Oil Painting

Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that bound with medium of drying oil — especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil.

Often an oil, such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense, these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body and gloss.

Other oils occasionally used include poppyseed oil, walnut oil, and safflower oil.

These oils give various properties to the oil paint, such as less yellowing or different drying times.

Certain differences are also visible in the sheen of the paints depending on the oil. Painters often use different oils in the same painting depending on specific pigments and effects desired.

The paints themselves also develop a particular feel depending on the media. Oil paint was probably developed for decorative or functional purposes in the High Middle Ages.

Surfaces like shields — both those used in tournaments and those hung as decorations — were more durable when painted in oil-based media than when painted in the traditional tempera paints.