In this recipe, beeswax will make up about 2% of our oil base. Just make sure you’re not using unrefined beeswax (the yellow stuff) as it will add impurities to your paint. Either option will work just fine, but in this Instructable I’ll be using prilled beeswax since it tends to be a bit easier to melt. You can find beeswax at most craft stores, and it comes in either blocks or tiny pellets called prills. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the pigments you’re intending to use, and take appropriate safety measures.ģ) Refined beeswax – Beeswax acts as both an emulsifier which helps the pigment stick to the linseed oil, and as a thixotropic agent which will help keep the pigment evenly disbursed throughout our paint, and prevent it from settling to the bottom of our container. While you can use almost any pigment you want with this recipe, keep in mind that many pigments are very toxic and may contain high amounts of lead, chromium and other nasty chemicals you don’t want to be breathing in. Ultramarine is also generally considered to be quite safe. Ultramarine has been around for eons, and until synthetic versions of it were produced in the 1800s, it used to be among the most expensive pigments available to painters, where it was used to represent virtue, holiness, and despite its high cost, humility. In this Instructable, I’ll be using the pigment Ultramarine Blue.
Just be sure that your flax oil is pure oil, as some brands are enriched with extra ground up bits of flax seed.Ģ) Pigment – Pigment can be found online, or at most artist supply stores. Despite what the fancy artist paint brands say, flax oil from your grocery store is generally just as good as the product they sell. While you’ll be able to find linseed oil at most artist supply shops, you can also find it at the grocery store as flax seed oil. Linseed oil is different in that if you were to spill some on your counter, it would dry to form a tough film within a few days.
For example, if you were to spill some olive oil on your countertop, chances are it would still be wet to the touch many weeks later. The reason is that unlike most plant based oils, linseed oil is known as a drying oil. To get started making oil paint, you’ll need:ġ) Cold-pressed, raw, or unrefined linseed oil – Linseed oil tends to do much of the heavy lifting in many oil based paint formulations.