Linseed Oil, derived from flax seeds, serves as the primary binding agent in oil paint. All Refined Linseed Oils naturally darken and yellow with age. Wallace Seymour uniquely offers unbleached Refined Linseed Oil, allowing artists to see its true color while painting - the same color that bleached oils eventually develop over time.
Refined Linseed Oil excels in creating painting grounds, particularly for making half-oil grounds by combining it with whiting, titanium white, and rabbit glue in an emulsion. It's also effective when mixed with egg to create tempera grasse (an egg-oil emulsion). However, for mixing with dry pigments to make paint, Cold Pressed Linseed Oil (flax oil) is the better choice.
When added to oil paints, Linseed Oil:
- Enhances gloss and transparency
- Thins the paint for better flow
- Reduces visible brush marks
- Extends drying time
- Can increase the "fat" content in painting mediums
