OIL PAINTS - DEEP, RICH AND LUXURIOUS

For centuries, oil paint has been a favourite of artists because of its unmatched richness and its unequivocal luminosity, a true classic. The history of oil pigments is an interesting one, and can be called weird too. How mankind came to create pigments is an intriguing read.

Did you know they do not make the colour 'mummy brown' anymore as they ran out of mummies to make mummy brown pigment! Yes, you read it correctly. Many names that you read are given to the colours because of what they were historically made from. 'Madder red' was made from ox blood and cow manure.

That's mad stuff!

Making oil paint is similar to cooking. It starts with blending the grinded pigment and Oil in a huge batter mixer into a paste, then the paste is smooth out multiple times through a mill. The rollers further coat the pigment particles in oil as it is thickening the paint. There are three kinds of rollers: Steel, Granite, and Aluminium. When the process is complete the paint is stored into paint tubes ready for market.

The entire procedure of making oil paints is individually customized to a specific fineness, which could either be coarser or fine. The mixing of oil ratio and grinding can influence the hue of the colour. It would require an exact oil amount per pigment requirement. If you mix more or less oil, or grind it too much, there are chances that you may not achieve your shade of colour. You may end up with a purple instead of a blue. Research and testing of each colour take a lot of time, sometimes even months, based on its consistency and lightfast.

Mixing pigment with a drying oil like linseed (similar to flaxseed) fillers and thickeners added to this mixture is an important factor in making quality paints. When processed properly, these mixed compounds become a durable long-lasting paint colour.

Visit: https://kingsframingandartgallery.com/blog/post/why-oil-paints-so-expensive