Best Oil Paints for Beginners and Professionals
When it comes to creating a painting with oil paint, you have so many options to find that is perfect for the canvas. Oil paint is the hallmark of the Old Masters, its slow drying time allowing artists to manipulate the medium over an extended period.
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Student Grade
Best Student Grade Oil Paint
Gamblin 1980 Oil Color
An American paint manufacturer known for its high-quality oils with a focus on safety. They don’t use lead in their white and have a line of solvent-free mediums.
1980 Oil Colors are a high-end student grade oil at a real value
Includes 8 colors of Gamblin 1980 Oil Colors in 37ml tubes.
VAN GOGH OIL COLOUR STARTER PAINT SET 6X20ml
Ideal for student and amateur artists or more accomplished painters requiring large volumes of color within moderate cost limits
A high level of pigmentation provides good covering power and tinting strength
Introductory set that includes six 20ml tubes.
Winsor & Newton 1490619 Winton Oil Color 10-Tube Set, 37ml
Ideal for student and amateur artists or more accomplished painters requiring large volumes of color within moderate cost limits
A high level of pigmentation provides good covering power and tinting strength
Introductory set that includes ten 37ml tubes.
Grumbacher Academy Oil Paint
Color is made with finely ground pigment
Smooth, rich paint is highly pigmented and has superior tinting strength at a single student price
The non-metallic colors in the Academy Oil student line correlate to the Pre-tested professional line, allowing students to graduate to a professional grade paint with ease
Professional Oil Paints
Best Professional Oil Paints
Williamsburg Oil Signature
Handmade Oil Colors known for their excellent lightfastness
Thick gritty consistency and extremely high pigment load.
Costly but Williamsburg oil paints are well worth it for their quality of color.
Great choice for any artist looking to use quality oil paints.
Bob Ross
Perfect for Bob Ross’ “wet-on-wet” technique
The pigment load isn’t as high as some other artist grade paints, but they are priced well and available in large, 150 ml tubes.
These pigment rich colors yield an endless number of natural color combinations
Specially formulated to a stiff but smooth consistency.
Blockx
Blockx oils are the highest quality, made by the blockx family in belgium since 1865. highest grade pigments are ground on slow turning stone mills
All colors are lightfast, there are no fugitive colors such as alizarin crimson.
Blockx Earth Colors are famed for their richness, often copied by other manufacturers using lower grade pigment
Blockx does not produce any colors in hues, tones/tints, all fillers, extenders, and driers are excluded the paint is nothing but pure pigment and oil
Schmincke Mussini
Schmincke Mussini oil paints use a highly traditional resin and linseed oil combination which is said to dry more evenly and prevent wrinkling
Old Holland
One of the most reliable names in oil paint, Old Holland has been around since 1667
All their pigments are ground with a stone, which is a big part of the reason for the heavy price for pigment-rich paints.
Thick and stiff, saturation of colors.
Jack Richeson
One of the the best oil paints for professionals, Jack Richeson paints are known for being affordable without compromising quality.
All of the paints are produced in small batches to ensure their high quality.
Thick and stiff, saturation of colors.