Real Oil Paints in Stick Form

This looks like an oil pastel, but it's actually something new. R&F Drawing Oils are simply oil paint, but with a uniquely stiff formulation that allows artists to use it for drawing.

Here's how you use this new medium: start by removing the linseed-oil skin. You can do this simply by drawing on a piece of scrap paper or, if you want to remove more of the skin at once, by wiping it off with a lintless cloth (microfiber is good for this purpose.) After you do this with a particular stick, you'll have several days until the skin re-forms.

Then you can simply draw, with the full power and intensity of oil color! R&F Drawing Oils feel like extremely soft oil pastels, with all the freedom and directness of pastels, but also with a difference: unlike oil pastels, R&F Drawing Oils dry completely! They take a similar amount of time to dry as oil paints (think weeks, not hours), but once dry they require no fixative and are suitable for display.

For advanced users, it's interesting to combine R&F Drawing Oils with odorless mineral spirits (like Gamsol) which allows complete blending. When mixed with OMS, Drawing Oils will dry matte because of their high wax content compared with regular oil colors. This allows for dreamy, gouache-like effects with much greater permanence than water media.

Each Drawing Oil stick has 12 mL of paint and comes in a glassine wrapper for ease of use. Made in the United States — keep scrolling to learn more about the makers...

About R&F Handmade Paints:

R&F is an independent color house in New York's picturesque Hudson Valley. From a simple brick building in the cradle of the American Revolution, the passionate paintmakers at R&F make three signature lines: the unique Drawing Oils that bridge painting and drawing with their buttery-soft, solid-drying formula; the iconic R&F Pigment Stick, which is even softer and more intense, designed for serious studio work; and R&F Encaustic, a wax-based medium with a cult following and irreplaceable working properties.

Founded in 1988 by Richard Frumess (hence, "R&F"), today's R&F is owned by the paintmaking partnership of Darin Seim and Sean Sullivan. Darin, Sean, and their growing team in New York have always impressed us with their dedication and ingenuity, and their line of American-made products has been a direct inspiration for our own work in St. Louis.