When painting on fabric like denim, oil paint is actually the most common type of paint. It may take a day or even a few days for it to dry, though. And when it does, the final output may be a bit stiff. But the advantage is great. The paint is actually durable. Plus, oil-based paint blends well with different colors. You can easily mix them to form different shades of colors. And because of their durability, oil-based paints do well when used on jeans. Traditionally, artists usually use white house paint. Some would use gesso or even rabbit skin glue. Others use acrylic. This is always the sort of primer before using oil paints. And it does not matter which one you choose. All four do well. Using these provides the artist with a smooth white background. While this is a common practice, some artists skip this step. Because if there is a negative effect to skipping this step, it will not show up until a matter of years. Skipping this step means the paint and the cloth will deteriorate faster. But with the word “faster,” it is not a matter of months. One would see the deterioration happen after years of use. Because it takes years, anyway, most would prefer skipping this step instead. Oil Paint and Denim A lot of artists have been using oil-based paint for many years. Even from the Renaissance period, artists have already been using oil-based paints. They would usually apply the paint to canvas on stretcher bars. But if there is something about oil-based paints, it is that it deteriorates with time. This is the reason why some would prefer the white primer before the actual painting begins. When one primes a canvas, there are about one or two layers of gesso applied. It is a white background. Artists also have a choice among the four options mentioned earlier. If one is using oil-based paint on a fabric like denim, the paint will, in time, rot the fabric. Unless, of course, there is priming that happened before the actual painting. While drying, the oil will become brittle. It is for this reason that the paint may sometimes crack. The advantage of oil-based paint is because it is great when it comes to blending. The quality of its colors is also top-notch. This is why most artists prefer painting images using oil-based paint. And to address the cracking issue, artists tend to apply a white gesso. This is before the painting process begins. Prime it before you paint it.