Which is a better oil paint thinner? Linseed oil or turpentine?

Question

I am about to start an oil painting and have heard that linseed oil makes your paint look muddy over time and that turpentine is bad for health. I dont know which one to use. Can you help?

Answer 1

Use a commercial medium for thinning or make your own out of 1/3 turpentine, 1/3 linseed oil. and 1/3 damar varnish. Undercoats of paint should be "lean" (more turps, less oil) to avoid cracking as they dry. Just have your work area well ventilated if you are using turpentine.

Answer 2

Linseed Oil And Turpentine

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Which is a better oil paint thinner? Linseed oil or turpentine?
I am about to start an oil painting and have heard that linseed oil makes your paint look muddy over time and that turpentine is bad for health. I dont know which one to use. Can you help?

Answer 4

Most thinners and solvents are hazardous to health, not just through ingestion or inhalation but absorbtion directly through the skin. Handle with care, and plenty of ventilation.

Some people recommend walnut oil as a thinner and there are even water soluble oils now, but I've never tried either.

Ref your question - different thinners have different drying times and properties. Linseed dries slowly but thoroughly, making it ideal for underpainting and initial layers in a painting, turpentine has a faster evaporation rate, but it cuts the oil in the paint and if you use too much you end up with more of a wash than a paint.

Check out the link below for more information.

PS - turps is made from tree resin and linseed made from flax, both undergo chemical treatment in production. Although I believe that cold pressed linseed oil is suitable for human consumption.

Answer 5

Oil Paint Thinner

Answer 6

linseed oil is not really a thinner, is more of a medium, it will slow the already process of drying with oil paints, it gives the oil a more transparent look, depending, on how u use it. Turpentine is a thinner,it will make the painting look more like water-colour, depending on the quantities and it makes it opaque, as opposed to linseed oil. it also dries faster. turpentine is bad for health if drank or in a closed room for a long time...open your window. if you have a family, get a room of your own... linseed doesnt make paint look muddy. it looks muddy depending on what colours you mix.

Answer 7

I was taught to only thin with linseed oil, and clean the brushes with turpentine/turpenoid. I would just stick with that. And the more linseed oil you put in the paint, the thinner AND shinier it will get. Oh yeah, and linseed does do the opposite, the more you put in the paint, the longer you have to wait for it to dry...

Answer 8

If you paint wet on wet linseed oil is the way to go, it improves paint flow, especially when adding detail. I do use turpentine to thin my paints in the begining for the under painting. Turpentine allows this phase to dry quickly and I can get back to painting sooner. The masters have been using linseed oil for centuries and their paintings are still as vibrant as the day they painted them, and believe the muddy look is due more to incorrectly mixed colors.
Both linseed oil and turpentine are bad for your health if used incorrectly, just follow the instructions for use, and wash your hands when you pause or are done for the day. My art work is posted on website hellosanantonio.com under the name GUERRO.

Answer 9

Only use cold pressed linseed oil because it doesn't yellow over time and make sure it is archival quality ( the best). linseed oil is the oil that they suspend you pigment in you paints with look on the tubes. that means they mix linseed oil with you color to get the paint fluid. You add linseed oil to make the drying time longer and the paint thicker , turpentine to get the opposite effect, also you can add some damar or retuch varnish to get the paint to shine more.
good luck

Answer 10

I would go for linseed oil. It is a natural product, not full of chemicals like turpentine.