One of the biggest reasons I hear about why people don't want to paint in oils is because of the fumes and or toxicity. This always surprises me because in reality, good, quality oil paint is no more toxic than watercolor or acrylic, and it doesn't have to smell bad. In this article, I'll discuss why your oil paint may smell bad and how to fix it.

Oil paint smells bad when it's used in combination with solvents such as turpentine, or if it's poor-quality paint that contains fillers.

Let's look at these reasons more in-depth as well as some solutions you can try.

Bad Smelling Solvents

I firmly believe that when most people think of the smell of oil paint, they are not really thinking about the paint itself but rather the solvents that are typically used with oil paint. Solvents such as turpentine and mineral spirits (especially the cheap mineral spirits you buy at the hardware store) give off a strong smell and the fumes can be harmful, especially if you have certain health conditions.

Good quality oil paint is made of just linseed oil (or other oil such as safflower or walnut) and pigment, nothing more. The oils themselves are non-toxic and at most will produce a very mild, organic scent. This scent should be no different than the aroma produced by cooking oils. Of course, if you are very sensitive to the smell of natural oils then you may need to consider a different medium. But if you have no problem with the mild smell of natural oils, then you should have no problem with oil paint. It's just a question of removing the solvents, which I address in another article about solvent-free oil painting.

You may be wondering about the pigments themselves, especially toxic pigments such as cadmium and cobalt, and if these produce fumes. These pigments usually start out in a very fine powdered form and are then suspended in the oil base. Therefore they should not produce fumes since they do not evaporate the way solvents do. Oil dries through a process called oxidation which causes the oil to harden when it's exposed to open air. Neither the oil nor pigment evaporates into the air as solvents do.

Also, cadmium and cobalt are heavy metals and therefore would probably not be able to float around in the air very well unless they were ignited. If anything, your primary concern about exposure to toxic paint pigments should be skin absorption, not respiratory exposure.

My Oil Paint Smells Without Solvents

If your oil paint itself smells, even if you don't use solvents, it's most likely the brand of oil paint you are using. Many cheap brands of oil paint use fillers and additives to make it more cost-effective. But these fillers don't need to be there. Good, quality oil paint will consist of just two things, oil, and pigment. However, even some quality brands may add dryers to the paint to make it dry faster, and these dryers can produce strong fumes. Certain brands of alkyd paint (which is just fast-drying oil paint), can have a pretty strong smell.

If you find that your paint has a strong, unnatural smell right from the tube, try a different brand. Avoid cheap paint. Most cheap brands use fillers and can smell. If you are looking for quality paint for a good price, try Utrecht brand oil paints. They're the real deal for a good price. I also like Rembrandt, Gamblin, Michael Harding, and even Windsor Newton.

Toxic Pigments are Toxic No Matter What

I want to dispel the myth that oil paint is more toxic than watercolor or acrylic. As discussed above, quality oil paint is just oil and pigment. And if the pigment is toxic, it will be just as toxic in gum arabic (the primary binder for watercolor paint) and acrylic. Cadmium Yellow watercolor paint is just as toxic as Cadmium Yellow oil paint. It's the cadmium that's the problem, not the oil. If you want to avoid all toxins then ditch the toxic pigments no matter what medium you are using.

Very Sensitive Noses

My wife can smell an open bottle of isopropyl alcohol from about 500 miles away. Things that don't even phase me will drive her out of my studio. Some people are just more sensitive to smells than others, and some people have health conditions that make them sensitive to even natural oil paint. You may do all the things listed above and still find oil paint intolerable. If that's the case, then you may need to try another medium. But in most cases, you can still paint with oils if you just ditch the solvents and buy good, quality paint. Also, avoid the quick-drying stuff. If you are wondering how to ditch solvents click here to check out my article on that very topic.

Happy Painting!