The 11 Best Manufacturers of Art Oil Paints

Artists of different genres working with a brush use professional paints, particularly oil paints. They form bright flat or three-dimensional strokes that securely hold the shape, the finished image is protected from fading. Here is an overview of the 11 best manufacturers of oil paints for beginners and professional artists. Rating is based on analysis of manufacturers’ products and feedback from drawers.

Rating of the best manufacturers of oil paints

The best producers of oil paints for professionals

The professional range includes full, pigmented kits with different densities. They have an accelerated drying time, which is necessary for large jobs and layering of color.

WinsorNewton

Rating: 5.0

British brand WinsorNewton finds itself at the top of the ranking. The producer offers different sets of oil-based paints in tubes, as well as separate tubes – they are convenient to buy separately as the artist uses them.

For production WinsorNewton uses high quality raw materials, mineral and organic pigments, which help to get rich and dense color. The range includes both classic and water-soluble colours, the latter are also suitable for beginners, as they are easy to mix, dilute with water to the desired consistency, and even wash away with soapy water from the canvas or other dense surface. With classical compositions is more complicated – you have to dilute them with separately purchased imported oil solutions.

WinsorNewton paints belong to the budget category, despite the average cost of a tube in a set of about 250 rubles. They have high hiding power and are well pigmented.

Advantages

• A series of dense classic and water-soluble paints;
• Mix well within the same composition group;
• Suitable for professional and even beginner painters;
• Tubes can be purchased separately, but are more expensive – about 360 rubles apiece.

Disadvantages

• Oil formulations require a quality solvent.

ebeo

Rating: 4.9

In second place, the French manufacturer Pebeo Industries specializes in the manufacture of professional paints for artists. The Studio XL series is a classic fine composition, and includes both Dyna with sparkling effect, and Glossing Glaze – all of which can also be purchased in separate sets. For high level professionals, there is a special line of Pebeo Fragonard with the densest colors and ideal hiding power.

All manufacturer’s paints are based on natural oils of varying densities, and the extra-fine pigments used are fade-resistant. The color palette is wide, the colors are sold in sets and separately for about 280 rubles per tube, in a set it comes out about 110 rubles.

Advantages

• Several series of paints with different effects;
• Reasonable price;
• High pigment density fine grinding;
• Resistance to fading.

Disadvantages

• Not defined.

Schmincke

Rating: 4.8

The German manufacturer Schmincke has a range of oil-based paints: Akademie with a high concentration of pigment, including the metallic effect, Norma professional with a large selection of bright colors, Mussini, based on high-density oil-resin for experienced artists, the student COLLEGE ® OIL series, consisting of 24 basic colors, the WINSORNEWTON line of medium to high-density oils, the range of refined and heavy-duty oil-based paints for artists, as well as a wide variety of popular hues.

All colors are characterized by high light fastness, and Mussini series in quality and properties imitates the oil used by Renaissance painters. The formulations can be purchased in kits or individual tubes of 20, 35, 50, 200 ml.

The price for a tube starts from 160 rubles in a set.

Advantages

• Dense colors from the finest pigments;
• Several specialized series;
• Different volume of tubes;
• Sale in sets and individually;
• Optimal price.

Disadvantages

• Artificial pigments are somewhat inferior to natural pigments in lightfastness.

LefrancBourgeois

Rating: 4.8

French brand LefrancBourgeois offers two oil series: Lefranc with ideal consistency and covering power, Louvre with a balanced and rich palette in kits. The use of natural pigments helps to achieve the best visual effect and lightfastness, the red palette is particularly impressive.

Impressive EXTRA-FINE series, including 120 colors, forming a smooth pattern. HUILE FINE contains 48 colors for subtlety. The tubes of 20, 40, 150, 200 ml are included in many sets, the price belongs to the middle segment.

Advantages

• Large color palettes;
• Colors for delicate painting and professional works;
• Medium price range;
• Different packaging.

Disadvantages

• Relatively long drying time.

Da Vinci

Rating: 4.7

Named after the artist, Da Vinci oil paints are thin and quick-drying. It’s an expensive professional material that retains its aesthetic properties for many years without losing color and brightness. The bright, natural and fine oil-based pigment lies flat and smooth, and the colours are suitable for all types of painting.

You can buy it in professional stores and official representatives of Da Vinci for about $ 9.5 or 640 rubles per tube of 35 ml.

Advantages

• Accelerated drying;
• Mineral pigments;
• Plastic smear of the right thickness;
• Perfect color retention for years to come.

Disadvantages

• High price;
• Hard to find on sale.

Van Dyck

Rating: 4.7

Van Dyck paints are probably the thinnest in the ranking, yet they have a saturated, dense color, perfect hiding power, sufficient light fastness. The producer used natural and artificial pigments, achieving an optimal balance between the price of paints and their quality.

The Van Dyck palette is broad, besides the classic colors it contains paints with metallic effects. The 20, 60, 150 ml tubes are mostly sold individually, because the high cost of the material allows artists to choose a palette to suit their needs.

The average price of a 20 ml tube of silver effect paint is about 500 rubles.

Advantages

• Wide palette of classic and metallic colors;
• Thin but full bodied brushstroke;
• Various tube capacities.

Disadvantages

• High price;
• Not easy to find on the market.

The best oil paints for beginners

The colors for beginners are not as dense as the professional ones, they have a more pliable consistency, and the price is slightly lower than the one for the advanced level.

Master Oil

Rating: 4.8

Italian brand Ferrario Master Oil paints are universal, they are suitable for application on any ground – the composition has high adhesion even to smooth surfaces. Drying time is comparatively short, another advantage is that it can be evenly mixed with paints from other domestic producers. After drying the image retains its color for a long time, and the mixed natural and artificial pigments do not change their aesthetic properties in the sun and under lamps.

The production is based on the classical technology of oil paints, which provides a reasonable price-quality ratio. The range consists of 50 basic shades of classic colors, and you have to buy them separately for a different price from 330 rubles for a tube of 60 ml.

Advantages

• Good hiding power;
• Many shades of basic colors;
• The choice of 60 or 150 ml tubes;
• Faster drying.

Drawbacks

• High price;
• No ready-made kits.

Masterclass

Rating: 4.7

Domestic brand “Master Class” offers high quality paints with natural and mineral pigments to beginners and professional artists. The range is predominantly saturated, but some colors lose out to counterparts from other brands. Orange is not particularly heavy and bright, and not all artists are to their liking.

The Masterclass palette contains 99 colors, which can be purchased individually in tubes of 46 ml. The producer also offers ready-made kits of 6, 8 or 12 colors in small tubes of 18 ml. Remarkable: the paints can be mixed with colors of other brands of this manufacturer.

Advantages

• Highly pigmented paints, 99 colors;
• The tubes are in different sizes;
• There are ready-made kits;
• Good hiding power.

Disadvantages

• Some colors are not pigmented densely enough.

The Georgian

Rating: 4.6

The English brand Georgian makes oil paints perfect for beginners. They are made with artificial dyes, but they adhere well to the canvas, creating a regular glossy brushstroke. Can be mixed well thanks to its creamy consistency, dries relatively fast, and is resistant to light and fading.

The average price for a 38 ml tube is around 340 rubles.

Advantages

• Good hiding power;
• They adhere perfectly to the canvas;
• 58 colors.

Disadvantages

• High tube price.

Studio

Rating: 4.5

Oil paints “Studio” from Gamma Russian basic color palette are created with artificial pigments, which imitate natural colors. This makes the colors not fully saturated, but they will suffice for novice painters. The creamy texture is convenient for application of the first strokes at the stage of “stuffing” the hands.

Available in 6, 9, and 10 color kits, the average price of an 18 ml tube is 82-90 rubles.

Advantages

• The basic color gamut;
• Synthetic pigments contribute to the low price;
• 3 set variants.

Disadvantages

• Poor Palette;
• Low degree of pigmentation.

Ladoga

Rating: 4.4

A set or separate tubes of oil paints “Ladoga” is reasonable to buy for young artists who are just getting acquainted with painting. Medium oil pigmentation, colors are not fully saturated, but the consistency of the paint is suitable for studying strokes, mastering mixing and selecting shades.

The average price for a set of 12 colors is about 1100 rubles.

Advantages

• Convenient consistency for beginners;
• 54 colors in the palette;
• Buy kits and individual paints.

Disadvantages

• Lack of color saturation.