Paint Sticks

Paint sticks are oil paints stiffened with wax. They provide the oil painter an opportunity to lay down color without a brush.  The stick is held in the artists' hand and can translate any gesture directly onto the toothy surface of a canvas.

A paint stick can be used in conjunction with oil paint, but since it contains wax the marks cannot be properly varnished with traditional formulas. Wax is melted by solvents, so paint sticks should be protected from solvent cleaning of old paintings. A non-removable varnish should cover all marks.

Paint stick marks dry faster than oil paint from a tube.