Making Oil paint -Is It The Cheaper Option?

As artists, we are often on the lookout for ways to cut costs without compromising the quality of our materials. One topic that frequently arises in this pursuit is the cost-effectiveness of making our own oil paints. Recently, I stumbled upon a discussion forum that posed the question, "Can I ACTUALLY save money by making my own paints?" The responses varied, piquing my curiosity and prompting me to delve deeper into the matter. I embarked on the journey of making my own oil paints, initially as a means of immersing myself further in my artistic practice. Gradually, I envisioned having a complete range of handmade paints to fuel my creativity. In this blog post, we will explore the question of whether making your own oil paint is a more affordable option or merely a myth. Let's dive in and uncover the truth.

What is oil paint? 

Oil paint is a traditional paint comprised of pigment particles suspended in a binder, most often Linseed oil. Oil paint is widely regarded for its slower drying times and its blend ability. Other variations of this paint have been introduced such as water-mixable oil paint and alkyd oil paint which have some comparable properties to traditional oils but work very differently. 

Oil paints may also contain fillers, these fillers are cheap and colourless pigments, allowing for the volume of pigment in the tube to be reduced whilst the paint maintains its structure. This decrease in pigment content will result in a compromised opacity and a diminished intensity. These fillers, however, allow the paint to be more affordable, the more filler...the cheaper. 

Professional vs Student Oil Paint 

If you are new to the world of oil paints you may have noticed that brands carry multiple lines of oil paint, often there will be a price difference between the two. Brands often make different grades of oil paint to match different budgets, often the lower grade paint is labelled ‘student’ paint, this by no means insinuates that its bad paint, The paint that I am currently using the last of is ‘Winsor and Newton – Winton Oil Colour’ which is considered their student grade paint, and whilst some of the colours are a bit lack luster I have stuck to them for years as my go to paints.  

There are many aspects of the paint that determine its quality: The pigment, The Oil, and the Mixing process. I will briefly compare each of these aspects with basic oil paints, professional oil paint as well as from my own experience of making your own paints. (Remember that these are general observations, and each company has its own ingredients and method) 

1. The Pigment 

Basic: Basic paints will share the same quality pigments as professional paints, however as the cheaper price suggests there is often a larger amount of additives, such as filler, present in these paints, reducing the amount of quality pigment. 

Professional: Professional paints will use high quality pigments, but where it differs from basic paints is that these will contain less or little to no filler, around 75% pigment compared to cheaper paints which could be as low as 25%, allowing for more brilliant colours and better opacity, this also means that they will be more expensive that basic oil paints. 

Homemade: You oversee sourcing your own pigments. I personally use pigments from Jackson’s Art, and they work perfectly for me. You can buy inexpensive pigments or expensive ones; you are buying ingredients so the better your ingredients, the better chance of a quality outcome. The addition of fillers is also at your own discretion, I personally do not. 

2. The Oil 

Basic: Whilst the oil may remain the same there is a possibility of the oil not being properly refined, these contaminants can result in a stronger yellowing over time. 

Professional: Professional paints will be made up of the correct amount of drying oil for that pigment, most commonly: refined linseed oil or walnut oil, refined and filtered oils remove any impurities from the oil. Additives such as Aluminum Stearate could be added to prevent the pigment from clumping. 

Homemade: Much like the pigments, you will source this oil yourself (or even make it yourself!) so research into the quality of what your buying can help ensure your using the best ingredients. You will also have more control over the drying time of your paint as you can choose a drying oil with an extended drying time such as walnut oil or poppy oil.  

 3. The Mixing Process 

Basic: Much like professional paints these paints are often also milled with a triple roll mill, allowing for optimum pigment particle saturation however in most cases cheaper paints will be handled the same regardless of pigment used and instantly tubed ready to go, this is often why it is common to have excess oil in the tube. 

Professional: Oil paints are put through a triple roll mill no matter if they are student oil or professional, this mill allowed for optimal saturation of the pigment particles with the binder. The difference in cost comes after the milling process, where the paints are allowed to ‘stand’ or ‘breathe’ and if needed, undergo a second repeat mill. Different pigments absorb different amounts of oil, and this standing time allows for any excess oil to be excreted. 

Homemade: Unless you have access to your own triple roll mill chances are that you will be using a muller and slab to grind your paint. Whilst you will not be able to grind your paint to the quality of an industrial grinder you will have much more control over the consistency of your paint, every artist has their own preferences when it comes to the thickness of their paint. I personally prefer a very stiff paint that I can thin down with solvents later, when making my own paints I can easily control this.  

So, is making your own paint cheaper? 

Initially it may hurt your bank account a fraction with all the immediate purchases needed: the pigments, the oil, the Muller, the slab, aluminum tubes etc. However, not including pigment most of these will last quite a long time so they will be single purchases. 

Below is a list of comparisons of common brands, both student and professional, as well as the price for a similar pigment (these prices will be off the pigments I personally use) I will be comparing colours that would be typically used in a limited palette, i will be comparing the colours separately as earth pigments tend to be cheaper than others. With pigments I typically purchase mine in 100g pots, this makes me 120ml – 150ml paint depending on the pigment, for sake of price comparison I will aim to look at tubes within that range (These prices are from a multitude of sources and may vary, these are also based of a ‘typical’ limited palette, there are other colours available as cadmium are generally more expensive than other pigments) 

1. Titanium White

2. Burnt Umber

3. Cadmium Yellow

4. Cadmium Red

5. Cobalt Blue

You may notice I have put (Hue) in brackets for some of the paints, this just means that a modern equivalent of the pigment is being used instead of a traditional one (which can bring the cost down significantly.)  

As you can see from above, Professional paints are incredibly pricey compared to the student paints and pigments. You are paying for experience are quality which, when you are looking to sell your art or frame it in a gallery, you want to trust your materials. Making your own paint requires patience when getting to know how the materials interact, it is a possibility to lose money with the pigments through trial and error when getting started but what you lose in experimenting you gain in a rich, opaque pigment to your liking, for this I recommend looking at earth pigment first (burnt umber, raw umber, yellow ocher etc.) which are cheaper than blue pigments.  

To answer the question, I had set at the beginning of this post: Yes, I do believe that making your own paint will save you money overall, not only that, but you are familiarizing yourself with your medium and adding yet another connection to your work.