Oil Painting Supplies

What materials do I need to start oil painting?

• Prepped Surface To Paint On
• Oil Paints
• Paint Palette
• Palette Knife For Mixing Paint
• Oil or Paint Medium
• Paintbrushes
• Solvent
• Lid or Containers
• Easel

Prepped Surface To Paint On

1. Canvas
2. Wood Panel
3. Oil Paper

Oil paintings are typically painted on stretched canvas, painting panels, or on specially formulated oil paper made for oil painting.

Canvas & Panels

Canvas and wood panels are available in various sizes. They should be prepped before painting. To prime and seal the surface before painting, several thin coats of gesso are applied. Gesso is available in acrylic or oil-based formulas. It's a simple process. Brush it on in thin layers, letting each layer dry before applying the next.

Time-saving pre-primed canvas and panels are available at most art supply stores. They save time because the gesso has already been applied.

Oil Paper

Arches Huile Oil Paper is specially designed for oil painting. This oil paper doesn't require any prepping before painting and can easily be cut to size.

Oil Paints

Start with a nice selection of paint colors. Use any brand that suits you. There are plenty of brands to choose from. I like Gamblin and Daler-Rowney, but I've used others. A limited palette of colors works fine.

What are the best oil paints for beginners? Most beginners use student-grade paints. Most paint brands offer both student-grade and artist-grade oil paints. Student-grade oil paints are cheaper because they are of lower quality.

Don't buy student-grade paints. Buy artist-grade paints.

As a student, I bought student-grade paints. That's what was recommended to students. It's what they sold in the university bookstore. If I had it to do over again, I would have painted my first painting with artist-grade paints.

3 reasons to buy artist-grade paints:

1. Oil paints last a long time
2. Artist-grade paints are creamier
3. Better quality overall

Oil paints lasts a long time. Artists tend to use more of some colors and less of others. I began painting using student-grade paints. After years of painting, I had a whole toolbox full of them.

I was continually experimenting with different painting mediums, trying to understand how best to use them, how much to use, and trying new techniques.

One day, a fellow painter, older and more experienced than I, told me that you don't need painting medium if you use artist-grade paints. She explained that artist-grade paints come out of the tube creamy and easier to manipulate. You can almost paint with them straight from the tube.

This was a game-changer for me.

Student-grade paints tend to be thicker. Many colors come out of the tube like a thick snake of paint. Thick stiff paint has to be thinned with oil or paint medium before painting. Otherwise, you can't spread it around with a paintbrush. Student-grade paint tends to require more oil or paint medium.

Why does this matter? Because as you paint, you build habits. Each time you learn a new technique, you have to break old habits and build new ones. This takes time. We barely have enough time to paint. Don't waste your time re-learning.

Artist-grade paints tend to be creamier. They contain more pigment and less fillers. Artist-grade paints tend to require little to no medium to improve the flow.

Invest in artist-grade paints from the beginning. Use fewer paint colors if necessary to save money. Beautiful paintings can be created with a few colors.

In the end, I bought artist-grade paints and never looked back. I gave that toolbox of student-grade paints away.

Paint Palette

Mix your paint on a paint palette. There are several types of paint palettes available. Choose from a variety of wooden paint palette styles or disposable paper palettes, or easily make your own from aluminum foil or the shiny plastic-coated side of freezer paper.

Palette Knife For Mixing Paint

A palette knife is used to mix oil paint on the palette. They come in a variety of shapes. Choose the shape that suits you. You'll likely only need one and it should last forever, your lifetime at least.

Oil or Paint Medium

There are too many types of paint mediums available to list them all here. Here's the truth about paint medium. You don't need it. Use linseed oil instead. A few drops of linseed oil mixed into artist-grade oil paint is all you need to start oil painting. Buy refined linseed oil because it yellows less over time. Walnut oil may be used as an alternative.

Paintbrushes

Paintbrushes are available in a variety of sizes, shapes, and types. The best paintbrushes for oil painting are made of natural hair, usually sable. Hog hair brushes are another option. I recommend starting with at least 5 different paintbrushes in a variety of sizes. I prefer paintbrushes that are known as rounds and flats. The name described the overall shape of the bristles. Buy the shape that suits you. Paintbrushes for oil painting typically have a long handle so that you can stand a distance away from the painting. Buy good quality brushes. Save money elsewhere.

Solvent

The first layer of an oil painting is typically painted with one color of oil paint thinned with a small amount of solvent. Traditionally that solvent was turpentine. Many artists now use an odorless mineral spirit. Use the solvent sparingly. Use just enough to increase the flow of the paint so that you can draw with the paintbrush and spread the paint around. Small bottles of turpentine are often available at the pharmacy. I dip the tip of my brush into the solvent, then use the brush to slightly thin the paint on my palette to a drawing consistency.

Lid or Containers

A small metal container is often placed on or near the painting palette and used to hold a small amount of solvent or linseed oil. I use a clean metal lid from any empty glass jar. The lid from a spaghetti sauce or pesto jar works nicely.

Easel

Painting easels come in many shapes and sizes. Use the style that suits you. An easel makes painting easier but it's not essential for a beginner.

Prioritize quality oil paints, refined linseed oil, and quality paintbrushes as essential oil painting supplies. The rest can be substituted, concocted, or fabricated from things that are readily available to you.

Conclusion:

What materials do you need to start oil painting? You need a prepared painting surface like a canvas or a wood panel, oil paints, a paint palette, a palette knife for mixing paint colors, linseed oil or a painting medium, paintbrushes, a solvent, a lid or container to hold oil or solvent, and an easel.

Use the best materials available to you. Quality painting materials and tools not only make it easier to paint they also make paintings last longer. Here's what I believe to be the best materials for oil painting.

What is the best painting support?

The best support or painting surface is said to be a wood panel.

What is the best vehicle or painting medium for oil painting?

If someone refers to a vehicle for painting, they are talking about painting medium or oil. The best vehicle for oil painting is linseed oil.

What is the best sizing and sealer for oil painting?

The best sizing for your paint surface is said to be gesso.

What is the best paint to use for oil painting?

The best paint quality is the artist's or professional quality oil paint.

What is the best paintbrush to use for oil painting?

Kolinsky Sable has been said to be the best hair for paintbrushes. Kolinsky Sable comes from a red sable or Siberian mink. Brushes made from sable are very nice and can be pricey. If you want the best materials to paint with, consider Kolinsky Sable brushes if you can find them.

I hope this information helps you to get started with oil painting! I'm rooting for you!

Recommended reading:

Historical Overview of Panel-Making Techniques in Central Italy by Getty EDU.

Cennino d’Andrea Cennini, Libro dell’arte (ca. 1437)

The Art Forger's Handbook by Eric Hebborn

Author: Sonia Reeder-Jones