Artist's Paintstik® Oil Colors are real paint in solid form. They are not crayons, oil pastels or soft pastels, but highly refined drying oils blended with durable pigments and then solidified into stick form. Artist's Paintstik® Oil Colors perform beautifully with all conventional oil paints. All of the same techniques that you are accustomed to using in oil painting and more can be successfully performed using Artist's Paintstik® Oil Colors.

Features
Artist's Paintstik® Oil Colors are "self-sealing." That is, they form a protective film, so the color won't rub off or dry out. They always stay moist and fresh, providing an indefinite shelf life, because they reseal in 24 hours. This film is easily removed by peeling it away with a paper towel, or rubbing it off gently. It can also be removed by carefully paring it with a knife (and can be sharpened in this manner.) When the stick has begun to wear to the edge of the sleeve, simply loosen the sleeve from the oil stick at the seam, open the sleeve and push the stick forward. Press the sleeve around the oil stick again and repeat the peeling process as needed.

Workability
Artist's Paintstik® drying time allows the colors to stay workable for several hours without using retarders. The blues and greens tend to dry more quickly than the reds and yellows. Most of the colors dry to a non-smear state overnight and are usually fully dry in three days. Actual drying time depends on temperature, humidity, thickness of paint application and type of surface being painted.

Color Mixing
Mixing additional colors is very easy. To blend directly on your painting, it is best to use a lighter color first, then blend the darker color onto it. Artist's Paintstik® Oil Colors can also be mixed on a palette and then applied with a brush. Unlike tube oils, Artist's Paintstik® Oil Colors very seldom reach a "muddy" stage. Titanium White can be used "wet on wet" to lighten a color, and can be used after the underlying paint is dry to cover up a color.

Clean-up Procedures
Turpentine or mineral spirits can be used to easily clean Paintstik® Oil Colors from various surfaces. With a little work, they can also be cleaned with soap and water, or washed with a solvent, and then rinsed with soap and water.

Safety
Artist's Paintstik® Oil Colors are tested in accordance to ASTM D-4236 and bear safety labels to the standards issued by ACMI. While most Artist's Paintstik® Oil Colors are AP Approved non-toxic, some colors do bear the CL label with safety warnings.

Regular Paintstik measures approximately 5" x 3/4" diameter. Jumbo Painstiks measure approximately 5-1/2" x 1-1/2".