The most hazardous things oil painters use & how can you avoid them part 2 of 4 - Solvents.
SOLVENTS ☠️ Turpentine & mineral spirits are used to thin paint & clean brushes but they evaporate quickly & emit harmful vapours that can cause headaches, dizziness, and in severe cases, long-term health issues.
AVOID THIS 💦 by using safer alternatives like odourless mineral spirits (aka gamsol) or citrus-based solvents which are slower evaporating & have lower toxicity/odour. Or go completely solvent free by cleaning your brushes in safflower or linseed oil or by using water soluble oil paints.
I’m not trying to scare anyone away from using oil paints as it’s actually really easy to use them safely. It just takes some knowledge about the materials you choose to know what not to do!
