Oils are the preferred medium of many artists, partly because of the strength of colour and texture they can produce, and also because of the ease with which corrections can be made. They can be worked wet into wet over long periods and blended to soften areas where required.They are made from colour pigments mixed with a binder (usually linseed, poppy or safflower oil). Mineral or vegetable pigments were traditionally used, and synthetic pigments were introduced in the 1950s