9 Best Water Soluble Oil Paints in 2026

A 200 ml tube means you get a generous amount of paint that will last through many sessions, especially useful for artists who work in white-heavy compositions or underpainting. This is a genuine oil color that cleans up with water, so you skip the harsh solvents while keeping the same color depth, lightfastness, and opacity as traditional oils. It suits painters who want a reliable, large-format white that behaves like conventional oil paint without the chemical cleanup.

This size only comes in Titanium White, so if you need a full palette you will have to buy additional colors separately. Compared to the Cobra Artist Oil Paint Color Mixing Set, which offers five 20 ml tubes for variety, this Winsor & Newton tube is a better choice for someone who goes through white quickly and values a single large volume over a multi-color starter set.

An opaque Titanium White that cleans up with water and soap means you get the rich feel of classic oils without the fumes or harsh solvents. This single tube delivers excellent covering power and bright, neutral white, ideal for artists who want a reliable white for mixing or blocking in highlights. It suits painters who are sensitive to mineral spirits or turpentine and prefer a solvent-free studio, while still offering the control and appearance of traditional oil paint.

The single 37ml tube of Titanium White delivers a neutral bright white with excellent covering ability, making it a focused buy for painters who need a premium white and want to avoid solvents. If you work through large volumes or need multiple colors, you’ll need to buy extra tubes. Cleanup with water and soap keeps the workspace odor-free.

Five 20 mL tubes of professional-grade water-mixable oil paint, each with high pigment load and outstanding lightfastness, make this set a focused, no-waste entry into solvent-free oil painting. The triple-roller mill grinding ensures a buttery-smooth consistency that handles like traditional oils, so beginners get genuine oil-paint behavior without the harsh chemicals. It’s perfect for someone who wants to test water-mixable oils with a curated selection of essential colors before committing to a larger palette. The compact size also travels well for studio or plein air sessions.

Five 20 mL tubes of professional-grade oil paint let you start painting without solvents from the first stroke, though you’ll have fewer colors to work with than in a larger set. The paint cleans up with water alone, so there’s no need for turpentine or other harsh thinners. Each tube is crafted with premium pigments and oils, then ground on a triple roller mill for a smooth, consistent feel that experienced painters expect.

A buttery, beeswax-infused consistency sets this Lukas set apart from other water-mixable oils. The added beeswax gives each tube a smooth, spreadable feel that resists becoming brittle as it dries, so your brushstrokes stay soft and blendable without cracking later. With lightfast pigments and quick-drying performance, this is a reliable option for painters who want a traditional oil-like handling without harsh solvents, ideal for studio work or travel where ventilation is limited.

The starter size is limited: six 20 mL tubes give you a limited palette, so you will likely need to buy additional colors for complex projects. Compared to the larger tubes in the Winsor & Newton Artisan line, this set is better suited for learning the water-mixable technique or for small studies rather than full canvases. If you value a rich, buttery feel and a non-toxic setup over color variety, this Lukas set delivers exactly that.

With 36 colors in the box, this set gives you a palette that can handle portraits, landscapes, and still lifes without needing to buy extra tubes. Each 18 ml tube is small, but the sheer variety means you can mix subtle shades directly rather than blending from a handful of primaries. The water-soluble formula cleans up with plain water, so you can skip harsh solvents entirely. That makes it a practical pick for beginners or anyone who paints in a shared space where fumes are a concern.

Adding more than 25% water to these paints isn’t recommended, which means you won’t be able to create the thin, transparent washes some water-mixable oils allow. For the price, though, you get 36 colors and cleanup is simple with just water. That combination makes this set a practical choice for someone assembling their first water-soluble oil kit without spending much.

Schmincke’s NORMA Blue carries the highest lightfastness rating of five stars, which means the Yellow Ochre will hold its color for decades without fading. That makes it a strong pick for artists who want archival results from a water-based oil paint. It’s also vegan and free of preservatives, so anyone with allergies or a preference for plant-based materials can work comfortably. The paint is almost odourless and cleans up with just water and a little soap, letting you paint indoors without the solvent fumes typical of traditional oils.

At 35 ml, this tube is noticeably smaller than the 200 ml Winsor & Newton Artisan offering, so if you work large or use a lot of yellow, you’ll go through it faster. And because it comes as a single color, you’ll need to buy other tubes separately to build a palette. For artists who value lightfastness and a clean, vegan formula above all, this is a focused, high-quality choice.

A uniform drying range of 5 to 7 days across all ten colors means you can plan layering and glazing without guessing which hue will lag behind. This set suits painters who work in layers or need predictable turnaround for class projects or studio sessions. The buttery texture and water cleanup keep the experience close to traditional oils without the solvent fumes, making it a practical pick for shared spaces or anyone new to oil painting.

The trade-off comes in tube size: at 37 ml each, these are smaller than the 200 ml tube you get with Winsor & Newton Artisan, so heavy users will go through white or umber faster. That said, the ten-color palette here is broader out of the box than most starter sets. If you value workflow predictability over raw volume, this is a smart buy.

Ten 40 ml tubes give you a generous amount of paint right out of the box, so you can work on multiple landscape studies without running out of a key color mid-stroke. The Peasants Landscape selection is thoughtfully curated for earthy greens, warm ochres, and deep browns, making it a natural fit for plein air painters or studio artists who love capturing fields, forests, and skies. Cobra’s water-mixable formula allows you to clean brushes with water instead of solvents, which simplifies setup and cleanup.

This set commits you to a landscape-focused palette, which means you will need additional tubes if you paint portraits or still lifes with bright florals. Compared to the Winsor & Newton Artisan line, which offers a single 200 ml tube, Cobra’s set provides ten different colors in 40 ml tubes, giving you variety in a compact package. For the artist who wants a landscape-focused set of water-mixable oils, this delivers a practical starting point.

Ten 10 ml tubes in a slim 9-inch case mean this set fits easily into a bag or drawer, making it a natural choice for painters who work on the go or in tight spaces. Holbein pairs those colors with a 40 ml bottle of linseed oil, so you can adjust consistency and gloss without reaching for a separate medium. That compact design and included oil give you a ready-to-mix kit that suits travel, quick studies, or anyone wanting to sample water-soluble oils without committing to larger tubes.

Tube size is a factor: 10 ml is enough for small sketches or mixing tests, but artists who paint large canvases or use heavy body strokes will run through a color quickly and need to buy refills more often. Compared to the Daler Rowney Georgian 10-tube set, which weighs 1.6 pounds, the Holbein is lighter and more portable. For painters who prioritize portability and a curated starter palette over bulk, this set delivers exactly that focus.