Descriptive names for oil paint colors

If you are interested in a structured approach for learning how to paint, take a look at my online painting classes.

Artists Oil Colour

The table below provides all the important information about the composition, characteristics and permanence of the Artists’ Oil Colour range. You can use it to tell you how a colour will appear on your surface (transparency/opacity), how long it will last (permanence) and what pigments it is made from (chemical description) plus much more.

For a detailed explanation of terms used, see terms explained here.

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Confusing terms to identify when buying oil paints for beginners

“Hue” tube colors

Some pigments are labeled “hue” by the manufacturer. For example “cadmium red hue”. The term “hue” is used by paint manufacturers to indicate that the color is not really made from cadmium, but has been manufactured from a combination of pigments to have the same ‘hue’ as a cadmium color. When buying paints, look on the label for the list of pigments that have been used to make the color. The reasons for creating the hue can also be to:

• simulate another more expensive pigment.
• simulate a pigment that is no longer available (such as Indian yellow).
• create a mix that is more convenient to use than using its component pigments.
• simulate a pigment that is fugitive (such as Hooker’s Green), and to provide an alternative color that is more lightfast.

Mediums

The term “medium” can also be confusing for beginners. It can either mean:

• A particular method for making a painting or drawing, for example oils, acrylics, pastels, watercolors, photography, digital etc.
• A liquid used to make the paint more fluid so you can apply it more easily, or to create a glaze. Or it could be a liquid to hep your paint dry more quickly. It can also effect the surface look of the paint, whether it appears gloss or matte. In oil paints it is a natural substance such as linseed or poppy oil.

What quality of paints do I need?

Oil paints for beginners can also create confusion about which quality of colors to buy. My suggestion for beginners is to just get the cheapest oil paint you can find to start with and play around with lots of paint on your palette. What you do with it is 50 times more important than the type of paint you use. The more you play the faster you will learn. The more paint you put out on your palette the faster you will learn to develop color harmonies.

It will also be easier for you to develop good brushwork and interesting impasto surfaces. This advice applies if it is brushwork that interests you about paint. If you like refined smooth paint surfaces ignore the suggestions above since you won’t use much paint so price is not so much an issue. I like brushwork and the sensual feeling of a lot of paint, but that is just my personal preference.

If grasped properly, oil paints for beginners are not so difficult.

Oil paints for beginners tips

Follow the rule “fat over lean”. This means that if you are painting one layer of paint on top of another layer of paint, make sure that each successive layer has more oil in it. The reason for this is that layers with more oil in them take longer to dry. If you have a still wet layer under a layer that has dried, the paint surface will crack.

Try to use the same manufacturer of oil paint and medium, as they will work best together.