Oil Paints and Asthma

A lovely couple came into my studio a few days ago.  The husband was interested in trying oil painting, but had concerns about the smell.  He has asthma and things like cigarette smoke bother him.  I also have a student who has bad asthma and the oil paints (and even Turpenoid, odorless mineral spirits) bother her.

A wonderful solution for those with asthma, those sensitive to Turpenoid and the oils used to make oil paint (linseed, safflower, walnut, etc.), and those in an environment where they are not allowed solvents, even odorless (schools, nursing homes, etc.) is water mixable oil paint.  The drying time is several hours before they get too tacky to work.  It is not as long as traditional oils, but orders of magnitude longer than acrylics.  They have very similar working properties to traditional oils, but a slightly different feel "under the brush".  Maybe a little stickier?  No solvents are needed for clean up, just soap and water for the brushes and baby wipes for the palette.  The smell does not seem to bother my students with asthma, though of course your experience may differ.  Always get the advice of your doctor.

My student who uses them found that it is necessary to add the impasto medium to them during the summer months to make them behave a little better.  She just mixes some into her white at the start of a painting session.  She uses regular oil brushes and a few acrylic and watercolor brushes.

Winsor & Newton Artisan Oil Colour Beginners Set

Winsor and Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oil Painting Impasto Medium