Range Introduction
Winton is a traditional range of oil colours, made from moderately priced pigments, formulated for student and amateur artists or more accomplished painters requiring large volumes of colour within moderate cost limits.
The application of traditional skills and modern colour chemistry techniques has resulted in a range of 47 carefully selected Winton Oil Colours which are of excellent quality.
Sizes available
The full range of colours are available in both 21ml and 37ml tubes. Whites are available in 60ml and 120ml tubes. The full range is also available in 200ml tubes.
Formulation
As with Artists’ Oil Colour, every colour in the Winton range is individually formulated to take advantage of the natural characteristics of each pigment and to ensure the stability of the colour.
Pigment loading/tinting strength
A high level of pigmentation provides good covering power and tinting strength. While it can’t match the superior pigment load of Artists’ Oil Colour, the Winton range is much stronger than many other artists’ quality ranges.
The economical cost has been achieved through the use of moderately priced pigments rather than lessening the pigment content to an unacceptable level. Winsor & Newton formulation, manufacture and quality control ensure a product of absolute excellence.
Transparency & Opacity
Pigments vary in their transparency by nature. On the Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Colour chart and individual colour pages of this site, the transparent colours are marked with 
or T, the semi-transparent colours are marked 
or ST. The relatively semiopaque colours are marked with 
or SO and the opaque colours are marked with 
or O.
Remember that the level of transparency of a colour is relative to other colours. Transparent colours are used for glazing and tinting, providing optical colour mixtures and depth of colour to the painting surface. Opaque colours cover well, give flat areas of colour and obscure/mask the underlayers of the painting.
Winton Oil Colour is formulated to reflect the characteristics of each of the various pigments, ensuring that synthetic organics such as Phthalocyanines and Quinacridones [ie. “Winsor” or “Permanent colours”] deliver maximum transparency, whilst Cadmiums and Earth colours offer excellent opacity.
Surface sheen
As with the Artists’ Oil Colour range, the surface sheen of Winton is largely due to the pigment used. The level of gloss will therefore vary, although Winton is more uniform across the range.
Permanence
Wherever possible, the most permanent pigments have been selected for use with the Winton range. The formulation and manufacturing process ensure that the product will remain stable within the tube as well as offer the most permanent paint film possible (when applied appropriately).
All Winton colours are either AA and A rated and are recommended as permanent for artists’ use. Please refer to the permanence ratings provided on the colour chart, composition and permanence table and the tube labels.
Drying time
All colours will become touch dry in 2-12 days. The different drying rates are due to the different reaction of each pigment when mixed with oil.
Winsor & Newton formulate colours to optimise drying rates, helping artists to avoid the problems of slow drying underlayers. However, the following list is a guide to the likely variations:
Fast drying (around 2 days):
Prussian Blue, Raw Sienna, Umbers.
Medium Drying (around 5 days):
Phthalo Blue and Viridian Hue (phthalocyanines), Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blues, Synthetic Iron Oxides, Ochres, Titanium White, Zinc White, Lamp Black, Ivory Black.
Slow Drying (more than 5 days): Cadmium Hues (arylamides), Permanent Rose (Quinacridone), Alizarin Crimson Hue.
As with all oil paintings, to avoid yellowing of the oil, paintings should not be allowed to dry in places with continuous darkness or high humidity