What would you do to paint with oil in the middle of winter?

Question

And you live in the small studio with only 1 room and a bathroom?
Is that healthy to breath the smell from oil painting?
What is a long term defect of it?

Answer 1

Oil paints themselves have no harmful fumes, it's the solvent that is toxic.

Mineral spirits (including products called "low-odor" or "odorless" including "Turpenoid") are refined Petroleum by-products. As mineral spirits evaporate, they give off fumes that can be potentially toxic. The dangerous side-effects I've seen is artists who become overly-sensitive and develop allergic reactions - swelling & burning eyes, skin rashes, nausea, even immune-system breakdown to name a few. Some artists develop these symptoms over years, some merely months.

I don't believe Turpentine and other natural terpenes are as toxic, but the odour is too much for most people in a small space.

The orange-oil substitutes ("Turpenoid Natural" and "Citri-Thin") are still up for debate, though their health & safety papers claim they are safe... artists have still developed sensitivity to them. They are great for cleaning up, but can't be used as a painting medium - the oil in them does not dry.

The potentially toxic molecules in all these products can be absorbed through the skin as well as by breathing the fumes.

To sum it up, if you use only linseed oil (or try other non-toxic oils such as walnut, spike lavender, sunflower etc.) to mix with your paint, and keep the lid on your solvent except to wash out your brushes, you shouldn't have any toxicity issues.

Answer 2

Never use turpentine it is very bad for eyes etc When i was at Chelsea a chap had to give up as the smell of turps and people smoking was awful and he became ill.
I paint for a living but I would hate to have a studio so I have pushed the living room sofa forward from the wall a metre and that is my studio . I use white spirit and linseed oil. The white spirit I have in a jam jar . I have a low metal flower pot holder and into this I put the jar and all my tubes so it cannot fall over... I have never had an accident !!! I have a white sheet over the back of the sofa just incase . In this space I have a smaill table and just enough room for an easel and chair and a tiny round table for my pallete. ( I think it a bad idea to hold a pallete as it is very bad for the back . ) So I have a little 'room' that does not need putting away.I have six children so i am always around and have company when I work.
The jar i put the white spirit in is fairly narrow at the top and I don't use much as I too am a little worried about fumes. The next day you will find the dirty paint in the white spirit will have settled in the bottom of the jar so you can pour the clean white spirit into a new jar and chuck the old jar away as it is impossible to clean .

Answer 3

Oil paints themselves are not toxic to breathe. Varnishes (which contain solvents) and solvents themselves are toxic in varying degrees. god has it right regarding health effects. The evaporation rates (how fast the chemicals become airborne and breathable by you) of solvents are what determines the toxicity of a solvent. Turpentine, though traditional, has the highest evaporation rate and is very toxic.

I am very sensitve to cold so I understand what you're asking. Ventilation is the best to have, but not so much with it's 14 degrees F outside. What I do is I use OMS (odorless mineral spirits, with a low evaporation rate, keeping the jar closed when not in use), run a ceiling fan (so the fumes from my jar of OMS and what is evaporating off my painting won't drift into my face in high concentrations as easily) and I have a forced air filter (expensive but worth it). I take breaks out of the studio and vent the studio while I am out. Keep in mind that paintings should not be in temperatures lower than 50 degrees F. When I come back in, I close the windows, warm up the place a bit then continue working. And I also wear a sweater.

Answer 4

Turpentine is one of the most toxic solvents available to the artist today.It is the rate of evaporation that must be considered first.Turpentine ,lacquer thinner,toluol,acetone all evaporate quickly and consequently are more toxic than slower drying solvents such as odourless mineral spirits(oms,Turpenoid,white spirits).Long term effects could be chronic lung disease,liver damage and other ailments.Manufacturers generally will provide material safety data sheets for their respective solvents one of these is www.gamblincolors.com. Ventilation is a must. You can achieve this with a fan blowing behind you to keep the fumes from reaching you as much and or use an exaust fan that will vent the studio air to the outside .Painting with a knife lessens the need for solvent.Using mediums made from stand oil or sun thickened oil and odourless thinner helps too instead of those with strong solvents needed to dissolve resins e.g.cyclohexanon,damar and alkyd.Oil of spike lavender is an option but can be difficult to find and is quite expensive.Finally,water thinnable oils are fume free but the regular cautions that apply to all artist paints with toxic pigments still apply .The artist's handbook of materials and techniques by Ralph Mayer and Artist Beware are good books to get you started.Good Luck!

Answer 5

Get some Water based Oil Paint no fuss no mess try them

Answer 6

Consider that ventilation cant hurt you!

Answer 7

I would buy the natural turpinoid that has no odor, and liquin.