Best Oil Paints For Professionals

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Looking for your next set of professional standard oil paints, then read on to find the best 5 options for you…

Did you know the famous “Mona Lisa” and our all-time favorite wallpaper “The Starry Night” are both oil paintings?

We might call those oil paints golden artist colours; “The Scream,” “Girl With A Pearl Earring,” “Creation Of Adam”, all of these masterpieces are made in oil paints.

Oil paints, a medium consisting of pigments suspended in drying oils; the outstanding facility with which fusion of tones or color is achieved makes it unique among fluid painting mediums; at the same time, satisfactory linear treatment and crisp effects are easily obtained.

Oil paintings have existed since the 15th century, and as such the world’s oldest paint manufacturer “Devoe Paint” has now manufactured oil paints for quite a long time. Nowadays there are hundreds of oil paint brands competing every day to become the best oil paints for professionals so which to choose?

If you’re hunting for some of the best oil paints for artists, this article is for you. We’ve included our favourite oil paints here, ranging from student-grade paint to artist-grade oil paints to premium sets, including some of the major ranges on the market. We tried our best to highlight the best (and in some cases worst) features to give you our honest reviews.

Hopefully, by the end of the article, you will be sure about choosing between the different types of oil paints.

Disclaimer – This website contains affiliate links. If you find the information useful and click on a product link and make a purchase, a small commission will be earned by Big Red Illustration

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01) Artina 24×200 ml Oil Paint Set Studio – Professional Oil Paint Watermixable for Artists

Oil Painting Starter Kit Highly Pigmented & Luminous Colours in XXL Bottles Oil Paint

Features:

• Very high coverage
• A large colour range of bright & modern shades
• Protected from drying out by the air-tight
• They have water mixable oils
• Performs great

Description:

𝟮𝟰 x 𝟮𝟬𝟬 𝗠𝗟 𝗢𝗜𝗟 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗧 – The Artina oil paint starter kit is distinguished by its particularly good lightfastness. The oil-based paint maintains its colour even after drying. Moreover, the colour volume does not change which allows you to play with different paint densities and textures.

Review:

The colour volume does not change which allows you to play with different paint densities and textures which is a very nice characteristic to have.

This linseed oil paint can be used with paint brushes and painting knives to create unique lines and strokes in your painting.

It takes very little for an excellent result. Thanks to the smooth consistency of the oil base paint you can paint comfortably. And the best part is the oil paint medium is non-toxic.

I’d highly recommend these to any artist looking to develop their oil painting skills.

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02) Van Gogh 10 x TUBES 40ML OIL PAINT

Oil Paints For Professional Artists

Features:

• Easy to mix
• All colours have practically the same degree of sheen and thickness
• Pure pigments
• High Quality
• Linseed oil

Description:

This 13×10 5×3 inch package contains ten 20ml tubes of oil paint in assorted colours, two brushes, one 75ml bottle of painting medium, one double palette cup, and one 74ml bottle of odorless white spirit cleaning tissue and one wooden palette.

Review:

This oil paint set is well made and has a good value. It’s really nicely presented in a lovely wooden box and the oil paints give traditional pigments.

The colours are very vibrant and easy to mix.

The only thing I wasn’t so keen on was the rather small size of the tubes but for the price and quality, I guess you soon get over that.

Overall though, a great set for anyone wanting to get into oil painting.

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03) Paul Rubens Oil Paint, 20 Bright Oil Colors with High Saturation

50ml Large Capacity Tubes, Faster Drying Time with Creamy Texture and Consistency For Professional Artists

Features:

High-quality

• Fast-drying
• Long-lasting and rich in colour
• Pigments do not oxidize
• Great coverage

Description:

With 20 years of testing and experimentation, Paul Ruben has created its own unique pigment craftsmanship. Paul Rubens is dedicated to providing a high concentration of finely ground pigment with high permanence ratings for artists. The vibrant and vivid colors will be converted into wonderful paintings.

Review: 

The colours of these oils are stunning. There is a gorgeous range and is a great starter set as a student grade paints or for someone trying a new medium for their art, however, the quality allows these to also be used by professionals alike!

This safflower oil paint is easy to use and dries quite fast. So, you don’t have to worry about messing up your favourite creativity. You can also control the consistency by adding a little more oil or water.

I highly recommend these paints for anyone currently working in oils or for those who want to add some beautiful new colors to their existing collection!

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04) Gamblin 1980 Oil Color Exclusive Set

Premium Oil Paints

Features:

• True to the pigment
• Finest refined linseed oil 
• Homogenized texture or muddy color mixtures
• Smooth application
• Made with marble dust (calcium carbonate)

Description: 

This set gives both professional and amateur painters a thoughtfully constructed palette of luscious Gamblin 1980 Oil Colors to support any style of painting. It includes 37 ml (1.25 oz) tubes of Cadmium Yellow Light, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red Light, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Green, Ivory Black, Titanium White, and Solvent-Free Gel Medium, plus a primed, handcrafted panel made from sustainably forested North American birch.

Review:

As you’re probably aware, Gamblin is a very good quality oil paint. It covers well and goes on smoothly. This 9-piece set is fabulous. The wooden box is a good organizer for the oil paints and all the basic colors are included to allow you to get started straight away.

Definitely a great buy for the pros, but also a good beginner pack for any oil painter who is just starting out.

Maybe by adding a few colours it could have been better, but still it’s, without doubt, a winning purchase.

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05) Arteza Acrylic Paint Set, 14 Colours, Large 120-ml Acrylic Paint Tubes with Storage Box, Rich Pigments

Non-Fading, Art Supplies for Professional Artists

Features:

• Thick and creamy paint,
• Dries very quickly
• High-quality paints
• Linseed oil

Description:

Arteza 120-ml acrylic tubes last for a long time and give you all the creative freedom you could wish for. These oil paints for artists feature smooth, highly pigmented colours, such as Lemon Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, and Crimson Red, to produce true, consistent shades. Works for canvas painting and heavyweight paper.

Review:

These oil paints are professional-grade oil paints. They are easy to handle and are listed among one the best oil paint brands on the market today. They are certified safe & non-toxic.

Despite it being one of the best oil paints, the value is reasonable and you can get them without breaking the bank.

So, what are you waiting for? Make your purchase and get another step closer to creating your very next masterpiece.

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General Information About Oil Paints

The main advantages of oil paints are their flexibility and depth of colour. They can be applied in many different ways, from thin glazes diluted with turpentine to dense thick impasto. Because it is slow to dry, artists can continue working the paint for much longer than other types of paint. The most common types of oil in oil paints are linseed oil, walnut oil, poppy oil, and safflower oil. The choice of oil used in paint impacts the properties of the color and the final outcome of an artwork.

Different oil paints may result in more yellowing or affect drying time.

Different brands have different colours, but good pigments are always necessary to ensure colour vibrancy and longevity – a pigment needs to be light-fast or it’ll fade over time. A range doesn’t need a vast array of colours as long as it has the main, frequently used, useful ones. The consistency of the colour is important. The standard is a smooth, buttery paste, not stringy or long or tacky. When choosing oil paint, watch out for the term ‘convenience mixtures’, as this means the paint contains multiple pigments, which may replace genuine pigments. This can be useful as it can stop you from needing to buy multiple tubes to mix, or they may come in unique colours such as in the ranges of Gamblin or Old Holland.

Conclusion

Oil paints are a popular medium for professional artists for good reason – they offer incredible flexibility and depth of color. If you’re an artist looking to take your work to the next level, investing in a quality set of oil paints is essential. In this roundup, we’ve featured some of the best oil paints on the market today, all of which offer excellent pigmentation, consistent color, and smooth texture.

With that said, please remember, whilst I’ve tried to describe their attributes it’s always best to try products for yourself before making a purchase as only you as the artist will really know what paint best suits you 😉

So, what are you waiting for? Get creative and start painting your next masterpiece.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it helpful in your search for the best oil paints.

Happy painting!

FAQs

Which oil paint brand is best for oil painting?

Some of the most famous and best student-grade oil paints brands are Michael Harding, Williamsburg, Gamblin Artist, Sennelier oil paints and Old Holland classic oil colors.

What kind of drying oils are used in oil paints?

Commonly used drying oils include cold-pressed linseed oil, poppy oil, walnut oil, and safflower oil.

What causes paint separation?

Insufficient surface prep is the main culprit behind crack attacks. Less oil is recommended to coat, so extra oil is separated.

What is the best surface for oil paints?

The most common surface for oil colours, and one that has been used for centuries, is stretched primed canvas.

Many professional artists paint on different surfaces – canvas, wood, and paper.

Is oil painting easy?

Getting started with oil painting is fairly easy, though oil paintings for beginners are often avoided due to the price of the required materials.

Will I be ok starting off with a set that is not as high-quality paint tubes?

This depends, some sets like some of the ones listed above are marketed as student or artist grade when they are in fact professional.

So just because a set may appear low quality, this is not always the case, and they be in fact high-quality paints. The main thing is to simply get started as a beginner, you’ll soon find what works and what doesn’t.

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