Jenn asked me about painting with oils while pregnant. It would take electric shocks and some time on the rack to get me to switch over to acrylics. Fortunately for me, I already use walnut oil alkyd medium (by M. Graham) in place of liquin or another toxic medium. I also clean my brushes in walnut oil, so very seldom do I break out the turp. Walnut oil is so non-toxic, you could drink it. (I don't recommend it, maybe in a salad dressing.) Other than that, I try to keep paint off my skin and out from under my fingernails. (I am fairly tidy, if I do say so.) I do use liquin to seal off a painting, and a spray varnish, which are both harmful to feti. I always go outside to use these and I wear a mask. (At all times, not just when I am in the family way.) If you have been using liquin it takes some adjusting. You use a lot less walnut alkyd, too much makes your paint dry shiny and plastic-y. I have been using walnut for four years, and glad for it. (I'm rather sensitive to chemicals.)
4 comments:
How do you clean your brushes with walnut oil? And does the walnut alkyd medium yellow over time?
The walnut alkyd medium isn't supposed to yellow, and I have yet to see any yellowing after six years of using it. With the walnut oil, you just swish the brushes around in it to get them clean. Every so often I take a load of brushes to the sink and clean them with brush soap.
How much walnut oil do you leave out at once? And how/when do you dispose of it?
Being aware of toxicity is excellent. Be aware that Winsor & Newton recommends against using Liquin as a sealer. Also, many edible oils will work when cleaning brushes.
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