10 Best Oil Paint Sets 2025 in the United States

The Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Color Paint Starter Set is a solid choice for beginner and amateur artists looking for an affordable introduction to oil painting. It includes ten 37ml tubes of paint, offering a decent range of colors suitable for various basic mixing and painting projects. The pigments are known for good strength and coverage, which means your paintings will have vibrant colors that don't easily fade or wash out. The consistency of the paint is smooth and easy to work with, making it comfortable for those still learning brush control and blending techniques.

This set is designed more for practice and learning rather than professional fine art, as the pigment quality is slightly lower than Winsor & Newton’s premium lines. Drying time is typical for oil paints—slow enough to allow blending but requiring patience before layering or finishing. Like most oil paints, these are not water-resistant once dry and should be used on primed surfaces like canvas or paper.

The set is ideal if you want a reliable, moderately priced paint collection for indoor use and are not yet ready to invest in more expensive artist-grade oils.

The Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Paint set offers 10 vibrant colors in 21ml tubes, making it a solid choice for artists looking for high-quality oil paints at a reasonable size. The color range is carefully selected to cover a broad spectrum, although it’s not the largest set available, it still provides good versatility for mixing and creating rich artwork. These paints are known for their excellent pigment quality, delivering strong, vivid colors that resist fading over time, which means your artwork will maintain its brightness.

The paint has a smooth and uniform consistency that works well with brushes or palette knives, allowing artists to lay down color with ease and preserve brush strokes or texture effects. Drying times are typical for oil paints, generally around 24 hours to touch dry, which gives enough working time but requires patience before handling the painting further. One important note on safety: the paint contains cobalt bis(2-ethylhexanoate), which might cause allergic reactions in sensitive users, so caution is advised.

While the paints are not water-resistant and won’t dry quickly, they offer archival quality suitable for serious artists. This set is ideal for painters who value reliable, vivid colors and good working consistency without stepping into professional-grade pricing. Beginners and hobbyists wanting quality and durability will appreciate this pack, but those needing an extensive color selection might want to consider larger sets.

The Paul Rubens Oil Paint Set offers 20 vibrant colors that are ideal for a wide range of artistic projects, from landscapes to seascapes. The paints are formulated with high-quality pigments, ensuring excellent coverage and tinting strength. These pigments help maintain the vibrancy of your artwork over time. The paints have a creamy texture, making them easy to blend and work with, and they effectively retain brush strokes and knife marks, which can be key for certain artistic techniques.

This set is suitable for artists of all levels, including beginners, students, and professionals. The lengthy drying time of 7-14 days allows for extended working periods and adjustments, though this may be a drawback for those needing quicker results. Safety is a notable feature, as the paints are non-toxic, making them safer to use, especially in educational settings or at home.

One potential downside is the weight and size of the tubes, which might be cumbersome for some users to handle. Additionally, the price point and the package size might be better suited for those who paint frequently or in larger formats. This set is a good choice for those looking for a comprehensive, high-quality oil paint set that supports detailed and extended work periods.