Genuine oil colours which avoid conventional solvents and are cleaned up with water!

Artisan Water Mixable Oil Paints was developed to look and work like conventional oil colours without hazardous solvents. Unlike traditional oils, this range can be thinned and cleaned with water, and all brushes and equipment can be cleaned with soap and water. With a balanced spectrum of 40 colours, Artisan includes 25 single pigment colours for brilliance and clean colour mixing.

No Hazardous Solvents: Since it does not need hazardous solvents, Artisan is ideal for artists who share a workspace, for those in education or at home, for those looking for a safer painting environment, and for travel.

Pigments and Binder: The Artisan formulation does not contain water; the linseed and safflower oils have been modified to allow the colour to accept water. This creates a stable emulsion and retains conventional oil colour's working characteristics.

The pigments bring out each colour’s characteristics, from opacity to natural transparency, with the most suitable oil.

Consistency and Texture: A buttery, thick consistency allows for various techniques, and the colour can be thinned as required.

Surface Sheen: Each pigment needs different oil levels, and the sheen may differ slightly from colour to colour in the formulation. Adding water as a solvent and medium will also alter the brilliance.

Complementary Mediums: Artisan has a range of thinners, oils, mediums, and varnishes to allow all oil painting techniques. Created specifically for artists, these ensure the best performance and a painting experience similar to traditional oils.

• Tube 1.25-Ounce/37ml tube
• Dimensions: 1 x 1.5 x 4.2 inches (2.5 x 3.9 x 10.6 cm)
• Conforms to ASTM D4236

Lightfastness: The pigment's lightfastness is shown with an ASTM rating. The ASTM abbreviation stands for the American Society for Testing and Materials. This organization has set standards for the performance of art materials, including a colour's lightfastness. This system has the highest lightfastness, and V has the lowest, though ratings I and II are considered permanent for artists' use.

Where no ASTM rating is given for a Winsor and Newton colour, it is labelled as N/L, meaning "Not Listed." This usually indicates that the ASTM still needs to test the pigment or the type of range. It does not necessarily imply a lack of lightfastness.

In these cases, we recommend referring to the Winsor and Newton permanence rating, which evaluates colour on many aspects, including lightfastness, and indicates a colour's ability to resist fading.

Colour Index Name: Each pigment can be universally identified by its Colour Index Generic Name. For example, Cobalt Blue is Pigment Blue 28, abbreviated to PB28.

Series: The Series number indicates the relative price of the colour, which is determined mainly by the pigment cost. Series 1 is the least expensive, and Series 5 is the most expensive. No series column indicates that the price is uniform across the range.

T/O - Transparency/Opacity: Transparent colours are marked ‘T' and semi-transparent ‘ST.' Opaque colours are marked ‘O' and semi-opaque ‘SO.' Transparency, however, is relative to the ratings, which are provided as a guide only. In addition, any thin film of colour will appear more transparent than a thicker one.

Permanence: The permanence of an artist's colour is defined as ‘its durability when laid with a brush on paper or canvas, graded appropriately and displayed under a glass frame in a dry room freely exposed to ordinary daylight and an ordinary town atmosphere. In simpler terms, they resist change when exposed to light and the atmosphere.

• AA - Extremely Permanent
• A - Permanent
• B - Moderately Durable
• C - Fugitive

For further information on some colours, the rating may include one or more of the following additions:

• (i) A' rated in full strength may fade in thin washes
• (ii) Cannot be relied upon to withstand damp
• (iii) Bleached by acids, acidic atmospheres
• (iv) Fluctuating colour; fades in light, recovers in dark
• (v) Should not be prepared in pale tints with Flake White, as these will fade
• (vi) A' rated with a coating of fixative.