Beginning Artists ?EUR" Acrylic vs. Oil

Paint Choice - Acrylic vs. Oil

I'll just let you know first that I use Acrylic. When I started thinking about getting into painting, I fortunately

had a little background as my older brother had dabbled abit in his day. He however used oil, and to this day

swears by painting in oil. So under his tutelage I learned a little bit about the differences between oil and

acrylic paints. After careful discernment of the words from my teacher and taking what I've learned by trial and

error, I have chose Acrylic as my main source of paint medium.

So what is the big deal, why does it matter so much what type of paint I use? Well there are a couple of big

differences that will help you decide which type of paint you may want to lean toward using. Let's start with

Acrylic paint. As I mentioned I use Acrylic and as of now I don't plan on making any changes to that decision.

Here's why…..

Acrylic paint is less messy to clean up. This may not sound like a major concern but for those of you that don't

like to use a lot of chemicals, acrylic paint will work out well for you because you don't have to use paint

thinner, paint lacquer, or turpentine to clean your brushes. Brushes used with Acrylic paint can be cleaned with

just good old fashioned water. I put my used brushes in a cup of water, letting them soak until I can get to

cleaning them. I have left brushes in standing water for days without any ill effect on the brushes.

Another big difference is the time it takes the paint to dry. I think this is probably the biggest difference

between oil and acrylic and is probably the major deciding factor on which you will end up making your decision of

which paint type to use. Acrylic paint dries faster than Oil, in fact a lot faster. This I prefer because I like

to see the final result quick, and if I want to paint over it for some reason I don't have to wait very long to move

on. The drying time for oil can be days depending on how thick it is applied. Those who like oil like oil for this

reason. The artist can go back and make changes to the wet paint, but of course this can be scary to the beginner.

The downside of Acrylic, and so far I have found only this one, is that due to the fast drying time, you do need to

think of ways to extend the life of your paint. This can be achieved by using a product called Slow-Dri Blending

Medium, found at your local craft store. Or you can simply dab your brush in water, or even use a spray bottle full

of water. This is where experimentation comes in and you never know you may discover a whole new world of painting

effects because you chose Acrylic vs. Oil. I have, and because I'm not afraid to step out of the box or canvas in

this case, painting has become wonderfully exciting.