Oil paint seems to be the safest paint. - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists

This topic has 55 replies, 26 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 9 months ago by kinasi.

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June 8, 2018 at 8:28 pm #457216
kinasi
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My brother in law has kids and he wanted to know what medium they could safely paint in.

I was surprised that it was oil paint I ended up recommending after talking to a number of people about the content of all the paint available.

Without using solvents, oil paint seems to be safer than acrylics, gouache and watercolor.

I have tubes of gouache and watercolor, and they have a distinct smell, I asked around what the smell is, it’s formaldehyde. Then I remembered that smell kinda reminded me of acrylics, surprise, the smell of acrylics is from formaldehyde too. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen.

Outside of toxic pigments (lead / cadmium), which can easily be avoided in any painting medium, I can not find a single substance in oil paint that is a carcinogen. (Ok, some very rare paint tubes from some very rare brands have added solvents or cobalt driers, but the half-decent brands don’t have these).

Even when considering the pigments themselves, when you come into contact with oil paint, you simply come into contact with suspended pigments in oil, with watercolor / gouache / acrylics, the water evaporates and you come directly into contact with the pigments on your skin. There is no oil barrier when the water evaporates.

It’s odd, oil paint is probably considered the most dangerous paint if you ask the public, even though in reality it is most likely the safest if you don’t use solvents.
June 8, 2018 at 9:21 pm #637123
Ellis Ammons
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I wouldn’t choose oil paints for kids.. It’s going to get everywhere. Oils take days to dry. It’s not as simple as washing it off. Alot of paints stain.

Also whatever paints you choose they should conform to ASTM D-4236 and probably the California prop 65. Maybe there’s another I forget.

Check out my work in the acrylics Hall of Fame Camellia WIP
oil and acrylic paintings..
June 8, 2018 at 9:31 pm #637116
kinasi
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Watercolor in pans seems to be relatively safe too. It does contain formaldehyde but less than the tubes do apparently. And in its dried form (pans), the formaldehyde likely doesn’t escape in the same way watercolor tubes do.
June 8, 2018 at 9:37 pm #637085
Delofasht
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My researched showed a similar result as your own kinasi, oil paint had the least added carcinogens or other toxic ingredients. Funny how that works out, the illusion of safety of other media is just designed to sell them.

- Delo Delofasht
June 9, 2018 at 12:06 am #637087
~JMW~
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A few other considerations for kids & Oil paints..
Oil paint getting other places..as mentioned.. the age of the kids might be a consideration there
The dry time /storing time after the painting is done – they may want to take it to show friends right away and not wait til dry..

~Joy~
June 9, 2018 at 12:40 am #637124
dustlilac
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It might be hazardous to their mother’s health

I would have said food dye, if they are babies. I believe people mix food dye and cornstarch.

What was your conclusion on egg tempera? I’m not actually sure what goes into that media.. is it really egg yolk and that’s it?
June 9, 2018 at 12:42 am #637125
contumacious
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I have met quite a few artists who started painting with oils when they were 8 or 9 years old. My wife started when she was 10 or 11 if I am recalling correctly. With proper supervision I think several years younger would be fine with carefully chosen colors and some decent instruction. Other than the mess with really young kids, many pigments would be totally safe, as in EDIBLE. Fresh oils clean off skin very easily with simple soap and water or those orange hand cleaners (check toxicity of the hand cleaner?) You might want to avoid the highly staining pigments if you don’t want tinted fingers. Stains on clothing is no big deal, just use old clothes. Old moving blankets make great floor covers. Just make sure they don’t leave the painting area in their painting clothes, including the shoes.

You could also make your own paints for the kids, without using any of the hazardous ingredients found in some brands – gouache and watercolors for example, even oils. That way you would know exactly what is in them. Not all makers list 100% of the ingredients. Probably best to not let them work with dry pigments at younger ages, but with the proper training and safety equipment, they could learn to make their own paints when a bit older.
June 9, 2018 at 4:25 am #637102
Gigalot
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9 years oil kid must have enough brain to paint with anything without trouble. 3 years old kid do not, such little kid must use kids’ watercolor kit. But after 6 years old, oil paint can be added into his ration.
I was very angry when I found at my 11 years age, that only oil paint is worth to try to paint something real. Other things like pencils, markers, watercolor paints are all garbage.
June 9, 2018 at 4:27 am #637136
tidal
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No I would not recomend oil paints some are highly toxic (ok you have to eat them first )BUT that’s the sort of stupid thing kids do so no I would not recomend at all…maybe gouche or acrylic I would say

Sculpture is what you bump into when you back up to see a painting..Barnett Newman
June 9, 2018 at 4:48 am #637127
Raffless
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Is it safe…..
June 9, 2018 at 6:18 am #637103
Gigalot
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Watercolor has phenolic odor. It do not contains formaldehyde. For stupid kids, any painting mediums are not safe. For clever kids, oil paint is a dream that any artistic soul must have. Do not use garbage, that stuff designed to increase child helplessness. Artist is a person who use oil paint applied on canvas support! Kids who use paper and markers are victims of garbage materials.
June 9, 2018 at 6:35 am #637096
Anonymous
My brother in law has kids and he wanted to know what medium they could safely paint in.

Absolutely not oil paints if they are very young.

it was oil paint I ended up recommending

This won’t make them safer, watercolors/tempera are already safe.
In addition, oil paint isn’t nearly as easy to handle, and manipulate, and
paint pictures with, as are water-based media. Now they need canvases instead of simply paper. What did you recommend that they be diluted with?

If you recommended oils then I think you should help with the clean up over at your brother in laws house after they are done, better have some solvent with you too for the hands, faces, carpet, clothes, brushes, and cat.
Watercolors and tempera/poster paints are non toxic and plenty safe for kids to use. Their ease of usage and cleanup with water make then highly preferable over oils. I started with big fat crayons, no clean up needed.
Then I used watercolors in a pans, which were very convenient and more than safe. Then when I was about 12 I started with oils and had someone advise me on how to handle and clean up.
I still have the first two oil paintings I did at 12 and I am 66.
June 9, 2018 at 7:01 am #637104
Gigalot
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If you recommended oils then I think you should help with the clean up over at your brother in laws house after they are done, better have some solvent with you too for the hands, faces, carpet, clothes, brushes, and cat.

Some adults can do the same things. Their brain can’t control their hands or legs because it wasn’t trained well and such person looks like a monkey, toying with hand grenade. It might be better to give something “not to be sharp” to such kids, but if child asks about oil paint, then he can control what he need and that indicate, he hasn’t such rudimentary brain that is dangerous use any sharp things. Unfortunately, it seems, that large kids of 12 years old has a brain development of six years old child from the past 30 years ago. At least, in our country I can see total degradation, or modern child turned his brain to another, “digital” development.
June 9, 2018 at 7:17 am #637097
Anonymous
See what I mean, Alex started with oils as a child… rest my case.
June 9, 2018 at 9:23 am #637105
Gigalot
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See what I mean, Alex started with oils as a child… rest my case.

I started with watercolor and tried to make a copy of great master. I worked hard but nothing good happened until i tried oil paint next year. Oil paint is much more useful stuff, rich and powerful, all you need is oil paint!
Waterborn things are terrible…:crying:
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