What You Must Know About White Oil Paint

Photo is in the public domain.

  By Jim Hingst 
@hingst_jim

With so many types of white paint on the market, it can become very confusing to select the best white paint for oil painting.  These types of white paint include Titanium White, Zinc White, Flake White, Cremnitz White, Foundation White, Underpainting White and Transparent White.  It was so much easier for an artist in the Renaissance, when his only choice was Flake White.

What complicates the decision making process further is that paint manufacturers use different oils, such as linseed oil, walnut oil, poppyseed oil and safflower oil, as vehicles or binder for their paint formulations. Each oil has its own unique characteristics¹. Linseed oil tends to yellow over time, but it dries faster than other oil, which is why it is sometimes used for underpainting. Safflower oil, on the other hand, does not yellow so much, but takes longer to dry.

Titanium White

Titanium White and Zinc White are two popular white oil paints but very different in appearance and performance characteristics. One key difference is opacity, which is important when you are blending colors. First used as an artist’s oil paint pigment after World War I, Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) produces a white, which is much more opaque than any other white. This opacity gives Titanium White its superior tinting strength. Mixed with other colors, the brightness of Titanium White tends to dominate or overpower the mixture, so the color becomes much less saturated and more pale.

Flake White Hue

If Titanium White is too chalky or overpowering for you and you cannot afford a Lead White, you can try Winsor & Newton Flake White Hue, which is Titanium White processed (without  any additional colorants) to look like Flake White. As a hue, it will not look or perform exactly as real Flake White does. After all, it is an “imitation” product.

Zinc White

Zinc White is one of the most transparent of all of the white oil paint.  Winsor & Newton first utilized Zinc Oxide (ZnO) as a pigment for oil paint in the mid-19 century. Compared to other white oil paint, it has very low tinting strength. As a result, when you mix a color with Zinc White, the resulting color is much more saturated than mixing a color with Titanium White. Zinc White is also characterized as a cooler white when compared to either Flake White or Titanium White. Because of its transparency, you can conceivably use it for thin glazes and when scumbling.

Many artists avoid using Zinc White because they believe that it can become brittle over time, which can lead to cracking. This is especially the case if this white is applied in a thick layer.  What’s more, Zinc White is said to exhibit poor intercoat adhesion properties, leading to delamination and flaking. In spite of these tendencies, many manufacturers will mix Zinc Oxide with other white pigments, such as Titanium Dioxide. As long as the amount of Zinc White is low (below 20%), this should not pose a problem.

Because paints can combine different pigments and can include other ingredients, such as fillers, it is a good idea to get in the habit of reading the labels on the tubes of paint as well as reading the manufacturer’s data sheets.  The best paints consist of little more than pigment and oil. Cheaper paints include higher concentrations of fillers, such as calcium carbonate, to extend the paint and lower the cost. What can I say? You get what you pay for. 

In comparing white oil paint, the flexibility of the paint is also critical, because some paint formulations are more prone to cracking than others. This is the case with Zinc White. When it is applied thickly, Zinc White can become especially brittle and is prone to cracking. Thinner applications are less likely to crack. Flake White and other paints utilizing lead carbonate in their formulation are the most flexible of the white oil paints, which is why it tends to be the most durable of these paints.

Lead-based White Oil Paint

The Old Masters used lead-based white paints, which include Cremnitz white, Flake White and Lead White. All of these lead white paint are very similar, consisting of lead carbonate (2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2) pigment and an oil binder.  The advantage of lead-based white paint over other white paint is that it creates a stronger paint film. The other advantage is its warmer color temperature, which is why portrait painters, such as Lucien Freud, used it for their flesh tones.  By comparison, Zinc White is a much cooler white. Titanium White is more neutral in color.

Some highly regarded manufacturers of flake white and Cremnitz white are Blockx, Charvin Oil Paint, Williamsburg Handmade Artists’ Oil Colors, Vasari Classic Artists’ Oil Colors, Rublev Colours Artist Oils, Old Holland Oil Paint and Michael Harding’s Artist Oil Colors. Lead-based white paints were used exclusively until early in the 19^th century.

Today, many oil painters prize lead-based white paint because it is the warmest of all of the white oil paint. While lead has been banned for house paints, it is not as dangerous as some might lead you to believe, if it is handled safely. In other words, please don’t eat the paint, and avoid touching it as much as possible. (As a tip, never clean paint from your hands with solvent, especially lacquer thinner. Instead, apply vegetable oil to your hands and wipe the soften paint off with paper toweling. Then wash your hands with soap and water.)

The traditional stack method for making lead carbonate during the Renaissance was to expose lead panels to fumes of white vinegar, which is composed of acetic acid and water, and horse manure in an enclosed container. The microbial decomposition of the manure produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to the corrosion of the lead panels, and generates heat, which accelerates the chemical process.  Today the process of producing lead carbonate is similar, however no horse manure is used. After the panels have corroded, the lead carbonate is washed of any impurities and ground up.

If you are so inclined, you can buy Flake White pigment and make your own paint.  The Natural Pigments Company, which makes the Rublev brand of pigments and paints, provides their lead carbonate pigment as flakes. Using a mortar and pestle you can grind the flakes into a powder and then mix it with oil. Follow some basic safety rules if you grind any lead carbonate flakes or any pigment powders, for that matter:

● Prior to using lead carbonate pigment thoroughly familiarize yourself with the safety data sheets and technical data bulletins provided by the manufacturer. Follow their rules to the letter.

● Do not use the mortar and pestle that your wife uses to grind spices. Remember, that lead flakes are toxic and mainly get into our bodies through ingestion.

● Always wear a well-fitting dust mask, whenever working with any powder. I learned about the hazards of chemical dust through personal experience when adding chemicals to formulations.

● Always wear safety glasses. Better yet, wear a full facepiece respirator. See my article on which type of dust mask is best. 

● Never smoke or have food or drink in the same area where you are mixing pigments.

● Wear nitrile gloves when after handling pigment powders. Always wash up with soap and water after handling any toxic materials.

● Heavy-Duty, 6 mil black nitrile

● Rip, tear, and puncture resistant

● Latex-Free, Powder Free, Fits either hand

● Great for painting  

Flemish White

Closely related to Flake White and other whites utilizing lead carbonate as its pigment is Flemish White, which utilizes lead sulfate (PbSO4) as its colorant. This white crystalline pigment was created in the late 19th century. You probably have noticed lead sulfate in the form of corrosion on a car battery terminal. Flemish White is slightly yellower than white oil paint comprised of lead carbonate and is not quite so opaque, nor does it dry as fast. Not many companies, other than Rublev Colours, manufactures Flemish White using lead sulfate pigment.  Blue Ridge Oil Paint offers a Flemish White, which combines Lead Sulfate and Titanium White in a blend of walnut and safflower oil.

Foundation White

Foundation White is typically painted on top of a sized and gessoed canvas.  Generally, in making Foundation White a manufacturer will blend either a Lead White with Titanium White or combine a Lead White with Zinc Oxide. These formulations are designed to act as a base or primer for a painting and, after coating, should be thoroughly dry in about five days to a week. Many Renaissance painters, who painted on wood panels, used Lead White to prime the surface. To ensure that the paint was thoroughly cured, they allowed the panels to cure for six months.

The Michael Harding Foundation White and Holbein Foundation White are  popular products used for priming or underpainting.   Un-thinned this paint will provide the surface with some texture. For a smoother surface, you can thin the paint with turpentine.

Transparent White

Some artists will use a Transparent White as a white glaze over another color, lightening it, but allowing that color to show through. Transparent White is also used by artist when scumbling.

Conclusion

If you had to choose only one white oil paint, your choice would be between a lead based white, such a Flake White, and Titanium White. The best way for you to decide is to try both products. Flake White is more traditional and a more durable product, but will cost significantly more. It has a thicker consistency than other whites, which helps in building textures. Titanium White is a good, economical product, but tends to be more overpowering, more opaque and appears in the minds of some as having a slightly chalky appearance.

When you are comparing products, you might notice that some white oil paint, such  as Flake White, may seem gritty. That is not necessarily a bad thing. During the days of the Old Masters, when painters mixed their own paint, pigment particles were larger and arguably more durable.  The grinding processes used today produce much finer pigment particles. What’s more, the lead carbonate pigment particles harvested from lead plates used in the stack white process tend to be larger.

Particle size can affect the opacity or hiding power of a white oil paint. By preventing light from penetrating the paint film, a pigment can block that light from reflecting off of any underlying color. The type and size of a pigment used in a paint formulation also affects the strength, durability and refractive index (hence perception of color) of the paint.

How pigments are processed in manufacturing along with the type of oil used and the addition of additives and fillers can produce white oil paints in a particular category such as Lead White, which can vary slightly in appearance and handle differently, which respect to how they flow out as they are brushed and how they hold textures. For this reason, it helps to evaluate products in side by side comparison to decide which white paint is best for oil painting.

NOTES

¹Traditionally, linseed oil was used during the Renaissance. It is still used today for making paints because it creates the strongest paint films.  By comparison, walnut oil, poppyseed oil and safflower oil, while they are clearer oils and less likely to yellow, are prone to become brittle and crack as they age. 

Renaissance painters mixed their own paints, which were comprised of finely ground pigment and oil, creating a stiff mixture. The ratio of oil to pigment in mixing paints is critical. This ratio varies from one pigment to another, because pigment powders will absorb the oil to a lesser or greater degree. Too much oil in the mixture quite often results in wrinkling. In addition, an excess of oil also weakens the paint film.  

If an artist wants to make his paint less viscous, he should not add oil. Instead, he should use a solvent, either turpentine or mineral spirits, because the solvent evaporates from the film.  

Essential Reading for Artists

One topic that fascinates me in the field of art are the materials and techniques of painters, especially the Old Masters. So much of what an artist uses and how he uses these materials affect the durability of the painting. Failure to understand the physical properties of pigments and oils used in painting, and how one material chemically interacts with another can result in problems. 

To ensure the longevity of a work of art, an artist needs to thoroughly familiarize himself with the materials, tools and  techniques of his trade. What's more, because many of these materials are comprised of toxic chemicals, he or she needs to know the hazards involved and how to deal with them. Here are four books in my library that I believe are essential reading for artists. 

The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques

If you are an art student or serious artist, The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques by Ralph Mayer belongs in your bookcase. Called the “Painter’s Bible”, this reference book explains the chemistry of commonly used art materials that you should understand. These materials include pigments, drying oils, solvents and varnishes. The Artist’s Handbook provides information on how to make your own paint and painting mediums, how to prepare a canvas and how to care for your tools. In addition to oil painting, Mayer’s book also covers tempera painting and encaustic painting. Originally published in 1940, The Artist’s Handbook has been revised several times. The fifth edition is now available.

The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting: With Notes on the Techniques of the Old Masters

The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting by Max Doerner, a German artist, who painted in the impressionist style, was an authority on the materials and techniques of the Old Masters. Originally, this book was published in1921. It is still relevant for any artist or restorer, who wants to learn the techniques used by the great painters of the past.

Painter's Handbook

First published in 1993, The Painter’s Handbook by Mark David Gottsegen provides artists with essential information about art materials. The book also offers step-by-step recipes for making paints, varnishes and gessoes. In addition, it explains how to prepare your supports and how to preserve, store and restore paintings. Gottsegen, who chaired the ASTM committee on artist’s materials, also covers the health hazards, which artists routinely encounter, as well as how to safely handle materials in your shop or studio.

Artist Beware, Updated and Revised: The Hazards in Working with All Art and Craft Materials and the Precautions Every Artist and Craftsperson Should Take

Often artists and art students are unknowingly exposed to highly toxic chemicals or work in poorly equipped studios. Gases, solvents, dusts and fumes can be toxic and threaten your health.  If you work with art materials, you need to read Artist Beware, by Michael McCann PhD. This book provides details regarding toxicity of chemicals, flash point and common uses for these art materials. McCann also explains what personal protective equipment an artist should wear when working with hazardous materials.

 Vinyl Sign Techniques by Jim Hingst

Jim Hingst is the author of Vinyl Sign Techniques. Here is a comprehensive guide to the vinyl sign and graphics business. Compiled from 54 Vinyl Graphics columns in Signs of the Times, edited, updated and condensed here into 39 chapters, Vinyl Sign Techniques is an essential resource. The book is divided into four sections: sales & marketing, materials, fabrication, and vinyl application & removal. Every important aspect to running an efficient and profitable vinyl sign business is covered in detail, often including valuable charts, tables and photos for reference.

About Jim Hingst: Sign business authority on vehicle wraps, vinyl graphics, screen printing, marketing, sales, gold leaf, woodcarving and painting. 

After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 500 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.  Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon. 

Slides of Jim's Artwork

© Jim Hingst 2018