Does the smell of oil paints bother you?

[Artyczar]

I've done a little bit of coffee and tea painting/staining. It's kind of fun, but it didn't turn out as dark as I'd would have liked it.

 

[snoball]

I've done a little bit of coffee and tea painting/staining. It's kind of fun, but it didn't turn out as dark as I'd would have liked it.

Make stronger coffee.

 

[john]

I sometimes use whiskey to make the paint flow easier. I drink the whiskey and the paint flows easier. There is certain ratio of whiskey to paint that's optimal. Beyond that has me reaching for some tea. Wine is another painting medium and it's easier to control than whiskey. Beer is a good choice for realism. Some people find cannabis works well but I would never publicly admit to using it myself, unless I was using whiskey.

 

[Bongo]

the question should be - are fumes from oil paints, turpentine, etc. - significantly harmful to your health?

 

[brianvds]

the question should be - are fumes from oil paints, turpentine, etc. - significantly harmful to your health?

Possibly, particularly the turpentine, if you work in an enclosed space without ventilation. My uncle worked in oils, and as I noted elsewhere, his whole house smelled (rather marvelously!) of oil paints. Late in life he developed a weird symptom: he lost his sense of taste. I wondered whether that might have something to do with the oil paints, but I thought it more likely to be because poisonous heavy metal-based paints absorbed through his skin than just the smell of the stuff. Anyway, the symptoms eventually resolved themselves.