Varnishes

Learn about why and when you should varnish a painting, the types of varnishes available, and the recommended one

Grounds

Including how to choose the right ground and prime your supports

Supports

Learn what makes an ideal support for painting and compare the options.

Pigments

On this page, we organize pigments by hue and other characteristics, plus we introduce common terminology such as opacity, light fastness, tinting strength, etc.

Paints

An overview of oil paints, including key qualities, what distinguishes brands from one another, and the oil paints that are on Virgil’s palette

Solvents

Solvents for Oil Painting feature image

A review of best practices for the use of solvents

Mediums

Oil Painting Mediums feature image

A review of the best options and practices for applying mediums

Brushes

Collection of Brushes

Including tips for choosing and cleaning brushes

Search Traditional Oil Painting

Try searching for a specific term on our website. Some examples: safflower oil, burnt sienna, varnishing.