Guide to Natural Earth Pigment Oil Paint

natural earth pigment - oil paint guide

For the last month I’ve been experimenting with using Natural Earth Paint pigments for painting and I’ve been so obsessed with the process. It feels quite rewarding creating my own oil paint and the fact that it’s entirely natural makes the process so meaningful.

For some time, I’ve wanted to paint in the most organic and natural way possible and I’ve finally found the right supplies. Leah Fanning of Natural Earth Paint is an artist and environmentalist who founded her company with a mission to create high quality art supplies that are entirely eco-friendly and non-toxic. I’m beyond proud to support a company that is committed to producing natural products, uses recycled packaging and donates to some amazing causes.

The paint making process is fairly simple and quick. You are essentially mixing pure pigment and oil. The most exciting part of it is seeing how vibrant and pure each color is. In the future, I will be experimenting with creating my own pigment from foraged rocks and minerals, but I’ll save that for a separate blog post.

Mixing the Paint:
- Scoop a small mound of pigment (one or two Tbsp.) on a glass palette.
- Make an indentation in the center like a volcano, slowly add a small amount of refined walnut oil, and mix thoroughly with a palette knife until a thick paste forms.
- Adjust amount of oil and pigment until you get a desired consistency.

Here are the supplies I used to make Natural Pigment Oil Paint:

Natural Earth Pigments
Organic Walnut Oil (I prefer walnut oil over linseed oil because it doesn’t yellow overtime)
Glass Palette
Palette knife
Eco-Solve (paint thinner and brush cleaner)
Glass Muller (more refined mixing, ensures every pigment particle is coated in oil)

Below, I experimented with applying the paint to different varieties of papers, creating color swatches and really just enjoying the paint making process. The possibilities are limitless with what you can do with the pigment themselves. Tutorials for watercolor, gouache, acrylic, pastels and a variety of other mediums can be found here!

Let me know how your paint making experimentations go, I’d love to hear!