At the point you want to start painting, there is one thing that will confuse your senses and that is choosing a painting medium. The broad categories of painting colours are acrylic, oil and watercolour. You ought to choose one from them. But if you are doing it on a professional scale, choice decreases to acrylic and oil paints. Uncertain about which one to use? You must be because both of them are best in the usage according to the needs. Don’t worry you will get a detailed comparison between acrylic and oil paints in this text.
Interpreting oil paint
The characteristic that makes oil paints different from others is their consistency and texture. It is generally thick, viscous and oily in consistency. They are a combination of three things: pigments, binders and a base that is oil. The quality and type of base might differ according to the company of paint you choose. The artists that are devoted to developing their work with attention to each detail use oil paint as it does not dry instantly.
While you use oil paints you need a thinner that can add fluidity to the paint for easy application. These paints are best to use as it also provides a glossy look to your artwork. Remember many of these oil paints are toxic and hence you must prefer wearing gloves and masks while working with fuming chemicals.
Also, you might know that oil leaves stain and the same holds good for oil paint. If by mistake it gets over your clothes, you will see a stain on it for a long time. Also, it is a messier medium and hence cannot be cleaned up by just foam and water.
Where can oil paint be utilized?
- It can be used on thick canvas and boards.
- It can be used on some metals, wood and ceramics too.
- It will be best to use when you are utilizing primer as a base coat.
- It can be used at a place where a long-lasting painting is needed.
Interpreting Acrylic paints:
People generally don’t believe the fact that acrylic paints are water-based. But yes, they are water-based and hence much easier in the application. They are madein the same way as oil paints but just the base is different. The main advantage of using acrylic paint is that you need not wait for a long time to let your paints dry. And above it, you will get the same smooth and neat presentation. But if you are a professional who needs many layers in sole painting the best option still remains oil paints.
Acrylics give you enough freedom that would improve mixing techniques as you can do in oil paints. Also if your acrylics dry out you can reuse them just by adding water. Isn’t it wonderful? Be cautious and apply sealant and fixative when you use acrylics to prevent peeling and chopping. While you use acrylics you don’t need to worry as it gets off your clothes with just soap and water.
Where can acrylic paint be utilized?
- It can be used to carry out craft activities and painting projects.
- As they dry out soon you can easily use them on paper, wood, glass and ceramics.
- You can use it outdoors only if you get the special type of them that are used outdoors.
Comparison among Oil paints and Acrylic paints:
It is a very tough task to do acrylic or oil paint comparison. But to choose the best one for your task you can keep the following points in mind to chooses among both:
Drying time:
Oil paints often take a much longer time to dry as they are formulated from oil. While acrylic paints are faster in drying as they are made up from water as a base. Oil paints can be more convenient as you will get more time and with acrylics, there is no room for mistakes.
Colour finishing:
After drying, acrylic paints will turn dark in colour but this is not the problem with oil paints. Oil paints will have the same look even if they are dried. Hence a perfectionist must prefer oil paints.
Blending:
Oil paints are a good option in terms of blending. It is much simpler to blend oil paints. Buy a large blending brush and that’s all you need to blend oil paints. But acrylic paints dry soon and hence can not be blended properly.
Cleaning time:
While you use oil paints, cleaning times is only the drawback. With oil paints, if you by mistake spill it on your clothes, it will leave a stain for life. Also if you spill it on the floor, it can not be cleaned by foam and water. But with acrylics, it is super easy to clean and is not even messy.
Conclusion
While you are thinking of painting, choose wisely between oil and acrylic paints. Both of them are good options but oil paints are a more preferred one. Choose the one that fulfils your needs be it oil or acrylic.
