Oil Painting 101- Solvents
Installment three in the OP101 series: Using Solvents and Brush Cleaning. This Art-Tickle goes is about how to clean your brushes, Traditional oil paints can be cleaned out of brush fibers by swishing the brush in a solvent; either Turpentine or Mineral Spirits, or with Oil, such as Linseed or Walnut Oil.
Turpentine, or "Turps," is a plant based derivative, usually made from the sap of pine trees. It is an extremely volatile product but because it was readily available and inexpensive, it was used almost universally until Odorless Mineral Spirits were created. Some people hold out and still use turpentine, adhering to the "tradition" in oil painting. It is a rather dangerous product that I do not recommend. Many people are quite allergic to the odor and touch. It may cause lung and central nervous system damage when inhaled, and renal damage if ingested, and skin rash if touched.
Odorless Mineral Spirits (aka White Spirits), heretofore referred to as OMS, is a paraffin derivative widely used in oil painting and is a safer product for most people. OMS comes in several grades, depending on the amount of refinement. The more the spirits are refined (removal of aromatic compounds), the safer the product becomes. If you are particularly affected by solvents then you want the most refined product. Most artist grade OMS are refined 95% and are perfectly acceptable for the majority of artists. Houston Art makes a good product called Mona Lisa Odorless Mineral Spirits that cleans very well. Gamblin (Gamsol) and Weber (Turpenoid) make products that are refined 100% and are truly odorless and relatively safe to use for those particularly susceptible to odors. That extra refinement makes for a higher priced liquid, but it is worth it, particularly as a painting medium. OMS has a low toxicity, including from inhalation, touch, and being ingested, and is a low risk to the environment. However, recent studies have shown that even though the product has no odor, some people have shown allergic reactions to OMS. Even though there is no odor, some fumes are likely dispersed in the air and can cause problems. (My wife has such problems and the OMS causes her to have headaches.)
An alternative to solvents is to clean your brush with a rag and oil. Linseed Oil and Walnut Oil are common products used. Some people have been known to use other oils such as mineral oil, vegetable oil, and the like. These oils are not particularly recommended since they are not drying oils and do not oxidize. Linseed and Walnut Oils, while more expensive, oxidize and are the same types of oil used as a vehicle in your paint and therefore will not react negatively with the paint you put on your canvas. If you do use the cheaper oils make SURE that you remove all of the oil from your brush after cleaning before applying paint to the canvas with that brush. I will go into methods for cleaning in a moment.
You will want to put the OMS or Oil in some sort of container. A small bucket works well for OMS but it can be difficult to find a lid that closes airtight. Glass jars also work and can be easily closed. Houston Art makes a Mona Lisa cleaning tank that has a brush screen in the bottom and is easily sealed. Silicoil does as well. These containers are smaller so they are perfect when using oil as your cleaning method. Weber makes a product that I really like. for OMS. It's a heavy gauge bucket with a tight lid as well as a screen that fits perfectly in the bottom.
Turpentine, or "Turps," is a plant based derivative, usually made from the sap of pine trees. It is an extremely volatile product but because it was readily available and inexpensive, it was used almost universally until Odorless Mineral Spirits were created. Some people hold out and still use turpentine, adhering to the "tradition" in oil painting. It is a rather dangerous product that I do not recommend. Many people are quite allergic to the odor and touch. It may cause lung and central nervous system damage when inhaled, and renal damage if ingested, and skin rash if touched.
Odorless Mineral Spirits (aka White Spirits), heretofore referred to as OMS, is a paraffin derivative widely used in oil painting and is a safer product for most people. OMS comes in several grades, depending on the amount of refinement. The more the spirits are refined (removal of aromatic compounds), the safer the product becomes. If you are particularly affected by solvents then you want the most refined product. Most artist grade OMS are refined 95% and are perfectly acceptable for the majority of artists. Houston Art makes a good product called Mona Lisa Odorless Mineral Spirits that cleans very well. Gamblin (Gamsol) and Weber (Turpenoid) make products that are refined 100% and are truly odorless and relatively safe to use for those particularly susceptible to odors. That extra refinement makes for a higher priced liquid, but it is worth it, particularly as a painting medium. OMS has a low toxicity, including from inhalation, touch, and being ingested, and is a low risk to the environment. However, recent studies have shown that even though the product has no odor, some people have shown allergic reactions to OMS. Even though there is no odor, some fumes are likely dispersed in the air and can cause problems. (My wife has such problems and the OMS causes her to have headaches.)
An alternative to solvents is to clean your brush with a rag and oil. Linseed Oil and Walnut Oil are common products used. Some people have been known to use other oils such as mineral oil, vegetable oil, and the like. These oils are not particularly recommended since they are not drying oils and do not oxidize. Linseed and Walnut Oils, while more expensive, oxidize and are the same types of oil used as a vehicle in your paint and therefore will not react negatively with the paint you put on your canvas. If you do use the cheaper oils make SURE that you remove all of the oil from your brush after cleaning before applying paint to the canvas with that brush. I will go into methods for cleaning in a moment.
You will want to put the OMS or Oil in some sort of container. A small bucket works well for OMS but it can be difficult to find a lid that closes airtight. Glass jars also work and can be easily closed. Houston Art makes a Mona Lisa cleaning tank that has a brush screen in the bottom and is easily sealed. Silicoil does as well. These containers are smaller so they are perfect when using oil as your cleaning method. Weber makes a product that I really like. for OMS. It's a heavy gauge bucket with a tight lid as well as a screen that fits perfectly in the bottom.
The screen is also available by itself if you already have a bucket. A neat trick that works great if you don't have a tight fitting lid, (or even if you do!) is to put the screen into a one gallon zip lock bag (Or a smaller bag if you are using a small jar) and put both into the bucket. Pour in the OMS until it is about an inch above the screen. At the end of the painting session simply zip the bag closed. As you clean your brushes in the liquid the paint particles suspend in the OMS, then settle to the bottom overnight. Once you notice that the particles accumulate to just below the screen it is time to change the bag. After your painting session the screen can be swished in the liquid to help clean it, then removed. Allow the solution to settle overnight. Pour off the clean spirits, still very usable, into another container and dispose of the sludge properly. Put the screen in a new clean bag and put it in the bucket. Pour in the old OMS and top off with new, clean OMS and you are ready to go again! As for the old bag, Cadmium and other toxic materials will make up this sludge so it is best to dispose of it at a toxic waste disposal site in your area.
Clean your brushes in the OMS before moving from one dark color to another lighter. At the end of your painting session it is a good idea to clean the solvent from your brushes by using a brush soap. This is talked about in detail in the article "Choosing Brushes".
When using oil to clean your brushes, it is best to have two containers of oil. One is larger and lidded with a screen in the bottom; the other can be a tiny cup such as a palette cup or plastic "ketchup cup". Simply wipe as much paint off of the brush as possible with a rag, then dip into the small clean container oil and wipe again. Swish the remaining paint on the screen in the larger jar to remove the rest and wipe again. Dip into the small cup of clean oil and do a final wipe. It isn't as much trouble as it sounds, and your brushes will love it and stay much more flexible and soft. At the end of the painting session clean the brush in soap and warm water as discussed in the article "Choosing brushes". If you would rather not use the larger container for oil due to cost issues it is easy to simply dip the brush into a small container of oil and wipe, foregoing the "swish" part. With this method you will want to use a different brush for different colors since you won't get all of the color out of the brush. This is particularly true when going from a dark color to white or other light color. Many artists use this method today and it works great. I use the "swishing" method and use fewer brushes. Find out which works for you! Eventually the larger container of oil will fill with paint and will need to be changed. A good practice is the pour the oil over sawdust and let it absorb and become a solid, then dispose of properly according to your local codes.
Whichever method you choose, clean your brushes with soap and warm water at the end of the day and they will last a lifetime and serve you well.
Clean your brushes in the OMS before moving from one dark color to another lighter. At the end of your painting session it is a good idea to clean the solvent from your brushes by using a brush soap. This is talked about in detail in the article "Choosing Brushes".
When using oil to clean your brushes, it is best to have two containers of oil. One is larger and lidded with a screen in the bottom; the other can be a tiny cup such as a palette cup or plastic "ketchup cup". Simply wipe as much paint off of the brush as possible with a rag, then dip into the small clean container oil and wipe again. Swish the remaining paint on the screen in the larger jar to remove the rest and wipe again. Dip into the small cup of clean oil and do a final wipe. It isn't as much trouble as it sounds, and your brushes will love it and stay much more flexible and soft. At the end of the painting session clean the brush in soap and warm water as discussed in the article "Choosing brushes". If you would rather not use the larger container for oil due to cost issues it is easy to simply dip the brush into a small container of oil and wipe, foregoing the "swish" part. With this method you will want to use a different brush for different colors since you won't get all of the color out of the brush. This is particularly true when going from a dark color to white or other light color. Many artists use this method today and it works great. I use the "swishing" method and use fewer brushes. Find out which works for you! Eventually the larger container of oil will fill with paint and will need to be changed. A good practice is the pour the oil over sawdust and let it absorb and become a solid, then dispose of properly according to your local codes.
Whichever method you choose, clean your brushes with soap and warm water at the end of the day and they will last a lifetime and serve you well.