Search results for 'Red pigments'

Poppy Oil is a slightly later addition to the artist's cabinet than Linseed Oil and Walnut Oil. It is generally used as a binder for pale colours, where the warmth of Linseed Oil is not desired. It provides a matte finish and dries very slowly, so we would not advise using it in conjunction with slow-drying pigments or in underpaintings. A paint film produced by Poppy Oil is weaker and softer than that created by Linseed Oil. This is because it contains a smaller percentage of linolenic acid than Linseed Oil; this substance imparts both strength and yellowness to an oil.  

Although some of these properties can be perceived as drawbacks, paints made with Poppy Oil generally obtain a "short" or buttery texture without the addition of waxes or other additives, which can be an advantage for certain colours that produce poor consistencies in Linseed oil alone. Sometimes, the addition of a small quantity of Poppy Oil when grinding a tricky or "stringy" pigment in Cold Pressed Linseed Oil can introduce some of benefits of Poppy Oil, without transmitting its negative characteristics.

Paints made with Poppy Oil are particularly suited to "alla prima" working methods, where paint is applied spontaneously. When working in successive layers, Poppy Oil would only be appropriate for the final stages of a painting.