Sometimes oil painting gets a bad reputation for being harmful. But there are a lot of variables involved, and if you use common sense practices and develop good studio habits, you can paint safely with oil paints, mediums, and solvents for years and years to come.
Understand what your oil paint is made of.
Oil paint is made from a pigment and a binder such as linseed oil. The toxic chemicals would be found in the pigments. Most highly toxic chemicals that were present in the days of Davinci have been removed from oil paints, but that does not mean that your paint tubes pose no risk.
Look for the ACMI seal.
All artist products that have this seal have undergone extensive toxic evaluation and testing, and if it has this seal it means that it is not any more harmful than say your household cleaners.
Know that the solvents and mediums, such thinners, turpentines, oil mediums and varnishes, that you are using pose the greatest risk due to fumes and fire hazards.
A lot of oil mediums, solvents, and varnishes almost always say combustible on the can or bottle. Use in a well-ventilated area away from appliances, and keep away from flames of candles or gas appliances. Never wad up rags and paper towels that are soaked in paint thinners and dispose in the trash as they can build up their own heat and ignite. If you have a soaked rag or towel, simply lay it out flat and outside to dry before disposing.
Use Proper Ventilation in Your Work Space.
When you are painting, staining and varnishing canvases make sure you have plenty of ventilation. It’s the mediums and solvents that release fumes into the air. This can cause light headedness and fainting. Use artist quality odorless paint thinners from artist supply companies! Never buy your odorless thinners at a hardware store. Just because it says odorless does not mean it will not make you dizzy. I have made this mistake and it was a little scary. I was painting in my small backyard building and it was cold outside, so I did not have windows open or a fan. I painted for 3 hours with “odorless” thinner from Walmart and suddenly realized I was dizzy and feeling really faint. I quickly went outside to get some fresh air and it took a little while before I felt normal. These days I use my thinner and mediums in a tiny container such as a condiment cup or a baby food jar, and I mostly use my thinner at the end when cleaning up brushes.
Don’t Eat or Drink while Oil painting.
You would not want to eat your Lysol cleaner, and the same is true for your oil paints. This is the hardest thing to do. I always like to have my coffee or a glass of water with me while I’m painting, and when I’m up late painting, I’ve been guilty of opening little chocolates and popping them in my mouth while having paint and solvent residue on my hands. It’s also quite possible you might accidentally dip your brush into your drink if it is sitting near your brush rinsing container.
Keep paint and solvents off your skin.
Your skin is the largest organ in your body. Wash your hands often and wear gloves if you are in the habit of getting paint and solvents on your skin. I know gloves can be bothersome, so if you don’t like to wear them, develop the habits of not getting the paint and solvents on your hands, and if you do, get up and go wash your hands periodically during your painting session. You also should NEVER wash oil paints off your hands with solvents. Always use soap and water, or an artist safe hand and brush cleaner. You also should always avoid putting your hands on or close to your mucus membranes, your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Keep children away from your painting space.
Just like you would warn a child of the dangers of electrical outlets, and appliances, make sure your children know that there are dangers in your oil painting space. Keep paints and solvents, and your palette out of reach when you are not around. You just never know when a child might get curious.
Keep others safety in mind.
Often your studio is in your house and chemicals can spread to other areas of the house. Use common sense. Also, never put your thinners and mediums in unlabeled containers and make sure your family knows what the risks are.
Thanks for that warning about becoming dizzy from the paint. I will be on the lookout for that and make sure that my painting area has good ventilation! I have never been a painter before, but I want to get into it!
Yes Bram! Getting dizzy is no fun. I now just use the Gamsol, and I have all of my students use it. It’s the safest! I hope you will start painting! Be sure to enroll in my FREE Course, Getting Started with Oil Painting!
Hi CreativeKina! I stumbled on your page after looking up Oil Safety.
I have a quick question. So, the starter oil paints that I got says that it is pigments mixed with linseed oil.
Should I still be careful with the oil paint that I have wiped off in a rag during painting? Is this at risk for combustion?
I am using terpenoid as cleaner and solvent because it says its non-toxic and nonflammable.
Please let me know what your thoughts are. This whole spontaneous combustion thing is honestly making me paranoid and concerned.
Thanks!
Hi Ren! Sorry I’m just now responding! I missed this comment some how. Linseed oil is a safe natural oil that is mixed with pretty much all oil paints. It’s not so much the paint that is harmful but the thinners you are using. You must always be careful when you saturate a rag with any type of thinner or combustible liquid. This is because a wadded up rag that is saturated with a thinner or a wood stain for example, can combust if it generates enough heat or is in a hot room or whatever. For example, with my tung oil or stain that I use for finishing natural wood furniture, I lay the rag out flat to dry before I throw it away. I use paper towels when oil painting and almost never have enough thinner on my paper towel to make a difference. I just chunk them in the trash. Terpenoid is good to use but my favorite is Gamsol by Gamblin, it is the safest and that’s what all of my students and fellow oil painters use to thin the paint. If you have anymore questions please let me know, and be sure to sign up for my FREE Getting Stared with Oil Painting Course at https://learn.creativekina.com/p/getting-started-with-oil-painting
Thanks for the info. I’ve made similar mistakes with masking fluid a couple times and experienced dizziness. I had no idea. How do you know when not properly using painting mediums have impact your health.
I think as long as you are not experiencing any syptoms, such as headaches, nausea, etc. You are not in danger. Be sure to keep the solvents off of your skin and enough draft in the air, and no worries. 🙂
Everything is very open with a very clear description of the challenges. It was truly informative. Your site is very useful. Thanks for sharing! Lena Miller Patrich