Alternative Art Supplies

Art Supplies for Oil Painting

Solvents, Oils and Other Mediums

Solvents / Thinners

According to Health and Safety in the Arts, traditional turpentine and mineral spirits are moderately to seriously toxic when inhaled and by all other routes of entry. They are described as irritants and narcotics. Respirators with organic vapor cartridges are recommended for use when handling these and it is further suggested that artists switch to turpenoid / odorless mineral spirits.

For more information about hazards in the art studio visit Sustainable Arts

Some less toxic alternatives:

(While these products may be less toxic than what you have previously used, they are not necessarily non toxic. Please read the detailed product descriptions and manufacturer's warnings.)

Eco-House 125 Neutral Thin "is a general-purpose thinner, degreaser, brush cleaner, and volatile painting medium for oil-based paints. It is also an odorless, clear, hypo-allergenic, and archival solvent. "

Winsor & Newton Sansodor "is an odorless paint thinner that is a less toxic alternative to turpentine. It is slow drying and useful for thinning alkyd and oil colors."

An alternative for turpentine, Best Klean Odorless Thinner "is an odorless petroleum distillate to be used as a thinner for oilcolors and varnishes and as a cleaner for brushes. "

A colorless, refined turpentine substitute, Shiva Signa-Turp Odorless Thinner "possesses the properties of turpentine without the strong odor. Use it as a thinner or as a cleaner for brushes."

Maimeri Odorless Thinner "Has moderate solvent power and is suitable for indoor use or for people who are sensitive to the odor of normal solvents."

Crown Odorless Paint Thinner "is an artist's quality paint thinner that may be used in place of turpentine for reducing paint and for cleaning brushes, palettes, and spray equipment."

Gamblin Gamsol Odorless Mineral Spirits "is used as a solvent for thinning Gamblin mediums and for general painting, including studio and brush clean up."

" Weber Turpenoid Natural is an alternative to traditional solvents for those concerned about health, safety, or environmental issues. Turpenoid Natural is a highly effective brush cleaner, conditioner, and painting medium which is specially formulated with organic ingredients to be non-toxic and non-flammable.Note —Consider the shipping restrictions (no air shipment) and surcharges that apply to turpentine and many turpentine substitutes.Since Turpenoid Natural is non-flammable, no such restrictions apply.The overall cost of Turpenoid Natural, including shipping, may actually be lower."

Oils and Oil Mediums

Walnut Oil

"Walnut Oil has been used interchangeably with linseed oil for over a thousand years. It flows more freely, and has less tendency to crack or yellow. Today it is known that Renaissance masters such as Da Vinci and Durer generally favored walnut oil over linseed oil." M. Graham Walnut Oil

Safflower Oil

Sennelier Refined Safflower Oil "Sennelier offers the finest first-pressed safflower oil, purified to lower acidity while increasing clarity. Use it to increase oil fluidity and transparency, or in medium recipes. It won't yellow or alter the pigment's natural hue as linseed oil does."

Linseed Oils

"Use linseed oil to thin oil colors and increase their brilliance and transparency. Linseed oil increases the tendency of white and lighter colors to yellow over time."

"A very heavy-bodied oil that is thick like honey, wets pigments well, and produces a paint that flows and levels easily to reduce brush marks. Sun-thickened linseed oil, also known among oil painters as stand oil, makes the brush more controllable for detail painting and glazes brighter and more transparent. Stand oil also produces a glossy, enamel-like paint quality." Shiva Sun-Thickened Linseed Oil

A light-colored, pre-polymerized linseed oil that adds elasticity and moisture to the paint coat, improving flow and leveling of paints, Eco-House 912 Linseed Stand Oil "has less of a tendency to yellow than plain linseed oil. "

Weber Stand Oil "is pale-colored, heavy-bodied, polymerized linseed oil that improves the characteristics of painting mediums. It is slower drying than conventional linseed oil, and the performance results include a more durable film with less tendency to after-yellowing."

"Faster drying than Stand Oil, this pale, heavy-bodied oil is prepared to possess the properties of a sun-thickened oil." Weber Process Thickened Linseed Oil

Eco-House 910 Light Refined Linseed Oil "is a very light, purified linseed oil that is made without additives. It is used as a fine oil painting medium or as a raw material ingredient. "

Winsor & Newton Linseed Oils "are pressed from flax seeds without the use of heat. Cold-pressed linseed oil offers greater purity and clarity. These linseed mediums are useful for all your oil painting needs! Cold-pressed linseed oil is a natural oil of low viscosity. "

Gamblin Cold Press Linseed Oil : "Gamblin's Cold Pressed Linseed Oil is pressed from flax seeds in Canada without using heat or chemicals of any kind. AP non-toxic. "

Other Mediums For Oil Painters

"Gamblin offers a great range of contemporary mediums. Using today's safer materials, they recreate the properties of traditional mediums. This gelled alkyd resin painting medium creates transparent impasto of approximately 1/4" thick that holds marks and brush strokes. It does not dry as quickly as most gel mediums and it can be applied in multiple layers." Gamblin Oil Medium 150ml tube

Gamblin's Cold Wax Medium "is a soft paste formulated to make oil colors thicker and more matte. Cold Wax Medium is made with beeswax, resin, and mineral spirits. It can also be used as a final varnish over a dry painting."

Gamblin Wax Pastilles 16 oz. "are small beads of naturally white unbleached beeswax that can be used in making your own wax medium."

Gamblin Neo-Megilp "is a soft, silky gel that gives body to paint, decreases viscosity, and can produce a luminous atmosphere. In a base of alkyd resin, without toxic lead or other materials, this medium will not turn yellow or darken."

Weber Res-N-Gel Quick Drying Extender Gel "This full-strength, ready-to-use, synthetic resin gel produces transparent, yet full-bodied colors. It extends expensive oil colors, prevents colors from running, retains the character of brush strokes, holds sharply defined detail, adds luminosity and brilliance to colors, and accelerates drying. Also expect a buttery brush response. It's excellent for brush or knife to create a full range of impasto, opaque, or translucent glazed effects. Non-toxic. Furnished in 5 oz (148 ml) tube."

Grumbacher Oil Painting Medium III "Grumbacher's Painting Medium III dilutes oil color to speed drying time and improve paint flow. Add it directly to the color in small quantities. It's perfect for detail work. 2.5 oz (75 ml) glass bottle. "

Sennelier Damar Gum : "These natural damar resin crystals are collected from fir trees. Crystals must be soaked in pure gum turpentine to produce traditional Damar Varnish, used on finished paintings as a transparent, removable high-gloss protective coating. Damar Gum is also useful as an ingredient in medium recipes."

"Considered the best of the natural picture varnishes, Damar provides moderately high gloss and increases the brilliancy of the color. It responds readily to ordinary solvents employed during the restoration of paintings. " Shiva Damar Varnish

"Apply dammar (American spelling) varnish to an oil painting as a protective finish after it is completely dry. Dammar dries to a high gloss, and has a slight yellowish color. Soluble in turpentine or petroleum distillates, it can be removed at a later date." Winsor & Newton Dammar Varnish

"A traditional final vanish made from natural resins, Maimeri Dammar Varnish imparts greater brightness and shine to colors."

Jacquard Pearl-Ex Pigments "Add a lustrous glow to paintings, drawings, sculpture, stamping, jewelry, and more! Made from powdered mica, these non-toxic pigments will never rust or tarnish and exhibit extreme colorfastness and stability. Use them for interior, exterior, and archival applications. Incorporate Pearl-Ex pigments into any viscous medium like oil, acrylic, gouache, varnish, wax, paper pulp, or clay. Use them for collage and mixed media art, calligraphy, faux-finishing, sculpture, papermaking, printing, candlemaking, pottery, and more. Their temperature resistance allows them to be fired in a kiln up to 600°F (316°C). They may also be used dry and then sealed. Six 0.75 oz (21 g) bottles - one each of Pearl White, Super Copper, Sparkle Gold, Antique Silver, Interference Blue, and Duo Green-Yellow. "

Sinopia Pigment Sets "These sets are a superb introduction into the historical world of genuine earth tones, and ancient and contemporary pigments, such as Hansa Yellow, which are no longer being utilized by most major artist's paint manufacturers. Sets feature convenient sample sizes of these rich pigments in 50 gm jars of the most popular colors, with instructions included on how to make paint. Historic 8-Color Set - Includes Italian Gold Ochre, Venetian Red, Raw Sienna, Raw Umber, Green Earth, Burnt Umber, and Fawn Ochre. Complete 15-Color Set - Includes Titanium White, Hansa Yellow, Greenish Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Studio Red, Burnt Umber, Vagone Green, Ivory Black, Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Caput Mortuum, Terre Pozzuli, Raw Umber, Royal Blue, and Slate Grey. Includes Yellow Ochre Golden Shade, Raw Sienna Deep Orange Shade, Burnt Sienna Warm Shade Deep, Burnt Umber Reddish Brown, Genuine Indian Red (Hematite), Caput Mortuum, Raw Umber Very Dark Neutral Shade, and Burnt Umber Very Dark. "

Save money on art supplies while getting custom quality paints in the same way that the masters have for centuries at Artist's Oil Paint Recipes

Read more about the history of oil paint, the oils and paint recipes used by the masters and changes in the recipes and practices over the centuries
The History of Oil Paint