Painting Without Solvents Tips // Easy Guide to Non-Toxic Oil Painting

This video is all about creating a safe art practice and learning to paint solvent-free. I show you my best non-toxic oil painting tips and walk you through my process. There are many things you can go about this, but I go over the best easiest ways to get started.
Thanks for watching! :)
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[@loati94]

Gamsol or any white spirits being odorless doesn't mean it's not toxic or that it doesn't release harm vapors, it just means that it doesn't have a smell. Many people confuse the term odorless with non toxic I don't know why.

[@hayleyhawkins]

Exactly!

[@jeremiahembs5343]

That's right. They are chemically modified to evaporate more slowly and are refined to have less toxic chemicals, but they are still toxic.

[@pocahontasseguinart7099]

People that sell paints even Amazon don’t put safety things some say error yellow warning ⚠️ some don’t but still don’t do anything safety . They don’t think about very gifted talented disabled people’s safety . It’s about money and killing people that’s why which it’s sad . 11:15

[@michaelwoehl8822]

Use safflower oil to clean and store my brushes, they stay in great shape and last almost forever. I paint with oils and used to have to replace brushes constantly because they were ruined after cleaning with turpentine or Gamsol after only a few uses, still use the solvents for larger brushes but immediately store back in safflower oil. Would recommend this for anyone.

[@hayleyhawkins]

yes! I started doing this too - dip in safflower oil and it stays wet for days. it's awesome!

[@Blick_Art]

This video has some great, practical advice for artists, especially those working in their living space. We were glad that a distinction was made between oil paint smells that are subjectively unpleasant, as opposed to vapors that are objectively harmful. The advice about allowing paint rags to dry flat in a single layer for later disposal is so important, because even cooking oil generates heat as it oxidizes, and that heat can accumulate to the point of ignition in rags that are balled up or piled up. The discussion about oil of spike lavender is important too, because as others have commented, not every usage scenario may be completely without problems. (Because turpentine has such a long, documented history in the English ceramics industry, we have a lot more data about the effects of long-term, repeated exposure to that material compared to fragrance oils.) We also love that monthly use of a solvent-based brush cleaner is discussed as a reasonable measure in strictly reducing overall use of volatile/hydrocarbon solvents in the studio.

[@hayleyhawkins]

Hi Blick! Thank you so much for your insights!! I couldn't agree more. I appreciate you checking out my video :)

[@jennybohner3144]

Totally agree with your techniques and ideas, Hayley. I am highly sensitive to solvents. I started suddenly about ten years after I started oil painting with turpentine as a solvent. (I probably only painted for a few hours a week). I took up watercolour and gouache instead but I missed the oils. Now after trying most non solvents , (it's the flow of turps paint that I miss ), I use stiffer brushes, warmer days or even a heat source near my work area, and linseed oil , sometimes with a small addition of cold pressed safflower for added flow. Really hated the lavender spike (so intensely smelly. Arrgh). Walnut alkyd? okay but overpainting beaded up too much. Walnut oil? Also good but the paint layer isn't as tough as linseed. Yours is the best, greenest, wisest video I've seen in this area of non-solvent painting. Thanks. (P.S. The odourless thing is so insane, isn't it? -Let's poison people who can't smell it happening......)

[@hayleyhawkins]

I couldn't agree more with you Jenny! Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Painting solvent free is not perfect but as you mentioned, there's nothing like oils so I keep coming back :) Safflower oil seems to be the best thing I've found. Love the idea of using a heat source, that is interesting. Wishing you well on your solvent free journey!

[@Man-ej6uv]

i’m very sensitive to solvents- i think i’m allergic to most. that’s why i’ve been using linseed oil ever since i’ve started using oil paints. and i use water+soap to clean my brushes when i’m down for the day.

[@Man-ej6uv]

oops, done*

[@euniceabranchesdaguiar3304]

I really needed this video!!! Thank you!

[@hayleyhawkins]

I'm so happy it was helpful!! :)

[@pietrodonz8272]

Thanks for your suggestions. I use walnut oil with a few drops of lavender essential oil.

[@loati94]

I went to an art store and asked for safflower oil to clean my brushes. They said that's not how it works, the oil doesn't clean and that I needed solvent. I went to another store and I bought safflower oil, this time without saying what I wanted it for. I swipe my brushes in a towel until they are mostly clean, then dip them in safflower oil and swipe them in a glass palette so the leftover paint dissolves and wipe again in the towel. Then I can change colors. When I finish I do the same and then I wash with soap and water. You can totally do it, don't let old school artists tell you what you can or can't do.

[@jeremiahembs5343]

Safflower is a drying oil and so will dry on your brushes if you leave them too long. You can rinse with it, but before putting your brushes away use some non-drying oil like olive oil or mineral oil or baby oil and they won't dry. Use a paper towel to remove almost all of the non-drying oil before you begin the next session. Too much still on your brush will prevent your paint from drying on the canvas. You can buy cheap safflower oil at the grocery store by the way. It's not necessarily artists grade, but it works.

[@loati94]

@@jeremiahembs5343 I keep reading everywhere about safflower oil in the grocery store but in my country I have never seen it. We have Olive oil and Sunflower oil mainly. Also I said I use soap and water when I finish my session, I know it dries

[@jeremiahembs5343]

@@loati94 Hi Loati. Yes you can use sunflower oil instead of safflower oil. If you want to try safflower oil and you can't find it in the grocery story you can order through dickblick or amazon. Only a little is needed and you can get large bottles for cooking. The artist grade is more expensive than the kind for cooking, but the artist grade might be more pure, but either should work to do some painting. You don't use very much after all; just enough to get the paint to soften a little. I've never used sunflower oil for painting but I've read that it's basically the same as safflower oil in the way that it behaves so artists can use that in the same way as safflower oil. Both harden though as you say so you have to wash out your brushes with soap and water after. Olive oil doesn't harden, but some of the cheaper brands are mixed with corn oil and corn oil gets sticky. I have read a lot of news lately though that sunflower oil will be in short supply this year because of the war in the Ukraine. Apparently Russia grows a lot of the sunflowers used to make the oil and some countries like Turkey, Spain, and India use a lot of it. I don't know about other countries though. Turkey has made a deal where they can get some from Russia, but Spain has already started to ration it, so if you use it you might want to be aware that it will be in short supply in many places so you might want to try to get some more now. Sanctions and wars hurt the little people the most and Russia makes a lot of the more rare artist supplies so I know that's not the only thing that will be difficult to get. I suspect real white lead paint will continue to be extremely difficult to get as will genuine cinnabar vermilion, genuine red lead/minium, orpiment, genuine chrome yellow, genuine tin yellow, and maybe genuine cobalt and cadmium. Beginners don't use most of those, but more experienced classical artists do.

[@AL_THOMAS_777]

🙌 👏 🙏 🤝 👍 YEAH mate, g r e a t advice This is learning by d o i n g !! Mostly the BEST way to learn . . . remember the great Francis Bacon: Never EVER visited any art school - and now his paintings sell for double digit MILLIONS !!!

[@AL_THOMAS_777]

This great tip proves again, that solvents are NOT necessary for cleaning ! I guess many of the "Old" artists also had no probs at all, to leave a trace of "unwanted" colour in their brush -> very nice UN-planned effects !!!

[@christinegalysh7433]

Thank you for the mineral oil tip for cleaning brushes. Will try that. Real good video . Thank you . All the Best

[@hayleyhawkins]

Thank you!!!

[@acwatercolors]

My existential question.. Thanks !

[@hayleyhawkins]

Of course!!🙂

[@JamesBrown-xg2jr]

Fantastic video, so informative ... didn't realize there were so many solvent free options ... hope you're feeling better and able to create more videos ,thank you so much :)

[@hayleyhawkins]

Thank you so much for watching! :) Yes! More videos coming soon 😎

[@JamesBrown-xg2jr]

@@hayleyhawkins It was my pleasure,I learned alot ..I paint in a poorly ventilated workspace so solvent free alternatives are much appreciated,lol ..take care and I look forward to more content :D

[@hayleyhawkins]

@@JamesBrown-xg2jr That's amazing, I'm glad it helped! I used to paint in small rooms with no ventilation so I understand haha! Solvent-free painting is perfect for that :)

[@JamesBrown-xg2jr]

@@hayleyhawkins You have no idea how grateful I am for your video , it got so that I didn't enjoy painting anymore , it was a pain to clean up because I had to go outside every time ,ughh ,lol ... many thanks again :)

[@pocahontasseguinart7099]

I was using the varnish so much sence mothers days like Grumbacher spray and liquid varnish like the pastels . I’m told after I’m healed next time use a mask even with pastels .Any recommendations what varnish that’s ok for me .

[@boyandbelugee]

Thank you. We are just starting with oil paints.❤

[@hayleyhawkins]

That is amazing! Welcome to the club, wishing you well on your oil painting journey ahead :)

[@annadarchi4021]

Thanks for such an informative vid. I’m a beginner so any advice is welcome!! Best wishes.

[@hayleyhawkins]

So glad to help, thanks for watching :)

[@nirmalajetty6426]

Thanks for the tips.

[@hayleyhawkins]

You are welcome, thank you for watching! 🙂

[@emmamariamakes]

I'm getting into water mixable oils (Cobra Artist from Talens) and it's really convenient for rinsing the brush in between colors with plain water. I don't really use it with water to thin It out though.

[@hayleyhawkins]

Yes it's so nice! Using less water is better so that's a great system :)

[@cindyd.01]

Thanks for the info! Have you considered acrylic for your under painting? Then you wouldn’t need the water mixable oil paints. Thanks for the info on the lavender spike oil, I was just about to try some. I plan to try Chelsea’s extra pale linseed oil though.

[@hayleyhawkins]

Yes! I actually just made a new video all about underpaintings :) I don't use acrylic that much anymore, but I used to in the past! It can be awesome for underpaintings. Now I use oils primarily :) Let me know how you like the chelsea linseed oil!

[@AL_THOMAS_777]

Yeah - thats a GREAT advice ! I got wonderful effects blending the incarnate of some acrylic (under-) paintings with oil-colour !

[@patriciapaints]

I’ve been using lavender spike oil but the smell it’s just too powerful. Watching this video as I’m looking into ways of painting solvent free ❤

[@hayleyhawkins]

Yes it’s very strong!! 😓 wishing you well on your solvent free journey!

[@gregmeissner9960]

I really want you to be wrong about spike lavender oil, but you are right. It smells better than turpentine but the active ingredient is citrus turpene. Gum turpentine is made of conifer turpentine, still volatile, toxic, and likely to cause respiratory damage. Chemically they are very similar. I’m not comfortable using a nondrying oil in my brushes and if I’m going to use brush soap anyway, I don’t know that there is any advantage in using one.

[@hayleyhawkins]

It’s a bummer about lavender spike oil for sure! Curious - why are you not comfortable using a nondrying oil?

[@user-pt1cz4ot1e]

This was great. Thank you so much. I’m trying to switch to a safer option as well. I’ve lived organically most of my life, but in the art world, I’m surrounded by chemicals all the time. It makes no sense. Lol. Thanks again!

[@hayleyhawkins]

I know right!! I feel the same way 😅

[@TV-yq4sn]

All the heavy metals in the oil paints made me crazy. I like the tip about wearing gloves. The pigeons used always tell me to use them - wish I listened now.

[@DrPanesar]

Hi Hayley, does safflower oil not increase the drying time of oil paints? That may make it harder to work with layers with drying time

[@hayleyhawkins]

Hi there! Yes, drying oils will slow drying time, and solvents like gamsol and alkyd mediums will increase the drying time. Linseed is also faster than Safflower - however Linseed is more yellowing so I prefer Safflower. It completely depends on your goals and style of painting! I personally like my paint to dry slower so I can blend the next day for example. But recently I've been finishing my smaller paintings in 1 sitting so it doesn't really matter. If you are working in lots of layers it may be more difficult to paint with oil mediums, but you could try something like solvent-free gel that isn't completely non-toxic but is a better option.

[@DrPanesar]

@@hayleyhawkins Thanks for the advice, appreciated

[@DrPanesar]

Murphy's oil soap is quite good as well H

[@fontainerouge]

Disapointed that water-mixable oils dont rince off so well during painting since I was hoping to minimize the number of brushes in action. So I'm moving to traditional oils with lots of cheap walnut oil for cleaning brushes during and after work. Still, water-mixable oils are a great option (using Cobra,). Your video is excellent because very comprehensive, from solvents to metals & not making false claims such as Chelsea= innocuous. Thank you!

[@hayleyhawkins]

Yes, all great points! Agreed and thank you😊😊

[@the_key_x]

Thanks so much for this 🩷 I’ve spent months researching how to switch to a safer and eco-friendly studio…. I found another artist who recommends leaving brushes standing in safflower oil overnight or until your next painting session. I also heard lavender spike oil is not as innocent as it seems due to a specific additive that does cause reactionary issues for breathing, it’s very strong. For brush cleaning while painting I found Sennelier Green For Oil (range with an eco-friendly, non toxic cleaner and they have a thinner too that is non toxic and eco-friendly) apparently made with vegetable ethers (soy etc). It’s excellent so far and thins paint well for under layers… the green range even has varnishes that are eco friendly and non toxic, but those are not available in my country yet, I can’t find an importer. When it comes to gloves though I’m torn - because there is so much online about nitrile releasing chemicals into your skin when worn for long periods as your hands sweat and the skin barrier becomes soggy… I can’t find a solution that’s moisture-resistant and completely safe 😢 anyone have any ideas??

[@hayleyhawkins]

Hi there! I like to dip brushes in safflower oil then leave them on a towel overnight so they stay wet, I wouldn’t personally leave them sitting in the oil overnight though. Yes lavender spike oil has strong chemicals still so I don’t use it, but some people like it. Oh yikes I didn’t know that about nitrile, although I kinda figured no gloves were truly safe. I bought cotton gloves once but they’re too way loose & thin lol. I think if you aren’t sweating a lot & only paint for a couple hours it’s prob not the worst thing, but I will definitely research to see if there’s any alternatives! & curious if others have tips too :) thanks for this comment!!!

[@the_key_x]

@@hayleyhawkins Ok, I will also just leave them in on a towel instead of in the oil. Apparently there is natural latex gloves made from natural rubber, but I need to do a bit more research, Will comment here if I find out anything ❤

[@deconstructingVerbs]

What do you think of Turpinoid Natural?

[@hayleyhawkins]

I've never tried it personally! How do you like it? I have been painting solvent free for awhile and I prefer that method because I get headaches easily from smells - so I'm just using safflower oil and soap/water currently and it's great. But there are also so many good products out there that I haven't tried.

[@HitherandYarn]

Have a question. I used linseed oil once while painting and it just stayed sticky and never dried. I must have used it wrong. Can you help?

[@hayleyhawkins]

Hi! That's a great question. You may have used too much. When I used linseed oil in the past, it would dry but it does dry slower than some oils. I think the key is to use oils sparingly, just enough to help your paint glide more on the canvas. Linseed oil is also thicker and tackier than Safflower Oil and I prefer Safflower Oil these days, so I recommend testing that if you are able to!

[@andrewmiller5780]

Natural Earth Paints also has a non toxic solvent. It works well. I just started using there stuff after giving up acrylics. I’m new to oil painting but I like their products. Maybe not so vibrant colors? Idk. Good company though. Very conscientious about non toxic back to basics painting.

[@hayleyhawkins]

Oh I'm glad you mentioned this! I've been wanting to try their paints for awhile. I will look into their non toxic solvent. I bought some canvas roll from them, they just seem like a cool company in general. I was worried about the earth paints not being archival or lacking vibrancy, but will read a bit about them first. Worth a try, it sounds like.

[@hayleyhawkins]

@Cinnamin Herring Thank you for sharing!! Let me know how you like the eco-solve! :)

[@Zacattack2077]

How do you dispose of the leftover paint on your pallet?

[@hayleyhawkins]

I try hard to not have any leftover paint, so I usually will just have circles where the colors were but no paint. I just let the palette paper dry and throw it in the trash, or if I used a glass palette I’d scrape anything off & add it to a jar - eventually to be taken to hazardous waste management

[@jessica5497]

Thanks! I'm starting to paint, but I have asthma so no solvents for me

[@hayleyhawkins]

It’s so easy once you get the hang of going solvent-free! Your lungs will thank you 🙂🙂

[@sheralync5854]

Hi. thank you for doing this video. Just a quick comment about water soluble oil paints. Not a molecular change. Rather, a surfactant or emulsifier has been added. Once water is added, it kind of turns into a lotion, so maybe we should call it oil paint lotion? 😉

[@hayleyhawkins]

😅😅 yes that makes sense!!

[@genas.artistjoy]

Can you use the regular safflower oil you buy at the grocery store?

[@hayleyhawkins]

I have always read that the supermarket varieties are non-drying and they are different from the painting versions which are faster drying. I am not 100% but it's probably safe to use a painting specific one! Online I am seeing "the supermarket ones have compounds added to keep them from spoiling but these also prevent the paint from drying."

[@genas.artistjoy]

@@hayleyhawkins thanks for the feedback 😀

[@loganchandler6958]

Thanks for the information! I am a beginner and know nothing about painting or solvents or anything! Race!

[@hayleyhawkins]

I'm glad this was helpful! Welcome to the world of painting :)

[@danielmangetsu1545]

for cleaning brushes you can use Natural turpenoid which is natural, non toxic, not evapored, safe, non flamable, non vapor harm, etc. for washes or underpaintingt; Using WATERMIXABLE oil is awesome! i didn know about that! thanks you! Also you can use acrylic for washes/base layer. Im starting using solvent free and for now im stick with gamblin solvent free medium to layering, safflower oil for cleaning brushes while workig, and natural turpenoid for cleaning brushes after working session. and using stand oil and gamsol 50/50 for final glazing layers, which is a ratio recomended by gamblin for a safefly, lowest toxic, and non harmful home studio. More than that is bad like anything else, too much soda, too much desserts, too much french fry... Thnak you for your recomendations!

[@sholly59]

Hi Hayley, I just watched your video on painting without solvents. I'd like to recommend a product that I really love. It's called BIOBASED ARTIST RINSE & THINNER and its only available at a website called Art Treehouse. The website says it's Biodegradable - soy oil based, Non-flammable - flash point >217 F., Breaks up resins and pigment clusters, and then evaporates leaving a secure paint film, very low odor & low VOC, and Ships IATA as non-hazardous. I use it for everything, and I love it. Take a look at it and see what you think. Thanks, Gary Shollenberger

[@hayleyhawkins]

Hi Gary, I will absolutely check it out, thanks for the recommendation!

[@phylcolombo6145]

Hello, do you thing the BIOBASED ARTIST RINSE & THINNER can be used as a medium for paint or only to clean the brushes ? Thank you for your response.

[@jeremiahembs5343]

As you said to avoid toxic paint stay away from genuine cadmiums, but also genuine cobalt, lead, tin, genuine cinnabar or genuine vermilion, and you should somewhat limit your exposure to manganese (umbers have some but are generally safe to use as long as you don't ingest, but manganese violets are a little stronger and I wouldn't want much on my skin regularly). As long as you use a "hue" instead of a genuine pigment and don't ingest most paint you are safe as long as you avoid those colors I mentioned. Most earth tones are considered safe too so ochres, siennas, umbers, indian and turkish reds, venetians, etc. I don't worry about the actual paint much. But I make sure to not wash my brush over my dishes. Ivory bar soap and water works well for washing brushes out but strips the natural oil from the brushes out too so you want to apply some olive oil after or hair conditioner.

[@djo-dji6018]

None of the pigments you mentioned is absorbed by the skin, they are only dangerous when inhaled (in form of dry powder, of course) and when ingested.

[@pocahontasseguinart7099]

Happen to me a couple of weeks and im born with a condition called microcephaly and my head still healing

[@hayleyhawkins]

I hope you heal soon!!

[@monikamrowiec_art]

I am interested in the topic of non-toxic painting due to asthma. I thought that Artisian oils are safe, but they are not, they have many additives and certainly small amounts of solvent (less than x% but still). Gamblin writes on their website that they don't make such water-based paints due to the fact that they are not as safe as pure oil and pigment. At the moment I only know the Gamblin company which has only oil and pigment paints (pro and 1980 series). If anyone knows any other companies please let me know 🙋‍♀️

[@hayleyhawkins]

Gamblin is the best for sure! I agree, I don't have asthma but I am VERY sensitive to any kind of smells, fragrances etc. I wish that non toxic painting was a little bit easier, it's a bit of a hassle, but it's still worth trying it and limiting solvents as it will be better for our health!

[@Mazeingpower]

i just use acrylic

[@hayleyhawkins]

Acrylic is great too! :) I prefer oil because of how it looks and blends, but there's so many benefits to acrylic as well! I want to start using it more again.

[@AL_THOMAS_777]

@@hayleyhawkins Absolutely ! Its really VERY nice for beginners as a test: If they are suddenly burning then for the wonderful art of painting, they will naturally come to the old masters (Oil) technique. Also, they could later on simply overpaint/overwork/refurbish their "old" acrylic paintings with oil-colours - without any probs (sfumatio, blending. etc.) That will work also VERY well . . . especially if a solvent customer wants REAL museum quality !

[@nope4454]

Dish soap gets oil paint off your hands so easily

[@AL_THOMAS_777]

Yeah ! Nice tip mate ! Oil is sooooo natural, and we all have natural skin-oil on our surface ! So yes, do NOT use a big cannon (solvent) to shoot a little sparrow !

[@loganchandler6958]

Peace not race in my text below!

[@SuperUsername147]

Just a note, walnut oil is not flammable. Mgraham makes non-flammable oil paint with walnut oil. 🙂 Linseed oil, a more common oil used in oil paints, is very flammable.

[@AL_THOMAS_777]

With 240 degrees (Celsius!) I do NOT think it is "very" flammable. In fact most oils are kinda "inert" , due to relatively l o w content of solvents. Only if used with rags (soaked and scrunched up) it c o u l d burn. That should in fact be considered (just put the rags in water and let em dry then) This I have found in the internet: "Self-ignition probably occurs through autoxidation of double bonds of the α-linolenic acid with a simultaneously large surface area and thus high availability of atmospheric oxygen. If the heat generated during the oxidation of linseed oil accumulates, carriers can also self-ignite at corresponding temperatures. The danger is particularly high when working with so-called half-oil, half of which consists of linseed oil and half of which consists of turpentine oil, since the latter has a flash point of less than 50 °C, while linseed oil itself, with a flash point of approx. 315 °C (Marcusson) and a boiling point above 350 °C, is rather difficult to ignite. Textiles impregnated with linseed oil should be spread out on a non-combustible surface to cure or stored under water. Outdoors, they can be hung to dry. For storage, they should be kept in an airtight container or they can be burned in a controlled manner. Brushes can hang in raw linseed oil until next use. "

[@Morticia147]

I agree with most things you say, but gloves are not neccesary when painting without chemicals and you use artist grade paints. The cheaper the paint the more chemicals are in them instead of only oil and pigments. You are right, some pigments could be harmfull, but they are way to big to absorbed trough your skin, this paints can only be harmfull if you eat them. The ony exception I would know of is Kremser White (at least that was what it was called in my country), that was a withe with lead in it. So I don't know how it is outside of the EU, but here lead in colors is illegal. So I can understand that you don't like getting paint on your fingers or dislike the smell of the paint, but thats not harmful to you.