you
will put the paint with a palette knife. Hold the tube vertically in the fist with the open end
up. Periodically force the paint to the cap end of the tube and at the same time cause
air bubbles to rise out of the liquid by sharply tapping your fist against the table top
several times. Do not overfill the tube. There needs to be a gap in the base for closing
the tube. This is accomplished with the large tubes by bending the end over with
canvas pliers, and carpenters pliers for the small tubes. Fold it over several times being
careful not to make a hole in the metal as you do so. Look at the crimped base on a
commercial tube of paint if you are not certain what to do. It is important to label the
tube with media, pigment contents, and date of manufacture with a permanent marker
at this point.
Watercolor makers who want to make semi-moist pans will find new empty pans
available for sale in some places. If there are pans that will not be used for an extended
period these need to be wrapped in Gladwrap.
Congratulations! You have just made paint in a tradition that dates back to the
beginnings of art. Now it is time to conduct any further tests that you might want to
conduct - details here. And then time to get the brushes out and subject the paint to the
most important test of all - using it creatively to make some artwork. Enjoy.
Related Links:
Testing Paint
Studio notes
Basic Ingredients
Detailed Ingredients
Starting to make paint
Making Acrylic Paints
Making Watercolors and Gouaches
Making Egg Tempera
Making Hide Glue Chalk Gesso
Making Encaustic Paint
Making Fresco Colors
Making Pastels
References
Alberti, L B, On Painting 1435 (Penguin Classics)
Cellini, B, The Life Of Benvenuto Cellini, finished 1562 but not published until 1730
(Heron)
Cennini, C d'A, The Craftsman's Handbook. 1437 (Dover)
How To Make Oil Paint by Tony Johansen http://www.paintmaking.com/grinding_oils.htm
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Doerner, M, The Materials Of The Artist And Their Use In Painting, 1921 (Harcourt
Brace)
Eastlake, Sir C L, Materials For A History Of Oil Painting, 1847 (Dover)
Feller, R L, Artists Pigments 1986 (National Gallery Of Art / Cambridge University)
Gettens, R J, and Stout, G L, Painting Materials: A Short Encyclopedia, 1942
(Dover)
Gottsegen, M D, A Manual Of Painting Materials And Techniques, 1987 (Harper &
Row)
Maire, F, Colors: What They Are And What To Expect Of Them, 1910 (Drake)
Mayer, R, The Artists Handbook Of Materials And Techniques, fifth edition 1991
(Faber & Faber)
Merrifield, Mrs. M P, Medieval And Renaissance Treatises On The Arts Of Painting
1849 (Dover)
Muther, R, The History Of Painting From The Fourth Century To The Early Nineteenth
Century, 1907 (Putnam)
Parkhurst, D B, The Painter In Oil 1898 (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard)
Patton, T C, Pigment Handbook, 1973 (Wiley)
Porter, N Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 (Merriam)
Pliny, The Elder (Gaius Plinius), Natural History, 77 AD (Penguin Classics)
Roy, A Artist's Pigments: A Handbook Of Their History And Characteristics, 1994
(Oxford University Press)
Taubs, F, A Guide To Traditional And Modern Painting Methods, 1963 (Thames &
Hudson)
Theophilus, On Divers Arts, 1125 (Dover)
Various, Encyclopedia Britannica, fifteenth edition 1981 (Encyclopedia Britannica,
Inc)
Various, Paint And Painting, 1982, (Winsor & Newton / The Tate Gallery)
Various, The Artist's Colormen's Story, 1984 (Winsor & Newton)
Vasari, G, The Lives Of The Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors And Architects, 1568
(Penguin Classics)
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