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10 Essential Oil Paint Colours for Beginners

Gold Coast Art School Tutorials

10 Essential Oil Paint Colours for Beginners

Choosing your first oil paints can be overwhelming, but at our art school, we simplify it and teach the Double Primary Method. This tried-and-tested approach sets beginners up for success with a curated palette that allows for accurate colour mixing.

Here are the must-have oil paint colours we recommend for all beginners.

Black & White

  • Ivory Black – Rarely used! It can be incorporated to make shades, or pitch-black evening scenes.

  • Titanium White – Essential for creating tints, or lightening colours.

Both colours are essential to have in your kit! You may find you need a larger tube of the white compared to the black.

Ivory Black and Titanium White

Red primary colour

  • Spectrum Vermilion – A warm red for glowing oranges and coral tones.
  • Spectrum Crimson (Alizarin) – A cool red, perfect for rich pinks and purples.

This double red selection ensures you can mix a wide range of vibrant and muted hues.

Spectrum Vermilion

Yellow primary colour

  • Lemon Yellow – A cool yellow that’s perfect for mixing greens and lighter tints.
  • Spectrum Yellow – A warm yellow for rich oranges and natural earthy mixes.

Essential for mixing greens and warm tones. Using both warm and cool yellow allows for accurate colour mixing.

Spectrum Yellow and Spectrum Vermilion

Blue primary colour

  • Ultramarine Blue – A warm blue great for deep shadows, natural greens, and purples.

  • Phthalo Blue – A cool, intense blue for vibrant mixes and turquoise tones.

Great for skies and shadows. These two blues create a broad spectrum when paired with your reds and yellows.

Oil Paints for Glazing

Burnt Sienna Underpainting Essential

  • Burnt Sienna is a classic for sketching and underpainting, giving your work a warm base and structure to your compositions.

Burnt Sienna

Quinacridone Rose Bonus Colour

  • Quinacridone Rose is an extra colour we love. Paired with blue, it creates vibrant purples – a challenge with the standard primary palette.

Watch this colour mixing video to learn why Quinacridone Rose is essential for creating vibrant purples.

Colour Mixing 101: How To Mix Purple (You Need To Use this Special Colour!) 

 

With just these 10 paints, you’ll be able to mix almost any colour you need. This limited palette gives beginners control, reduces confusion, and builds real understanding of how colour works in oil painting. 

Want to learn more?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch our Colour Mixing 101 video series.