Oil paintings are a niche painting facet that deals with the use of oil. It uses drying oil to bind pigments that are used in the process of painting. Earlier, linseed oil was boiled along with resin or even frankincense; this resulted in the formation of varnishes. Such varnishes have been the backbone of painting and furnishing industry for long. The oils have been instrumental in giving a different look to the oil paintings. They have added yellowing and stark drying times to the paintings.

Oil paintings can be pursued in different ways; it simply depends upon the penchant of a painter. Oil painting can be tried on linoleum, wooden panel or pressed wood. The most prolifically used material world wide is slate. Before using pigment, the artists make an outline of what they may look to paint. Pigments are an amalgamation of natural substance with color.

Sulfur was utilized to give a yellow hue and cobalt was assigned the role of providing blue shade and so on. Conventionally, a painter uses brushes for oil paintings. The brushes used were of different types to provide with different strokes. For a bolder stroke, hog’s bristle is deemed adequate and for finer strokes, miniver is just the right type.

Artists look to paint oil paintings in layers quite often. This technique uses turpentine oil for under layering and then various coats of other oils.

Today you can also look to convert your own photograph into an oil painting on a canvas. It’s quite striking a fact that oil paintings can also be used for cave paintings and murals.

Many masters of the painting genre experimented with oils. Vincent van Gogh’s Potato Eater is a revelation in oil. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa which is considered to be the greatest work of art is painted in oil. It is assumed that Vinci used so many layers that the lady seems to give many definite impressions at different times.

Today oil paintings are the prized possessions of many art galleries and museums across the world. They are layered to protect and hence the oil paintings pass the test of time. There is so much a painter wants to say. Oil paintings are a microcosm to his desire. Both of them are layered.