A typical oil painting starts when an object is sketched onto a canvas with charcoal or thinned paint. Solvents such as turpentine or linseed oil are then added into the paint to get the required thickness. After that, additives like varnishes, cold wax, and resins are added to it to adjust its sheen and translucency so that the artist can regulate the brushstroke he applies on to the canvas.

A canvas must be properly primed, so that the oil paint will not rot the canvas over time. As the paint is applied, each layer must contain more oil than the layer below it to allow proper drying and to prevent cracking and peeling; this rule is known as \”fat over lean.\”

Paint brushes are often used to apply the paint to the canvas, but other methods can be used, such as rags and palette knives. Oil paint takes much longer to dry than many other types of paint, allowing the artist to change the color, texture, or form of the picture. Oil paint dries by a process known as oxidation, in which it hardens into a dry solid.

While the paint is drying, the artist can remove the entire upper layer of paint and repaint it to look totally different. This can be done by using some turpentine and a rag. After the paint dries, it has to be scraped off. Oil paint generally takes one day to two weeks to be completely dry.

After a period of six to twelve months, an oil painting is generally considered to be dry enough to have a coat of varnish applied to it. Yet, according to the art conservators, it will take about 60 to 80 years for the painting to be considered a \”completely dry painting.\”

Plants are the main source of ingredients for oil paint. Linseed oil is produced by the flex seed, and the linen generally used for making canvases is obtained from the flax plant. Safflower oil is good to use to make lighter colors such as white, as the colors made from linseed oil tend to yellow more.

Modern science has invented two new paints, miscible oil paint and heat-set oil. Making a very small alteration in the molecular structure, permitting the paint to be easily used and cleaned up with water, creates the former paint. The latter is imitation oil paint, which looks like oil paint and has a capability to remain liquid when heated to 265-280 degrees Fahrenheit.