Holbein DUO Aqua Oil
Color Chart
Below are the Holbein DUO Aqua Oil Colors available directly at the Wet Paint Online Store. Holding your cursor above each color will give you the name of the color, and clicking will take you directly to the store page for that color. Color shown here and on the store is for reference only.
DUO Aqua Oil is available in 40ml tubes, except for the whites. Ceramic White, Permanent White & Titanium White are available in 50ml & 110ml tubes.
READ MORE ABOUT:
Holbein DUO Aqua Oil Color
DUO Fact Sheet
DUO AQUA OIL COLOR STORE PAGE / INDIVIDUAL COLORS / DUO SETS /
DUO MEDIUMS & ACCESSORIES
About Holbein DUO Aqua Oil
Toxic solvents always have been
important in the use of the traditional oil painting. But for many people, oil painting can mean allergic reactions, while, for others, the use of solvents in the painting and clean up process is not desirable. Oil and solvents have also made their use by very young artists very problematic, if not hazardous.
In recent years a number of water miscible (mixable) oils have arrived on the market. One of the leaders in the development of these oils-- which offer the handling qualities and characteristics of true oil color while replacing solvents with water-- has been the Japanese paint manufacturer, Holbein, with their DUO Aquacolor. This water miscible oil paint has become a Wet Paint favorite.
Holbein’s
objective in formulating DUO Aqua Oil Color was to produce a genuine oil color for the professional artist wishing to work without solvents-- a water miscible oil paint with the same qualities and characteristics of the traditional Holbein Artist Oil
Color.
Holbein began with a smaller 80-color range and removed heavy metal pigment
to insure a non-toxic result. Holbein used only the finest highly
concentrated pigments suitable for traditional oil painting
techniques and slow drying. In 2008 Holbein launched a revamped line, adding colors, improving others, to create a vibrant 100-color line of water miscible oil. Because of demand, Holbein introduced an "Elite" line of colors to DUO which contain cadmiums and other metals.
To make DUO identical in every respect to its traditional professional grade cousin, Holbein developed a unique additive which works as a surfactant, any residue of
which loses its effectiveness once the oil color is dry.
DUO Aqua Oil Color is water soluble, but the oil is identical to that used in Holbein Artist Oil Color. There is no special treatment. There is no modification or breaking down (cracking) of the oil. There is no water in the product, only the additive that is rendered redundant and of no effect in the drying process. The surface agent covers the pigment and oil, thus making both water sensitive or soluble. That is all. There is no other ingredient present.
If the artist does not wish to use water, DUO may be used as a traditional oil color and the result will be the same. DUO blends naturally with traditional oil color and mediums although water solubility is lost if traditional oils or mediums exceed 30% of the mixture.
DUO is not classified as a water base color, like gouache, watercolor or acrylic, but all of these blend perfectly with DUO while wet (add a few drops of water when blending with acrylic). DUO starts to dry slowly and after the water dries out, the oil that remains continues to dry by oxidation in the same manner as traditional oil and with the same result.
While still wet, the paint will have somewhat reduced transparency. When the water evaporates, however, full transparency will return to match the traditional counterpart exactly. When blended with water alone, DUO will dry to a slight matte finish in less time than traditional oil applied after blending with an oil medium. A finished work should not, however, be varnished for 6 to 8 months depending on the climate, as is usual for oil color.
The knife painter will find no difference in the handling of DUO as compared with traditional oil except for the convenient soap and water clean up. The brush painter may find under some conditions that there is a bit more "drag" on the brush. One or two drops of the DUO linseed oil added to the paint will solve the problem readily.
Because of its versatility, the possibilities for special techniques and effects using DUO are limited only
by one’s imagination.
· Established 1976 · Creative Supplies for Creative People 
