Oils are used to modify the consistency, gloss and drying time of oil colours, they can prevent over thinning with solvents and are particularly useful in maintaining flexibility of paint films, especially when working fat over lean.
Traditional Oil Paintis a variety of a slow-drying paint made up of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil that on exposure to air forms a tough, bright, rich coloured film. The advantage of the slow-drying quality of oil paint is that an artist can develop a painting gradually, making changes or corrections if necessary.
Typically the drying oil used in paint manufacture is a vegetable oil, with linseed oil the most commonly used, but for paler colours other oils such as safflower, walnut or poppy oil are employed instead.
