Paint Forms Oil paint was originally made in the artist's studio. The artist or the assistants would grind the pigment and add oil to make a paste. This was often a job given to one of the apprentices in a master's studio. This paint was stored in various ways, but one of the most popular was to put the paste in small leather pouches and tie the top tightly. This is the most common way of buying oil paints today.
Many artists prefer to make their own oil paints from dry pigments.
Student grades have fillers added and sometimes the pigments are not as pure as the professional grade. Some colors only come in the standard size from some manufacturers. It is usually most economical to use the standard size for most colors and the large for white. In oil painting white is a much used color that deserves its own discussion. In the case of oil paints, that binder is some sort of oil, usually linseed oil.