Paul Rubens Oil Paint Review: Which Set Should You Buy?
Paul Rubens oil paint sets are not all aimed at the same painter. Some sets are practical studio basics. Some are larger color assortments. Some are specialty colors that make sense only if you already know you want metallic or neon effects.
If you are buying your first oil paint set, do not start by asking, "Which one has the most colors?" Start with the kind of painting you want to do: still life, landscape, canvas practice, expressive color work, or special effects. The right set becomes much easier to choose.
Who Paul Rubens Oil Paint Is For
Paul Rubens oil paint makes the most sense for hobbyists, art students, and developing painters who want a real tube-paint experience at a more accessible price point. It is especially useful if you are moving beyond tiny beginner tubes and want enough paint to practice mixing, layering, and canvas work without feeling precious about every squeeze.
It is less ideal if you need a very specific single-pigment professional palette, museum-level documentation for every color, or a long-established archival system for gallery work. For most practical studio learning, however, the sets are positioned well: generous tubes, strong color, and a price that encourages practice.
The best first oil paint set is the one that lets you practice generously. If every brushstroke feels expensive, you will paint smaller, tighter, and less often.
Start With Your Painting Style
If you paint landscapes or still lifes, begin with a standard color set. If you want a broader palette for color studies, choose 20 colors. If your work is decorative, fantasy-inspired, or social-media-forward, metallic or neon colors can be useful additions, but they should not replace your everyday palette.
First Studio Set
Pick: 10-color standard set.
Why: Large tubes, simple range, less decision fatigue.
Broader Palette
Pick: 20-color 60ml set.
Why: More convenience colors for studies and finished pieces.
Landscape Practice
Pick: 10-color landscape set.
Why: Better fit for greens, earths, skies, and outdoor color studies.
Special Effects
Pick: metallic oil paint set.
Why: Adds shine and decorative accents to a regular oil palette.
Best Paul Rubens Oil Paint Set for Beginners
The safest beginner choice is a standard set with large tubes. Oil painting takes practice. You need enough paint to mix piles, test brush pressure, scrape back mistakes, and repaint passages. Tiny tubes can make beginners too cautious.
Best first pick: 10-color 60ml standard set
The Paul Rubens 10-color 60ml standard oil paint set is the best starting point if you want fewer choices and enough paint to practice properly.
Best Set for More Color Range
A 20-color oil paint set makes sense once you know you will paint regularly. It gives you more convenience colors and can speed up studies, especially if you do not want to mix every secondary and earth variation from a very limited palette.
Best broader set: 20-color 60ml oil paint set
The Paul Rubens 20-color 60ml oil paint set is better if you want a fuller studio palette and already know you enjoy oil painting.
Best Set for Landscapes
Landscape painters need practical color relationships: sky colors, muted greens, earths, warm light, and shadow mixtures. A landscape-oriented set is more useful than a random bright assortment if your subject matter is outdoors.
Landscape pick: 10-color landscape set
The Paul Rubens 10-color landscape oil paint set is the better fit if most of your work is skies, trees, fields, mountains, water, and outdoor studies.
When Metallic or Neon Oil Paint Makes Sense
Specialty oil paint is not the first set most beginners need. Metallic and neon colors are better as add-ons. They shine when the artwork calls for accents, reflective details, fantasy color, decorative panels, or high-impact studies.
Special effect pick: metallic oil paint set
The Paul Rubens metallic oil paint set is best as a second set, not your only oil paint palette.
Set Comparison
| Set | Best for | Buy it if... |
|---|---|---|
| 10-color 60ml standard set | Beginners and studio practice | You want large tubes, basic range, and fewer choices. |
| 10-color landscape set | Landscape and outdoor color studies | You paint skies, trees, fields, water, and natural light. |
| 20-color 60ml set | Broader studio palette | You already paint regularly and want more convenience colors. |
| 9-color metallic set | Decorative effects and accents | You already have a basic palette and want shimmer. |
What to Know Before You Buy
Oil paint is a slower, richer medium than acrylic or gouache. That is good news if you want soft blends, open working time, and thick color. It is less convenient if you need a painting to dry tonight. Before choosing a Paul Rubens oil paint set, make sure the medium itself fits your patience level and studio space.
Oil paint needs time to dry
Oil paint dries slowly compared with acrylic or gouache. That is part of its appeal: you get more blending time and softer transitions. It also means you need patience, a drying area, and a basic understanding of layers.
Large tubes are useful for learning
Large tubes encourage better practice. You can mix real piles of paint, test color temperature, and cover canvas without rationing every stroke. For beginners, that can matter more than owning a huge number of colors.
Specialty colors should support a regular palette
Metallic and neon colors are fun, but they work best when your main palette is already covered. Think of them as accent colors, not replacements for white, yellow, red, blue, earth colors, and darks.
How the Paint Feels in Real Use
The main reason to choose oil paint is body. You want paint that can hold a brushstroke, mix cleanly, and move across canvas without feeling watery. Paul Rubens oil paint is positioned for that kind of practical studio use: creamy enough for blending, saturated enough for color studies, and available in tubes large enough that practice does not feel wasteful.
For beginners, that matters more than a dramatic claim about being "professional." The real test is simple: can you mix a useful gray, paint a block of color, adjust an edge, and come back to the painting while the surface is still workable? Oil paint should make those things easier, not more mysterious.
If you are coming from watercolor, expect a different rhythm. Watercolor rewards speed and planning. Oil paint rewards adjustment. You can push a passage warmer, cool down a shadow, scrape a shape, soften a transition, and keep working. That slower pace is the reason many painters love it.
What Colors Do You Actually Need?
A large oil paint set can look impressive, but a small balanced palette teaches more. For a first set, you need white, a warm and cool yellow, a warm and cool red, a warm and cool blue, one or two earth colors, and a dark. With those, you can mix skin tones, greens, neutrals, skies, shadows, and muted color.
A 10-color set is enough for that kind of learning. A 20-color set becomes useful when you want convenience: less mixing from scratch, more ready-made variations, and faster studies. The right question is not "Can I afford more colors?" It is "Will more colors help me paint, or will they distract me?"
| Painter type | Better first choice | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| New to oil paint | 10-color standard set | Enough range to learn mixing without drowning in choices. |
| Landscape learner | 10-color landscape set | Better starting point for greens, earths, light, and sky color. |
| Regular studio hobbyist | 20-color set | More range for repeated studies and finished work. |
| Decorative or effect painter | metallic set | Useful when shine is part of the artwork, not just a novelty. |
What You Need Besides Paint
An oil paint set is only one part of the setup. You also need a surface, brushes, a palette, cleanup plan, and a safe place for drying. If you are new, keep the setup modest. A few brushes, a canvas panel or primed paper, a palette knife, and a small painting surface are enough to begin.
Do not overbuy before your first painting session. Oil painting gets easier when the workspace is simple. Too many colors, too many mediums, and too many brush shapes can make a beginner feel stuck before the first mark.
If you already have watercolor or acrylic supplies, remember that oil paint behaves differently. Use surfaces prepared for oil paint. Keep oil brushes separate from water-media brushes. Give finished paintings space to dry where dust and sleeves will not touch the surface.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Buying specialty colors as your only palette
Metallic and neon colors are exciting, but they do not replace a regular oil palette. Start with standard colors first unless your entire project is built around effects.
Painting too thin because you are afraid to use paint
Oil paint rewards mixing and body. If you use tiny amounts because the tubes feel precious, it becomes harder to learn. This is one reason large tubes are helpful for students and hobbyists.
Using weak surfaces
Oil paint needs an appropriate surface. Canvas, canvas panels, oil paper, or properly prepared boards are safer choices than random paper. A poor surface can make good paint feel frustrating.
Expecting acrylic speed
If you need fast drying, acrylic may fit better. If you want open time, soft blending, and gradual adjustment, oil paint is worth the slower pace.
What to Buy First
- If you want the safest first oil paint set, choose the 10-color 60ml standard set.
- If you mostly paint landscapes, choose the 10-color landscape set.
- If you want more color range, choose the 20-color 60ml set.
- If you want shimmer effects, add the metallic oil paint set after you have a basic palette.
You can also compare related guides on oil painting for beginners, what oil paint is, and the main Paul Rubens oil paint collection.
FAQ
Is Paul Rubens oil paint good for beginners?
Yes. Paul Rubens oil paint is a practical beginner choice if you want generous tube sizes, strong color, and a more accessible price than many premium oil paint brands.
Which Paul Rubens oil paint set should I buy first?
Most beginners should start with the 10-color 60ml standard set. It gives enough paint for practice without making the palette too complicated.
Is the 20-color set better than the 10-color set?
The 20-color set is better if you already know you will paint often and want more convenience colors. The 10-color set is better if you want a simpler first palette.
Should I buy metallic oil paint first?
Usually no. Metallic oil paint is best as a second set for accents and decorative effects. Start with regular oil colors first unless metallic effects are the main reason you are buying.
Does oil paint dry faster than acrylic?
No. Oil paint dries much more slowly than acrylic. That slower drying time helps blending, but it also means finished work needs more time and space to dry.