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A water mixable oil paint set lets you paint in real oils, with the slow drying and buttery handling that implies, while cleaning brushes under the tap instead of in turpentine. The paints achieve this through a modified oil binder that accepts water as a thinner, and the result is a medium that suits apartments, classrooms and anyone sensitive to solvent fumes.
Four sets from the current Amazon listings genuinely fit this description, from Winsor & Newton’s Artisan range, the most established name in the category, to an 18-tube Marie’s set that is the cheapest route into the medium. Several other products returned by the same search were either conventional oils or watercolors, and we have left them out rather than pad the list.
Quick answer: The Winsor & Newton Artisan 10 x 37ml set is the best water mixable oil paint set for painters who want a serious, well-documented palette with generous tube sizes. The Lukas Berlin 10 x 20ml set is the alternative for anyone with solvent sensitivities who wants a European artist brand at a lower price. Beginners who want the most colors to experiment with should look at the Mont Marte 36 x 18ml set, and the Marie’s 18 x 12ml set is the budget trial.
Our Top Picks at a Glance
- Winsor & Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oil Set, 10 x 37ml — Best overall for serious painters
- LUKAS Berlin Watermixable Oil Selection Set, 10 x 20ml — Best for solvent-sensitive artists
- Mont Marte Water-Soluble Oil Paint Set, 36 x 18ml — Best for color variety and beginners
- Marie’s Water Soluble Oil Color Set, 18 x 12ml — Best budget entry
| Product | Best For | Key Spec | Key Strength | Price Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winsor & Newton Artisan 10 x 37ml | Serious painters | 10 x 37ml tubes, classic palette incl. French Ultramarine and Titanium White | Largest tubes, established range | $$$ |
| LUKAS Berlin 10 x 20ml | Solvent-sensitive artists | 10 x 20ml, hues of cadmium, alizarin and cerulean | Artist-brand quality at mid price | $$ |
| Mont Marte 36 x 18ml | Beginners wanting variety | 36 x 18ml, satin finish, dilute up to 25% water | Most colors per set | $$ |
| Marie’s 18 x 12ml | Budget trial | 18 x 12ml, lightfast pigments, solvent-free | Lowest cost to try the medium | $$ |
How We Chose
We selected and ranked these sets from the Amazon listing details and specifications as checked in October 2026, together with how well each set’s tube size, color list and stated dilution guidance fit a painter switching to water mixable oils, and how widely each is reviewed by Amazon buyers. We have not painted with them for this article. Prices appear as tiers ($ budget, $$ mid-range, $$$ premium) rather than exact amounts.
The criteria in order of weight:
- Genuinely water mixable: the listing must describe a modified oil that thins and cleans with water, not a conventional oil or a watercolor.
- Tube size: 37ml tubes last through many paintings; 12ml tubes are for trying the medium.
- Palette composition: a usable set needs a warm and cool version of each primary, an earth tone and a white.
- Brand documentation: established ranges publish pigment and lightfastness information that budget sets often omit.
- Compatibility notes: whether the maker states the paint can be mixed with traditional oils and mediums.
Best Water Mixable Oil Paint Sets Reviewed
All four sets below share the same basic chemistry: a drying oil binder modified so it emulsifies with water. Where they differ is tube size, palette breadth and how much the maker tells you about pigments and handling. Two are ten-color sets built around a split-primary palette in the way a traditional oil painter would expect, and two are larger assortments aimed at beginners who would rather open a tube than mix a color. Read them in that light; a bigger number on the box is not a better set if the tubes are tiny.
1. Winsor & Newton Artisan Water Mixable Oil Set, 10 x 37ml — Best Overall for Serious Painters
Artisan is the range most painters think of when they hear “water mixable oil,” and the listing describes it as specifically developed to look and work like conventional oil color. The set is positioned for artists who share a work space, schools and home painters. The ten colors are listed as Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Cadmium Red Deep Hue, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Cerulean Blue Hue, French Ultramarine, Phthalo Green (Blue Shade), Yellow Ochre, Burnt Umber and Titanium White.
That is a well-balanced palette: two yellows, two reds, two blues, a green, an ochre, an umber and a white. The 37ml tubes are the largest in this comparison, which matters because white and the earth tones run out first. The listing notes that actual contents may vary, so check the current color list before ordering if a specific hue is essential.
Best suited for: painters who intend to work in water mixable oils as their main medium rather than as an experiment.
Key features:
- 10 x 37ml tubes
- Balanced split-primary palette with Titanium White and Burnt Umber
- Formulated to handle like conventional oil color
- Part of a full Artisan range of mediums and additional colors
Pros:
- Largest tubes here
- Matching Artisan mediums and thinners available
- Classic palette that mixes cleanly
Cons/limitations:
- Highest price tier in the group
- Only 10 colors
- Listing warns contents may vary
Buying consideration: Consider adding an Artisan water mixable linseed or stand oil; thinning with water alone can leave the paint matte and underbound in upper layers.
2. LUKAS Berlin Watermixable Oil Selection Set, 10 x 20ml — Best for Solvent-Sensitive Artists
LUKAS is a long-standing German maker, and its Berlin line is described on the listing as having the features of the company’s popular oil paints while eliminating harsh chemicals and toxic solvents. The listing explicitly positions Berlin as an alternative for painters with solvent allergies and states that it can be used for all known oil techniques, including wet-on-wet, glazing and layering, with no difference from traditional oil color.
The ten colors are Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow (hue), Lemon Yellow, Alizarin Crimson (hue), Vermilion (hue), Cerulean Blue (hue), Ultramarine, Viridian hue (Phthalo), Yellow Ochre and Burnt Umber. Structurally that is the same split-primary approach as the Artisan set, in 20ml tubes at a lower price.
Best suited for: painters who need to avoid solvents entirely and want an artist-brand paint without the Artisan price.
Key features:
- 10 x 20ml tubes
- Split-primary palette with white, ochre and umber
- Stated to suit wet-on-wet, glazing and layered techniques
- Marketed for solvent-sensitive painters
Pros:
- Established European artist brand
- Mid-range price tier
- Palette mirrors the professional standard
Cons/limitations:
- 20ml tubes empty faster than 37ml
- Most colors are hues rather than single pigments
- Fewer matching mediums stocked on Amazon than Artisan
Buying consideration: Buy an extra tube of Titanium White from the start; a 20ml white will be the first tube to run dry.
3. Mont Marte Water-Soluble Oil Paint Set, 36 x 18ml — Best for Color Variety and Beginners
Mont Marte’s set takes the opposite approach to the two above: 36 colors in 18ml tubes with a satin finish. The listing gives specific handling guidance that the others leave out: dilute with water up to a recommended 25 percent, and the paint can also be mixed with traditional oils, linseed oil and turpentine, as well as with acrylic or gouache. It cleans with water.
That 25 percent figure is useful. Water mixable oils lose body and sheen when over-thinned, and having a stated ceiling helps beginners avoid the chalky, cracked passages that come from treating these paints like watercolor. Thirty-six colors is far more than a painter needs, but it lets a newcomer see the medium’s range without mixing.
Best suited for: beginners and hobbyists who want to explore a broad palette cheaply, and mixed-media painters who combine oils with acrylics or gouache.
Key features:
- 36 x 18ml tubes
- Satin finish
- Dilute with water up to 25 percent, per the listing
- Mixable with traditional oils, linseed, turpentine, acrylic and gouache
Pros:
- Largest color range in this comparison
- Explicit dilution guidance
- Mid-range price tier for 36 tubes
Cons/limitations:
- Small tubes; whites and earths run out fast
- Pigment information not given on the listing
- Many premixed colors you may never open
Buying consideration: Think of this as a sampler; plan to replace the colors you actually use with larger tubes from an artist range later.
4. Marie’s Water Soluble Oil Color Set, 18 x 12ml — Best Budget Entry
Marie’s is the cheapest way here to find out whether water mixable oils suit you. The listing describes 18 colors in 12ml tubes made from lightfast pigments, permanent when fully dry, truly solvent-free, with the look, feel and even the linseed aroma of traditional oils, thinning with water and washing out with soap and water. The named colors include Zinc White, Zinc-Titanium White, Lemon Yellow, Orange Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Vermillion, Scarlet, Purple Red and Burnt Sienna among others.
Two whites in a small set is a thoughtful inclusion, since zinc white is more transparent and suits glazing while a titanium-based white covers. The 12ml tubes are the obvious limit: enough for studies and small panels, not for a large canvas.
Best suited for: students and curious painters who want to try the medium on small studies before investing in larger tubes.
Key features:
- 18 x 12ml tubes
- Lightfast pigments, permanent when dry per listing
- Solvent-free; thins and cleans with water
- Includes both Zinc White and Zinc-Titanium White
Pros:
- Lowest price tier
- Two whites for covering and glazing
- Good spread of warm reds and yellows
Cons/limitations:
- Smallest tubes in the comparison
- Limited brand documentation
- No dedicated matching mediums commonly stocked
Buying consideration: Keep paintings small while you learn with this set; a 12ml tube of white will not stretch to a large sky.
Buying Guide: How to Choose a Water Mixable Oil Paint Set
Confirm it is actually water mixable
Search results for this category are cluttered with conventional oils labeled “non-toxic” and with watercolor sets. A water mixable oil listing will say it thins or cleans with water and will usually mention solvent-free painting. If the listing only says non-toxic, assume it is a standard oil that still needs solvent or oil for cleaning.
Tube size versus color count
Ten colors in 37ml tubes will outlast 36 colors in 18ml tubes in real use, because painting consumes a handful of colors heavily and the rest barely at all. If you already know you will paint regularly, prioritize tube size. If you are exploring, color count is the cheaper way to learn what you like.
Palette structure
Look for a warm and a cool yellow, red and blue, plus an earth tone and a white. All four sets above follow that pattern. Hues (such as Cadmium Yellow Hue) are mixtures that imitate a traditional pigment; they are standard in student ranges and perfectly usable.
Mediums and thinners
Water is a thinner, not a medium. Thinning heavily with water makes the paint matte and can weaken the film, so for glazing and upper layers a water mixable linseed or stand oil from the same maker is the better choice. Winsor & Newton stocks a full set of Artisan mediums; the other brands rely on general water mixable mediums.
Mixing with conventional oils
Most water mixable oils can be mixed with small amounts of traditional oil paint or linseed oil, as Mont Marte’s listing states, but the more conventional oil you add, the less water solubility you keep. Past a modest proportion you will need solvent again.
Drying time
These are oils, so expect days rather than minutes. Thin layers and earth colors dry faster; thick whites and alizarin-type reds dry slowest. Water in the mix evaporates first, after which the oil cures as normal.
Surface preparation
Use a primed canvas or panel, as with any oil. Acrylic gesso is fine. Unprimed paper or raw canvas will absorb the binder and leave the paint underbound.
Studio setup
One of the main reasons to choose this medium is that it needs less infrastructure. A jar of warm water, a bar of brush soap and a roll of paper towels replace the solvent jar and its ventilation requirements. You still want a palette that can sit undisturbed for days, since mixed piles stay usable far longer than acrylic, and a drying rack or wall space for canvases that will be tacky for a week or more.
Learn the Medium Before You Buy
If you are new to this category, start with our explainer on how water mixable oil paints work, which covers the modified binder and why water thins it. Brush care is different from acrylics, so read how to clean water mixable oil paints before your first session. Curious painters sometimes ask whether they can convert what they already own; how to make water mixable oil paint explains what is and is not possible. Once the set arrives, practice subjects such as painting fog in oils and painting grass in oils translate directly to the water mixable version.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Thinning with water like watercolor. Keep water to a modest proportion; use a water mixable oil medium for fluid passages.
- Expecting acrylic drying times. These are oils and stay workable for hours, which is a feature, not a fault.
- Painting fat over lean in reverse. Thin, less oily layers go first; oilier layers go on top, exactly as in traditional oils.
- Buying a conventional oil set by mistake. Check for water-thinning language in the listing.
- Washing brushes in cold water only. Warm water and soap remove the modified oil far better.
- Letting tubes with small caps dry out. Wipe the threads and cap tightly; 12ml and 18ml tubes skin over quickly once partly used.
FAQs
Are water mixable oils real oil paints?
Yes. They use drying oils such as linseed or safflower that have been modified so the paint accepts water as a thinner. They cure by oxidation like traditional oils and remain oil paints once dry.
Do water mixable oils dry faster than regular oils?
Slightly, because the water content evaporates first, but the oil itself still cures over days to weeks. Thin layers dry fastest; thick whites take longest.
Can I use regular oil painting mediums with them?
You can add small amounts of linseed oil or conventional mediums, but each addition reduces water solubility. For cleaning with water only, stick to mediums made for water mixable oils.
Which set has the best white?
The Winsor & Newton Artisan set includes a 37ml Titanium White, the largest white tube in this group. Marie’s set is notable for including both a zinc and a zinc-titanium white in smaller tubes.
Can I varnish a water mixable oil painting?
Yes, with a standard oil painting varnish once the painting is fully cured, which can take several months for thick passages. The dried film behaves like conventional oil paint.
Do these paints smell?
Mildly of linseed oil, as Marie’s listing notes. There is no solvent odor unless you add turpentine or mineral spirits yourself.
Final Recommendation
Painters committing to the medium should buy the Winsor & Newton Artisan 10 x 37ml set for its tube size, balanced palette and matching mediums. The LUKAS Berlin set offers the same palette logic in smaller tubes for less, and is the right call for anyone whose main motive is avoiding solvents. Beginners who learn by seeing many colors will get more from the Mont Marte 36-tube set, while the Marie’s 18-tube set is the lowest-risk way to find out whether water mixable oils suit you at all. Whichever you choose, add a water mixable medium rather than relying on water alone.
