Oil paint

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/oil-paint

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the category?Pigment dispersed in a drying oil medium
2. What is the drying process?Polymerization via oxidation and cross-linking
3. What is oil paint made of?Oil paint is made from tiny pigment particles mixed with a drying oil, usually linseed oil, which sticks the color to the canvas.
4. Why does oil paint take a long time to dry?The linseed oil slowly reacts with air, turning from liquid into a solid film. This slow reaction gives artists more time to work.

Pigment: Insoluble coloring matter that imparts hue to a paint.
Drying Oil: An oil that polymerizes upon exposure to air, forming a solid film.
Polymerization: A chemical process where small molecules (monomers) combine to form large molecules (polymers).
Oxidation: A chemical reaction involving the loss of electrons, often with oxygen, leading to hardening in drying oils.