Gamblin Artist Oils

Gamblin Oil Colors is a special series of handmade products made by artists for artists. Following the proven manufacturing methodologies of craftsmen who excelled in the past, and putting new technologies into work in order to further enhance the quality of the end product, the twenty specialists of Gamblin achieve top notch oil colors that are perfectly balanced in regards to their oil and their pigment content.

Since their founding in 1980, Gamblin has taken the feedback of their customers seriously, offering the colors asked by the community, instead of developing their own ideas. This has resulted in the forming of a rich color set of 96 colors that fully corresponds to the modern artists’ needs. Indicative of the higher quality of Gamblin colors is the fact that their “conservation oils” range has been repeatedly used to restore priceless pieces from famous artists like Van Gogh, Da Vinci, and Ban Eyck. Gamblin’s color range offers both historically accurate hues, and modern synthetically derived colors. All of them however share the same qualities in regards to their yellowing resistance, paint film flexibility, and absence of toxic substances.

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Product Pros & Cons

Artist Likes

  • Superb chroma, vibrancy, and “buttery” texture
  • Accurate and true colors
  • Safe to work with indoors and without ventilation
  • Very good price for a handmade paint
  • Unique hues that can’t be found anywhere else
  • Great fluidity and fast drying times
  • Consistent oil content and well-blended pigment
  • Good mixing properties

Artist Dislikes

  • Some hues will need the addition of a thinner because they are too sticky
  • Some tubes are a bit stiffer than they should be
  • Some coloring sets are not very wisely made out

Most artists who have tried Gamblin Oil Colors confirm that they are well above an average oil paint. The pigment load, consistency, vibrancy, and creamy texture of these paints make them a pleasure to work with. A few artists however, report excessive stiffness in certain tubes, others report bad consistency, some find the use of a thinning agent mandatory, and a few complain about the unfortunate selection of colors in the landscaping set. However, all of these reports come from a very small portion of the Gamblin’s customer base, and they can be easily attributed to bad storage, poor transportation care, and production mistakes.

Final Considerations

Gamblin Oil Colors are considered the best of their kind in this price range. That said, they are a great choice for anyone who wants to explore oil mediums, whether they are professionals or students. The low toxicity of all of Gamblin’s colors makes them completely safe to use in any environment while their consistency and “filling” texture will give a new dimension to the process of creation. The aliveness of the colors that is mainly due to the high pigment load is the primary element of surprise for anyone who uses them for the first time, and the best reason to use them when creating something that is intended to last. Some of Gamblin’s hues can only be found in their color range, and that gives them another point of uniqueness.