There are a variety of solvents used in oil painting, including drying oils, mineral spirits/white spirits, varnishes and resins.

Among these, drying oil is particularly important in oil painting, because it gives a unique sheen to the painting, durability to the surface, and ease of brushwork.

However, if you paint only with it, the painting may not dry well or take a long time to dry or cause worse situations like yellowing or cracking.

That is one of the reasons why oil painting is mostly done with a blend of the above solvents.

Of course, depending on the process of painting, the type of solvent may be changed or the formulation may be altered.

Other than what I mentioned, we may also add siccative (oil drying agent), which speeds up the drying process, or synthetic resins, in any combination.

Some art supply companies also offer their original formulations of pre-mixed painting oils that are too recommended for beginners to use them.

However, if you are already used to using pre-mixed oils, you may consider choosing the right oils for your artwork as a new challenge.

In oil painting, there is a rule called "fat over lean."

This rule refers to the principle of increasing the amount of oil contained in the paint as it is overlaid. It makes it less likely to crack and the paintings to be more durable.

In terms of an order of layering paint to create a more stable painting, using painting solvents such as applying turpentine or petroleum in the beginning, then painting oil in the middle, after that painting oil with drying oil in the end, and lastly, a varnish is recommended as well.

Even among the drying oils, there are several types and different uses.

In this article, I'm going to focus on drying oils from ZECCHI, a famous art materials store in Florence, Italy.

①Poppy Oil

A drying oil that is pressed and refined from the seeds of poppy, a flowering plant.

Poppy seeds before refining (image)

If you've ever tried oil painting, you've probably heard of linseed oil and poppy oil.

Poppy oil was first used in Flemish painting. It dries slower than linseed oil and has the palest color among the drying oils. For this reason, it is commonly used to produce white oil paints.

Poppy oil is also very easy to use and is recommended for beginners.

②Walnut Oil

Walnut oil, as the name implies, is a type of drying oil that has been pressed and refined from walnuts.

It dries slower than linseed oil, but it does not yellow as much, so it is suitable for lighter paints and is recommended for mixing with lead white.

Back in the day, many Italian painters used locally made walnut oil instead of linseed oil.

During the Italian Renaissance, walnut oil was more popular than Flemish linseed oil, and famous painters like Leonardo da Vinci and Giorgio Vasari had mentioned it in their work.

Moreover, in the early renaissance, it was used as an ingredient in emulsions.

③Black Oil

With a composition of linseed oil (98.5%) and lead oxide (1.5%), Black Oil is made by an old recipe of boiling at a temperature of about 220℃ for several hours.

Unlike oils ①〜③, this is a quick-drying oil intended to be added to usual painting oils. Therefore, with the right amount of mixture, it helps to dry the inner part of the paints.

As shown in the image below, the drying oil itself has a dark color, so it is not recommended to be used with bright colors, however, it is suitable for use with rather neutral or darker paints.

④Cold Pressed Linseed Oil

⑤ Cold Pressed Walnut Oil

Both of the above items are drying oils derived by using the cold pressing method.

Poppy seeds before refining (image)

They are mainly used for kneading pigments to make oil paints.

When mixed with the medium, it reduces the viscosity of the paint and makes it more fluid.

In PIGMENT TOKYO, we have marble mullers, marble boards, and oil color mediums for making paints, these items allow you to make your original oil colors with your favorite pigments.

Furthermore, you may want to try using linseed oil for pigments that have average brightness and walnut oil for pigments that contain higher brightness.

In the beginning, it may seem to be complicated to choose drying oils on your own; however, once you learn the theory, it is not that difficult at all.

Unlike water-soluble paints, oil paints allow you to create a variety of textures and gloss or opacity by changing the medium.

It would open up your creativity even more by seeking the perfect look of your painting surfaces.