Will usage of oil paints make you ill or go crazy in the future?

Answer 1

Working with Oil medium for almost 25 years I do feel a little dizzy at times… NA, Just joking.

Really, MOST of the materials in oil colours are safe and non-toxic.. SOME of the products can cause problems though.

Titanium white- 1921 was first used for artist medium. Some say 1919. Safe product and is labeled NON TOXIC for artist use. Basically whites are OXIDES of metals. Then refined to make the product.

Flake White- OLDEST of the whites. Here again an OXIDE. BUT TOXIC. It is LEAD WHITE which of coarse is LEAD BASED PAINT. But people mainly use titanium white or zinc white today.

I have tubes of flake white in my studio. You must be careful when using a product that is toxic. No food or beverages around the toxic substances and NO SMOKING. Cleaning is also harder. Disposing of rags and cleaning of brushes.

Turpentine, Spirits, Grumtine, Oderless thinner. ALL are toxic and cause physical harm to the body and organs.

Basically, when working with any art materials use caution. Don’t eat or drink, don’t smoke. Make sure there is ventilation (airflow) in the area you are working in. If you are going to use sprayers or spray paints wear an approved breathing apparatus. If spills occur clean up quickly, discard cloths or towels in the proper way. (Don’t throw them away in the trash in the enclosed area. EVEN with airflow. Contain them in a sealed container. If the stuff gets on your clothes then take them off and wash them. Don’t leave them in the hamper inside your house to create fumes.

Personally, I’ve splashed thinners on myself. Just go in remove the clothing. Wash skin. Put the clothes in a bag and place them outside until you are ready to wash them.


Read the backs of warning labels on containers for cleaning products for your art supplies. They are the most dangerous. But there are products that are harmful as well.

Mostly you will see statements like. “This product contains materials that can cause birth defects”


Windsor and Newton Oils have a Label that says they are safe.

Here is the ASTM D-4236 (Law for ART MATERIALS)
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5016.html


Just use caution.
Remember OLD LEAD pencils? Get one poke and you have lead poisoning? Wasn't to likely. BUT on the other hand.....

Answer 2

I usually put a wash over the canvas, sketch with charcol, and then paint a light wash of everything. Its usually better to start with the background because its flatter and usually wont change as much as you work on it. The foreground usually has more detail do it next. The nice thing about oil paint is that its transparent when you mix in linseed oil or OMS so you can do many layer of paint and build off each one. Also, if you want your paint to dry faster try adding Galkid or Liquin, these are mediums that speed up the drying speed. Good luck!

Answer 3

Depends on whate you're alergic to. Maybe not so much the paints but the solvents used to clean up could not to mention kill a few brain cells if not used in a well ventalated area. That's a key element, make sure you have proper ventalation and you're not working in a small, cramped space. Other than that you should be fine.

As far as making you crazy, if you do art in the first place you're not that sane to start with. As long as we stay out of the rubber room we'll be just fine.

Later

Answer 4

You can be allergic to some components like oil or other media. In that case you should do acrylics or watercolours.
In principle since lead has been forbidden in the composition of all oil tubes there is no big danger if you wash your hands carefully after every painting session.

Answer 5

Only if you eat it or breathe dense fumes. If your studio is well ventilated and you keep it away from your mouth it's perfectly safe.

Answer 6

It depends on how much exposure and to what sort of materials. Here are some websites that may help:
http://rds.nlb.gov.sg/Staffinput/doc.asp?ID=0125-JI5C-3414

Answer 7

no, they took most of the nasty elements out of the paints long ago.

Answer 8

Don't be so daft lol

Answer 9

yes. so don't eat it.