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.

Beginning Artists ?EUR" Beginner tips and information to make painting fun

Information Overload
As a beginning artist/painter there is so much information out there that can help, but a lot of it can be overwhelming to the beginning artist. I have put together some ideas that have helped me to become a better painter and in turn my work looks more professional. I hope to someday be good enough to have a following and be able to make a living being an artist.
Canvas
Just in the canvas selection alone, a beginner can get overwhelmed with what type of canvas to buy. The easiest way to go is to buy an already gallery wrapped white canvas. This is canvas material already wrapped around a wood frame. It is stapled around the frame and is pulled firmly so there are no loose areas. This type of canvas comes in all sorts of sizes and I have even seen black canvas now being gallery wrapped.
I suggest for beginners to not think small but to start small. A smaller canvas is easier to manage and if you don't like your work, you aren't out the money it costs for a large canvas. Good point, the smaller canvases are reasonable in price especially if you get them on sale. I shop at my local craft store and by using the 40% off coupon the purchase price for gallery wrapped canvas is not bad. Gallery wrapped canvas also eliminates the need for a frame which will save you money as we all know frames aren't cheap.
As you get better or just need to feel what it is like to paint on a large canvas, use the coupon idea to buy yourself a large gallery wrapped canvas for a reasonable price. Remember though that more canvas means more paint and longer painting time so make sure you are prepared for a possibly long painting artistic session, both mentally and physically. I've started on large projects and early into them realized I wasn't ready to spend the time on it, and unfortunately had to waste paint and ultimately dollars.
If you have a large canvas that you've painted but aren't happy with the work that sits on it. Don't throw that canvas out. I have and will continue I'm sure to re-use canvases. Simply take a neutral color of old house paint and cover your canvas with it. This will give you a whole new clean canvas to start from. I have also taken house paint as it is cheaper than using artist paint, and strategically only covered certain spots of the used canvas. This allows for some of the art below to breakthrough and this makes for a very unique effect. Experiment is the name of the game.
We also have the option to paint on paper sheet canvas. This is free form canvas paper in sheets that are not bound to a frame. I am looking forward to using this type of canvas as it will make framing easy, however, I am shying away from it at this point of my painting career because I like the freedom and mobility the gallery wrapped canvas gives me. With the paper canvas you will need an easel to keep it in place. I have the easel, but I personally really enjoy the freedom to move my canvas. This allows me to paint in different stoke directions, it also gives me the ability to see the painting in different lighting easily. An easel would make those activities kind of hard.
So do we go with white canvas or black canvas? I've been noticing several artists are beginning to use black canvas instead of the traditional white. I have had my eye on the black canvas and will be utilizing it soon. However, I've noticed at least at my local craft store that they only carry very small gallery wrapped canvas sizes. You will not find anything larger than a 12x12 canvas, at least not at our local big box craft store. But who knows, trends change and you may see these types of canvases everywhere sooner than you think.
I love being an artist. I have learned useful information and helpful tips along the way and I would like to share them with you as I continue to learn along my artist journey.
Happy Artistry!