Picture this: you buy two tubes of red oil paint from two different brands. Same color, same price point — but when they hit your canvas, they behave completely differently.

One spreads like butter. The other drags.

Why? It all comes down to the oil.

Here's what most oil painters don't realize: there's no single "standard" oil used in oil paint. In fact, your paint could be built on linseed oil, walnut oil, poppy oil, safflower oil — or even coconut oil (more on that in a second, because it's wild).

And each one changes everything — the texture, the drying time, the finish, even how the color looks on your canvas.

For example:
→ Want long, smooth, creamy strokes? There's an oil for that.
→ Building up layers? You'll want the one that dries fastest.
→ After a stunning glossy finish? One specific oil is considered the gold standard — and it's not the most common one.
→ Feeling experimental? Coconut oil is actually a thing — but ONLY under very specific conditions. Use it wrong and your painting will stay wet, smear, and collect debris indefinitely.

Knowing your oils isn't just nerdy science — it's the difference between a painting that comes to life and one that fights you the whole way.

I broke it all down in my latest post, including which oils are best for different painting styles, what cold-pressed vs. stand oil actually means, and how to choose based on your vision for the piece.

👉 Read the full breakdown here  →

Have a great day,
Jae