Learn about Oil Painting Supplies

Oil paint

About oil paint

Oil paint is a slow-drying paint made of pigment particles suspended in a drying oil. Professional-grade paint has a higher, purer pigment load than student grade — the colors are brighter and more consistent. It costs more, but it’s far better to work with.

Recommended brands

I recommend Gamblin and M. Graham professional paints, even for beginners. They’re a great value — not the cheapest, but far from the most expensive, and very high quality.

Why three primaries only?

You can paint anything with three primaries plus white, and mix color well enough to create beautiful color harmony. When you start out you’ll want to buy every color under the sun because it seems easier — but you’ll end up overwhelmed and have a harder time learning how color works. Keep it simple: one red, one yellow, one blue, and one white.

Why burnt sienna?

Burnt sienna mixed with ultramarine blue makes a deep, beautiful neutral — a fast, easy way to mix a black-and-white range, which is what you’ll use before painting anything in color.

Are oil paints toxic?

Some colors contain heavy metals that are toxic in large amounts. The only one on my list is Cadmium Lemon by Gamblin. Gamblin’s cadmium pigment is insoluble to our skin and digestive system, so they consider it safe to paint with (you’ll notice it carries no warning label, unlike other brands). If you’d rather not take chances, Winsor & Newton makes a Cadmium-Free Lemon and Cadmium-Free Red with similar working properties.

Mediums

About mediums

Mediums change the consistency of your paint and make it more workable. You don’t need more than two: a “lean” medium (solvent-based) and a “fat” medium (oil-based). That’s it.

Fat over lean

There’s a concept in oil painting called fat over lean: your earlier layers should be thin and lean, and as you build toward a finished piece you transition to a fatter medium. Use a lean, solvent-based medium for early layers — it dries faster and keeps paint thin, good for toning your canvas, drawing your underpainting, and massing in big thin areas (straight Gamsol, or a roughly 1:1 blend of Gamsol and oil). Use a fat medium for your top, thicker layers — it’s slower-drying, loosens the paint to a buttery consistency, and makes the paint film stable and long-lasting. I prefer safflower and walnut oil for alla prima because they’re the slowest-drying, keeping the paint wet across several days.

Are mediums toxic?

Gamsol is the industry-standard, low-odor solvent — the least toxic low-odor solvent I know of. It still isn’t non-toxic, and some people are sensitive to it, so use good ventilation. For a non-toxic alternative, lavender spike oil works, and Chelsea Classical Studio’s Lean Medium is what I use in lieu of Gamsol. Water-mixable oils are a fallback if solvents are a hard no.

Brushes

About brushes

There are so many brushes out there it can be overwhelming, but getting the right ones makes a huge impact on your experience. If I could splurge on one category, it would be brushes. They take a beating and will need replacing depending on how often you paint and how you care for them.

Hog bristle vs. synthetic

Hog bristle brushes are made from boar hair and are best with oil paint — thick, coarse, springy, able to pick up and move a lot of paint, and they create that classic textured brushstroke. They’re workhorse, beginner-friendly brushes, and what I mostly use and recommend. Synthetic brushes (polyester/nylon) are smoother and create a smoother stroke; they’re often pretty but generally not as efficient as hogs. The one synthetic I use and recommend is my size 2 bright from Silver Brush Bristlon — great for details while keeping loose brushwork, in later layers and smallest details.

Sizes and shapes

Brushes run from 0 (small) up into the 20s (big). Sizes 2–12 are common for small-to-midsize canvases and I use them all. Common shapes are flats, filberts, brights, rounds, and riggers/liners — I exclusively use and recommend flats and filberts for beginners.

Brands

I love the Raphael D’Artigny line, but it can be hard to find. Robert Simmons Signet brushes are a good alternative (a bit pricey), and Imperial Bristle long-handle flats/filberts are a solid budget option.

Brush handle length

When painting with oil, the brush is an extension of your arm, so you want it long. A short brush makes you hold it like a pencil, minimizing your movement and expression.

Canvases

About canvases

There are many canvas options that all feel dramatically different to paint on — expensive ones that feel awful, cheap ones that feel great, and opinions vary artist to artist. Common types are cotton canvas, linen, oil paper, wood panels, and (more recently) metal. The best rule of thumb is to try different ones and explore what you like.

Start with basic cotton canvas, primed with gesso

Pre-primed cotton canvas is a universally good, beginner-friendly surface. The loose canvases I recommend (Fredrix and Paramount) aren’t fancy, but they’re inexpensive, great for lots of studies, and have just the right amount of tooth. If you make something you like, mount the sheet to a panel and frame it. For nicer options, I love Raymar cotton panels and Masterpiece gallery-wrapped canvases.

White craft tape

Get white craft tape (not blue) for mounting loose canvas sheets to your easel board. Blue tape affects your color perception and makes you mix colors inaccurately.

Easel board

Tape the canvas sheet to a rigid board (or any hard, flat surface) with white craft tape. The board sits on the easel; the canvas sits on the board. I use MDF panels.

Palettes

About palettes

There are several kinds: disposable paper, wooden, and glass, usually in white or gray. Glass palettes are great for beginners — easy to mix on, and they help you see your values and colors clearly. Both white and gray work; if unsure, go with white. For a custom-cut piece of glass, One Day Glass is where I got mine (basic rectangle, 1/4” thick, clear, beveled edge for safety), placed on a white or neutral-gray tabletop.

Keeping your paint fresh between sessions

A Masterson palette box is a must-have. Seal your unused paint inside to keep it fresh longer — add a cotton ball soaked in clove oil, or store it in the freezer (or both), and your paint can stay fresh for months.

Cleaning supplies

Cleaning brushes while painting

While painting, use paper/shop towels to wipe excess paint between strokes, and a solvent in a brush-cleaning jar (like Gamsol) to periodically clean them. Think of your solvent container as the replacement for the water cup you’d use with acrylic or watercolor.

Cleaning brushes after painting

Use towels and solvent to get most of the paint out. Then either store brushes wrapped in foil in the freezer (easiest and best for them) or clean them fully with soap and water. I use Master’s artist soap (the green soap) and Master’s brush cleaner and conditioner.

Studio supplies

You need a place to stand or sit, an easel, tables for your palette and still life, and light sources for your easel and still life. None of it has to be fancy — try to make do with what you already have, at least to start.

Other supplies

The Value Card

You’ll need a way to assess the values of your subject and check your paint mixtures. The Value Card I created is the only one of its kind I’ve seen — it lets you test your paint directly on the card, which is central to how I teach values. You’ll use it a lot in future lessons.

A mirror

Looking at your painting through a mirror is a great way to see your work fresh — it helps you spot errors and view the piece from a distance. Hold it up or mount it on the wall behind you and look at your painting through it.

A tube wringer

Paint is expensive — a tube wringer helps you squeeze every last drop out.