Glossary: Oil Paint

A powdered pigment  which is held together with linseed oil. It was originally ground by hand but now comes in a tube. It is a very slow drying drying substance that can be reworked by the artist over a a number of days. It is colour fast and this does not change during the drying process so the artist knows what the finished work will look like. Many artists now use acrylic paint for its fast drying properties. See our entry on acrylic paint.