Which should you choose? Oil or Acrylic paint?

The choice of paint is crucial for a rookie or incompetent painter. The majority of individuals will choose either oil or acrylic paint.

For hundreds of years, prominent artists have used oil-based paints made with linseed or other types of oils. Oils provide vibrant colors and enable subtle blending. Acrylics, made of synthetic polymers, are their more modern equivalents used by contemporary painters.

You Will Require the Following Acrylic Painting Supplies

The fundamental difference between oil and acrylic paint in practice is the drying time. Certain oils need days or weeks to fully dry, while acrylics dry in minutes. Which of these is superior? It is determined by the painter’s own preference and the goal of their work.

What Are the Benefits of Using Oil Paints?

If you like manipulating the acrylic paint and perfecting it, oils give you plenty of time. Oil paints were invented by artists in India and China millennia ago and rapidly became the favored medium for European painters before and during the Renaissance.

Oil paints have a distinct, strong odor that some may find objectionable. The two solvents used to erase oil paintings, mineral spirits, and turpentine, are both deadly. Additionally, each of them has a distinct scent.

Modern oil paintings are water-soluble, which allows for easy cleaning and reduces the drying time. They will, however, cure much slower than acrylic paints.

Why is acrylic paint different?

Acrylics are pigment-based paints suspended in an emulsion of acrylic polymer. Acrylics were popularized in the 1920s and 1930s by Mexican muralists, particularly Diego Rivera. Acrylics were commercially available in the 1940s and 1950s and swiftly acquired appeal among postwar American painters such as Andy Warhol and David Hockney.

Acrylics’ rapid drying time is ideal for artists who wish to texture their work using a knife.

While acrylic paint is water-soluble, it should not be kept on brushes for a lengthy amount of time; once cured, they become water-resistant. This may cause a crusty mess on brushes that are not quickly cleaned after use.

Brushes and other acrylic-related equipment may be cleaned with hot water if done while the paint is still wet. Additionally, your acrylic paint may be diluted with water to produce a range of different looks, similar to watercolor paints, for artists who are still establishing their technique.

Oils vs. Acrylics

A significant advantage of acrylic paints (especially for new, younger painters) is that they are far less expensive than oil paints. Acrylic paint is also available in a range of viscosities, which gives the end product a bit more versatility. However, the extended drying time of oils enables blending and mixing of a variety of colors that are not achievable with acrylics.

Because acrylics contain fewer pigments than oils, oil paintings dry with more brilliant hues. However, oil paintings deteriorate with time and may need protection from direct sunlight.

Whichever medium you choose, keep your creative goal in mind. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to picking paint; thus, experiment with both and decide which one makes the most sense for you. You can read about Why you should do your painting with acrylic paint by clicking here.

How to make acrylic paint more viscous

Acrylic paint may be utilized with a wide variety of mediums, which adds to its versatility. There are ingredients for thinning and glazing, as well as thickening and providing body and substance to your works. The latter is referred to as “gel mediums,” “texture gels,” and “molding (or modeling) pastes.” These mediums may be added to the paint without affecting its longevity, durability, or drying time since they are all made of the same acrylic polymer that acts as the binder for the paints. The various mediums have an influence on the body, gloss, and texture of the paint.

Substance Gel

Gel Medium is a white creamy medium (not pourable in most situations) available in a range of viscosities and finishes – gloss, matte, and semi-gloss – that enables artists to give body and texture to their works using a number of techniques, from impasto to textured glazes. They are similar to colorless paints in that they are made entirely of acrylic polymer rather than pigment. They come in a variety of viscosities and transparency levels. They are translucent while wet and transparent when dry, becoming more translucent with the addition of additional layers.

Acrylic Painting Supplies You’ll Need 

Gel mediums are very useful as a paint extender since they enable you to maintain or enhance the thickness of the paint without compromising its intensity. 

Due to the same composition of the paint and binder, any amount of medium may be added to the paint and the paint will remain cohesive without beading. It’s similar to creating your own student-grade paint, but with a higher binder to pigment ratio. By including a gel medium into your paint, you might potentially save money on expensive pigments for underpainting or texture building.

To use, blend the paint and medium completely before applying with a palette knife or brush. You may quickly cover a large area by spreading the mixture with a palette knife, much as you would when icing a cake, or by painting with a wide brush if you want noticeable brush strokes.

By building up the texture and letting it cure before adding acrylic paint, gel media may be utilized to create a ground. It may also be used to thicken and build up acrylic gesso prior to painting on it.

Additionally, you may make your own paint by mixing powdered colors and gel medium in whatever proportion and composition you like.

Gel mediums may also be used for collage and mixed-media work because of their sticky properties.

Texture of Gel

While texture elements like sand or sawdust may be added to any acrylic paint medium, many manufactured gel media already contain textured characteristics. These products have been rigorously tested to assure their lifespan and durability. Sand, pumice, glass beads, and fibers are just some of the additives to textured gels. Liquitex produces a variety of texture gels, including Black Lava, Ceramic Stucco, and Fine Natural Sand. Golden also has a wide variety of textured gels.

Molding Paste (Also Called Modeling Paste)

Molding pastes are thick, opaque pastes made with actual marble dust and acrylic polymer emulsion. They are quite vicious and need the aid of a good palette or putty knife to move. Molding pastes are used to create rich textures and three-dimensional surfaces in artistic applications. Check out for Government Art Collection – Art Work Details

Unlike gel media, which dries translucent, molding paste dries to an opaque white hard finish. Molding paste may be molded, sanded, carved, chiseled, and painted on after it has cured fully. You may also mix it with paint while it is still wet, but since it is white rather than transparent, the color you combine it with will be colored.

Additionally, molding paste is excellent for collaging and embedding objects into the surface.