The Basic Eight

We handcrafted four new colors to pair with three of our most popular earths plus white to create a new selection! Imaged above are from left to right, each tinted with Titanium White at bottom: Basic Yellow, Basic Red, Basic Blue, and Basic Green

The Basic Eight is an introductory set, in value and price, for painting with Vasari Classic Artists' Oil Colors.

Clean, easy to mix new primary colors: Basic Yellow, Basic Red, Basic Blue and Basic Green. Our highly regarded Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, and Titanium White complete the palette.

Our four new primary colors are also available individually, in both small 40ml size and large 175ml size tubes, just follow the links given in the descriptions below.

The Basic Eight - Presented in a slim, cardboard box with foam lining for safe and easy transport. Eight colors, 40ml size tubes:

• Basic Yellow - Crafted from modern permanent yellow pigments, our Basic Yellow is a slightly warm primary yellow. Gentle in mixing and transparent.
• Basic Red - Coral red right from the tube, our Basic Red is a semi-transparent warm mixing primary red. Offers great control in building flesh tones or other mixtures that might need a more nuanced addition of a warm red to adjust for value and tone.
• Basic Blue - Nearly a Cobalt in hue, our Basic Blue is a gentle semi-transparent blue useful for adding a cool touch of color or shadow to mixtures. Mixes beautifully with Siennas, Umbers, or Ochres for soft neutrals or delicate gray tints.
• Basic Green - Less intense Phthalo, our semi-transparent Basic Green is cool mixing for soft and natural green mixtures with any yellow. Pairs nicely with the Basic Blue for sea green notes of turquoise.
• Yellow Ochre - Our Yellow Ochre is a Natural Yellow Earth, golden, translucent, and warm. Ideal for mixing as an authentic natural ochre to create sensitive greens or bring a gentle warmth to mixtures without adding shadow.
• Burnt Sienna - Rich intense Natural Brown Earth that's medium deep with fiery undertones. True earth color for creating believable flesh tones or complementing with blues for classic dark neutrals.
• Raw Umber - Unsurpassed for silvery grays when tinted with whites, our Raw Umber is a slightly green, richly dark Natural Brown Earth that is distinctly neutral in mixing.
• Titanium White - Without any Zinc white added, our pure Titanium White is the perfect neutral white for mixing. Robust in color strength yet natural in brilliance, it is ideal used in small amounts to soften mixtures to a subtle warmth.