| History of making oil paint from plants | | | | Poppyseed oil is obtained form the small, dark seeds |
| Oil paint is a type of paint which consists of color | | | | of opium poppy, commonly known as the poppy |
| pigments suspended in a drying oil. A drying oil is one | | | | flower. Although the poppyseed oil is used for many |
| which hardens to a tough, solid film after it’s | | | | purposes like cooking oil and moisturizers, the |
| exposed to air. The oil hardens because of a chemical | | | | foremost usage is in the production of paints. |
| reaction between the components and the presence | | | | Poppyseed oil takes more time to dry as compared |
| of oxygen. Drying oils are a key component of oil | | | | to linseed oil. That is the reason why poppyseed oil is |
| paint for painting. This oil comes from different kinds | | | | not used as a ground layer for painting. |
| of plants. | | | | Walnut Oil |
| What plants were used in the past to make oil paint? | | | | As the name indicates, walnut oil comes from |
| There are many kinds of oils that were used in the | | | | walnuts. Walnut oil dries very quickly and it also does |
| past for oil paint. A few examples of oils that were | | | | not give a yellow shade. For this reason, it was very |
| used by the artists are linseed oil, frankincense oil, | | | | popular amongst the Renaissance painters. It is |
| Tung oil, perilla oil, poppyseed oil, walnut oil and | | | | considered to be a good oil paint thinner cleaning |
| safflower oil. | | | | brushes for the same reason. Now the demand of |
| Linseed Oil | | | | walnut oil has decreased with the passage of time. |
| The plant Linaceae is the source of linseed oil. Linseed | | | | This is because, walnut oil is considered to be of |
| oil is extracted from the Linaceae plant and a clear to | | | | lesser quality than that of linseed oil by some people |
| yellowish colored oil is obtained. Sometimes certain | | | | and also, the stock of walnut oil may go bad if not |
| solvents are added to it in order to decrease the | | | | kept by care. |
| drying time of the oil. In the field of oil painting, the | | | | Safflower Oil |
| usage of linseed oil was a giant leap. But as time has | | | | Safflower is a plant having spiny leaves and bears red |
| passed and new techniques have been found, the | | | | or yellowish flowers on an upright and stiff stem. The |
| usage of linseed oil has dropped. Mainly, because of | | | | height of the plant is between 30 to 150 cm. |
| the artificial materials introduced which have the | | | | Safflower has been used for edible oil extracted |
| ability to resist yellowing. In Modern & Abstract | | | | from its seeds, coloring and flavoring of foods, and |
| Oil Paintings, they still use linseed oil. Frankincense Oil | | | | medicines. The safflower oil, used as edible oil, is also |
| Frankincense is a scented resin. This is obtained from | | | | used for painting and is sometimes used instead of |
| the genus Boswellia trees. The bark of the tree is | | | | linseed oil mainly because it does not give the yellow |
| peeled off and a milky white liquid is exuded from it | | | | shade as that of linseed oil. |
| which hardens on its contact with air. Oil is then | | | | All the above mentioned oils have been used in the |
| extracted from these hardened resins by steam | | | | past by artists for oil paintings. Now, these oil paints |
| distillation. Due to the difference in soil and climate | | | | are being used in modern abstract oil paintings and |
| conditions, many different kinds of species are found. | | | | decorative modern paintings. Considering the different |
| Among all the species, the opaque resins are believed | | | | properties of these oils and the desired effect for |
| to be the best kind. These are found in Oman, | | | | the painting, different oil paints may be used in the |
| Yemen and the North coast of Somalia. | | | | same painting. |
| Poppyseed Oil | | | | |