To work with white in an oil medium, we will have to choose one or more tubes of white oil. The first few times we may not care if it is one or the other, however, after leaving behind this idea that ” white is just white, blue is just blue, red is just red and yellow is just yellow “, comes the part where we feel both fascinated and overwhelmed because now it turns out that there is a whole variety of blues, reds, yellows and of course, whites.
What’s more, the use of white in oil is a subject of considerable attention. That is why there are many forums and online posts trying to answer questions like “Which one is the best?”, “Which one should I use?”, “Is it really that much of a difference?”
- Texture
- Temperature
- Dye strength
- Drying time
That is why this time New Jersey artist Eliyahu Mirlis wants to respond to these and other concerns related to the use of white in oil painting. 
Choose a white oil paint
The solution of the most inexperienced? Perhaps in the first instance, many choose whatever it is at hand and buy it together with the other colors they already have. Some will be interested in asking the manager of the art supplies store which one he recommends the most or, if they want to do some research, they may ask about the difference, but surely, the information provided will not be enough.
In the expert opinion of American painter Eliyahu Mirlis, the decision must be made thoroughly. Especially if you want to achieve something in particular when applying the white color in the oil.
Different white pigments have different characteristics that can be used in oil painting. From its transparency or opacity to its drying time, they change depending on the pigment. On the other hand, the oil with which is made also affects the white oil paint tremendously. For the same reason, it is good to consider both factors.
By choosing a white color well, it may become essential in your palette because of how well it gets along with the way you work, but this does not mean that you will not need any other shade of white eventually. So without further ado, let’s get to know better the color white, the differences, and the uses of the different shades that exist.
Differences between Titanium White and Zinc White
Eliyahu Mirlis thinks it is becoming clearer that the use of white in oil has its fair share of specificities, and when we talk about these two varieties of white we can identify quite different characteristics that in both cases are very useful to artists. This, of course, depends on your needs.
Titanium White is today, the most common of the whites used for oil painting. It is famous for being a brilliant white, almost bluish, and for its exceptional qualities of opacity and tint strength. When mixed with another color, it lightens quickly. The problem they find is that it can be too overwhelming at times, especially when you’re just looking to lighten the value of a color a bit instead of wanting a big change.
Now, Zinc White is very transparent. It has a tinting strength of 1/10 relative to Titanium white. This means that it is a highly translucent pigment that excellently complements other transparent pigments, such as Quinacridones, Phthalo, and Hansas.
With Zinc White, there is more control when mixing it with other colors, since when you add it to lighten the original color does not immediately change to a pastel shade, as it can with Titanium White.
Both are great colors to have on hand, and it is necessary to experiment with their applications to see how working with them and the other varieties that we will see below best suit us.
One disadvantage of zinc white compared to titanium white oil is that zinc cracks much easier over time. Especially when the oil is worked on acrylic gesso and not on traditional primer.
Choosing the best white color in oil
For practical purposes, the best target you can choose is the one that best meets the needs of what you want to capture.
The point is to know what do you want the white to bring to your work?
What do you want the white to bring to your work?
There are a series of properties that we must think about when we want to achieve the correct use of white in oil. These are:
- Texture
- Temperature
- Dye strength
- Drying time