From a search online, I found that rosemary essential oil is not a non-drying oil and can be used in painting – it is in fact sold by art companies, as well as Lavender Spike Oil (made from the spikes of the plant, not the flowers). While the link does specify essential oils, I personally don’t know the difference between essential oils at the pharmacy and those bought from an art store. I stumbled across this because I was looking for different solvents to use instead of turpentine or mineral spirits. You could always get a small bottle of the rosemary essential oil and test it with a small piece to confirm it dries. From the article, essential oils are formed through distillation instead of pressing (like olive oil, coconut oil, etc..). I think I may try it myself!

https://www.jerrysartarama.com/images/PDFs/Artists-Guide-to-Oil-Painting-Solvents.pdf

Hi Romel,

Coconut, rosemary, baby, rapeseed, corn, olive, and soybean oil CANNOT be used in oil painting. The reason: these are nondrying oils.

Linseed oil, Walnut, safflower, and poppy oil ARE drying oils. These are what you can use in oil painting. Linseed, in particular is what you can focus on. Now…. the linseed oil from the hardware store is not going to be as highly refined (if at all) as artists-quality linseed oil… and oftentimes has weird additives in it that could be very harmful to an oil painting.

Turpentine is fine for cleaning brushes but should not be the only thing you use… consider if you were to wash your hair with turpentine. 🙂 After cleaning out as much paint as you can with the turp, then use Murphy’s Oil soap to further clean out your brushes… you’ll see extra paint and turp residue come out in the soap, and rinse your brushes out completely. The nice thing about Murphy’s is that it also conditions your brushes as it cleans them. Dish soap is also ok but tends to be a little harsher on your brush’s lifespan.

If you’re not able to get any drying oils to use with your painting process… then don’t worry about it. Just don’t use any oil. There is oil in your paint, remember… and although you may not be able to do any glazing or optical effects with an available medium, it’s actually better for your painting long-term that you’re not adding any more oil to the painting. Oil is THE most destructive element in an oil painting, unfortunately…. but in your case, not having it is not such a bad thing.

I am located in a country called Trinidad and Tobago, which is in the West Indies. It is impossible to get many of the standard mediums for oil painting.

The materials that are available where I am are extremely limited but here they are

1. Easy to get Coconut oil, clove oil, rosemary oil(pharmacy), lavender oil(pharmacy), baby oil, , turpentine (hardware), rapeseed oil(supermarket), linseed oil (hardware type), brush soap, , dove soap bars, ivory soap bars, corn oil(supermarket), soyabean oil(supermarket),
2. Difficult to get and not available in stores have been rejected upon importation : walnut oil, linseed oil (artist quality), safflower oil, poppy oil
3. Impossible to get: Everything else because solvent are considered hazardous materials and importation is difficult.

I understand baby oil which is essentially mineral oil is not a good option for a medium, I understand turpentine is considered not so great as well, but these may be used as a cleaning solvent. Can you state a process to use for the above mentioned materials to clean brushes and also a possible medium based on the

If you can assist then great and thank you and if not still thanks for taking the time.

Again I am really disappointed in not getting your product. I know it is no fault of your own. But right now I am just stuck not painting. Can I use lavender oil and /or rosemary oil from the pharmacy?

Regards

Hi Fabrice,

I don’t recommend olive oil. Linseed oil is common, but you can also use walnut, poppy, or safflower oils for painting.

Hi Julie, you could use it. The difference between the artists’ grade and the edible variety is two things. Artists’ grade linseed oil is typically derived by the use of solvents, making it easier to obtain and more economical. Edible flaxseed oil is cold pressed (like extra virgin olive oil). This fresh, unprocessed oil contains a higher level of omega-3 fatty acids. Some flax growers also produce breeds of plants that will possess these “nutritional” strengths.

Because the edible variety is so fresh and fatty, oxidation will make it go rancid, very much like walnut oil. With the artists’ grade, antioxidants may be added to the oil to prevent it from spoiling (or rancidification) and increasing the oil’s shelf life. There is an artists’ grade linseed oil that is specified as cold pressed. It is of high quality and generally a little more expensive, and you usually see it in smaller bottles for just that reason…. shelf life.

Would it be safe to use artists’ grade in cooking? I wouldn’t. It’s difficult to know the “trade secrets” of the manufacturing process of linseed oil (unless it’s the higher quality cold pressed variety) and what kinds of solvents companies use. Best to keep things separate as much as possible. I say this and I still keep a beverage on my taboret that I inevitably drop my paintbrush into on occasion instead of the turp jar. 🙂