Bob Ross setup using water soluble paints

Read this first: WATER-MIXABLE OILS: VIBRANT COLOURS, EASY-CLEANUP AND THEY NEEDN’T BE STICKY

Documenting art supplies, tips and techniques one could use in order to replicate Bob Ross painting style using water soluable oil paints.

In order to replicate Bob’s “wet on wet” technique, just add linseed oil to the titanium white and use that as a base.
If you stick with the water mixable linseed oil medium, you can just use dish soap and water.

There are several major paint manufacturers of water-mixable oil paints:

Grumbacher Max — nice, great colors, but can be stiff
Holbien Duo — very nice, a bit more expensive
Winsor & Newton Artisan — can be smelly, contains only “hue” colors, and has somewhat less pigment load, also can remain sticky when dry
Royal Talens Cobra — newer brand, very nice buttery consistency, yet some colors are “off” such as the too-pale cadmium yellows and a too-strident French ultramarine
Weber wOil
Lukas Berlin
Daniel Smith
Reeves

Each brand seems to have its quirks. I use a mix of Max, Cobra, and Duo paints.
— Outdoor Painter: Working Out the Kinks of Water-Mixable Oils

Note: “Hue” paints are cheaper than the non-hue paints! A hue indicates a color that is made up of different pigments than the original. Even being made up of different components, hues are very close to the true color.

Medium: Artisan Water Mixable Oil Linseed Oil

Wishlist: Winsor & Newton Artisan Water Soluble Oil Paint Supplies via Dick Blick

Medium: Holbein Duo Aqua Linseed Oil

Wishlist: Holbein Duo Aqua Water Soluble Oil Paints

Wishlist: Brushes & Palette Knives

Bob Ross uses a standard 18" by 24" (3:4 ratio):

1/4 in. x 2 ft. x 4 ft. PureBond Mahogany Plywood Project Panel – Formaldehyde-free, patch-free, no toxic fumes, water-resistant, and Home Depot will cut it for you and deliver the panels to your home for free if you order more than $45 worth. You can oil paint directly on the panel without primer!

Note that these are easels and pochade boxes that I’ve found and appreciated:

Thanks to Neale Quenzel for all of the above artist links!