The Essentials for Professional Oil Painters: Opus Essential Oil Colours

Opus Resource Library

The Essential Oil Colours for Professional Artists

Formulated by selecting the finest pigments and carefully blending and milling them with the purest refined linseed* oil, Opus Essential Oil Colours are an unrivalled oil paint worthy of professional artists and the masters alike.

Full-bodied and rich, Opus Essential Oil Colours have a buttery-smooth consistency and they paint, glaze and mix without losing vibrancy. Combining quality ingredients, an exceptionally high pigment load, and paying special attention to formulations ensures that Opus Essential Oil Colours are an exceptional quality oil paint perfect for fine art applications and professional use.

Opus Essential Oil Colours - Titanium White

The Oils in Essential Oil Colours

Both the linseed oil and safflower oil used as binders for Opus Essential Oil Colours are “alkali refined”, which refers to a process of refining or purifying the oil using alkali substances such as sodium hydroxide (lye) or potassium hydroxide. The alkali refining process involves treating the oil with these substances to remove impurities and improve its quality. Some of the benefits of alkali refined oils include:

Improved Longevity: Acidic conditions can contribute to the deterioration of oil paintings over time. When the oil is less acidic, it reduces the potential for the oil to react with the paint layers, thereby promoting the longevity of the artwork. This is particularly important for preserving the vibrancy and integrity of the colours used.
Reduced Yellowing: Over time, some oil paintings may experience a yellowing effect, known as "yellowing of the oil film." This yellowing can be more pronounced in paintings that use linseed oil with higher acidity levels. By using a less acidic linseed oil, artists can minimize the yellowing process and maintain the original appearance of the artwork.
Enhanced Stability: Acidic oils have the potential to react with pigments and binders in the paint, leading to changes in the stability and adhesion of the paint layers. When artists choose an oil with a lower acidity level, they’ll have better stability within the paint layers, reducing the likelihood of cracking, flaking, or other forms of deterioration.
Increased colour Intensity: High acidity in linseed oil can sometimes have a negative effect on the colour intensity and transparency of pigments. With a less acidic linseed oil, artists can achieve better colour saturation, allowing for more vibrant and expressive paintings.
Improved Brushwork and Drying Time: The acidity of linseed oil can influence its handling properties, such as viscosity and drying time. Less acidic linseed oil tends to have smoother brushwork characteristics, allowing artists to achieve desired textures and effects. Additionally, it can contribute to more consistent drying times, which can be advantageous for artists who require specific timeframes for layering or glazing techniques.

Comparing the colours of linseed oil and safflower oil.

Image: Linseed Oil (Left), Safflower Oil (Right)

Why we use Safflower Oil

When it comes to purity of colour, we’ve paid attention to the details. While the majority of Opus Essential Oil Colours are manufactured with pure alkali refined linseed oil, our whites are made with pure alkali refined safflower oil.

What does this do for white? Safflower oil is used for grinding our white pigments because of its very light colour, meaning white paints made this way are as bright and pure a white as possible. The lighter colour of safflower oil can be beneficial when working with lighter or more delicate colour palettes, as it minimizes any potential colour shifts or tinting that may occur when using linseed oil.

Another important characteristic of safflower oil is its reduced yellowing over time. While both safflower oil and linseed oil may experience some degree of yellowing as the years go by, safflower oil is known to yellow less than linseed oil. This characteristic can be advantageous for artists who want to maintain the colour integrity of their artwork over an extended period, especially when working with lighter or more subtle colour schemes.

We’re confident that you’ll find the working properties of Opus Essential Oil Colours meet professional standards and offer outstanding value as well.