When I began oil painting, I was pretty overwhelmed with the various rules and recipes for mediums; from the 'fat over lean' rule to the mineral spirit/oil ratios, not to mention looking into toxicity and safe handling. That being said, I've tried most of the mediums and all of the 'rules' and have concluded that, with everything in life, you just have to find the thing that suits you the most.
Here's what I found:
I don't use turpentine, the smell and toxicity is overbearing for me so I switched to low odour mineral spirit. While the 'low odour' stuff isn't nasally offensive, it's still a toxic mineral spirit - so safe handling and practices are very much needed (it's very easy to forget to open a window when there is no smell).
- I switched to non toxic Chelsea Studio Lavender Spike Oil and Lavender Damar varnish. You can make various recipes with different ratios to add gloss to your paint for a super silky and shiny finish.
- I also use just cold pressed linseed oil to thin my paints and especially in glazing. Nothing toxic needed, just patience with the time each layer takes to dry.
- I also use water mixable oil paints which are excellent for those who want the oil painting experience but without any of the complicated mediums. You can just add water, or use a special medium (or linseed oil) to thin them (I use a water mixable medium as plain old water can result in a matt finish).
My advice for those who don't want to handle 'toxic' mediums.
Try water mixable oil paints to give you the oil painting experience but without having to handle mediums or worry about health and safety. Wash up is super easy too because you can clean your brushes with water.
I started with Winsor and Newton Artisan range and have transitioned to Daniel Smith water mixable oil paints (higher price but vegan and excellent quality). The W&N paints are fabulous for a mid range product.
Remember - oil painting is safe as long as you practice proper health and safety measures. Oil paints are generally considered safe but always research before you buy. (Read 3 myths about oil painting).
Here are some paintings I created using water mixable oil paints.
