What Is The Difference Between Oil And Acrylic Paints?
Are oils better than acrylics (or vice versa) is a question many beginner painters have. The answer, of course, can not be straightforward. It depends on many things. The best way to put it is that neither is better, but they are certainly different.
It wouldn't be appropriate to just say which one is better, because it all depends on personal preferences. It's a question of which one is better for you. In this article we'll take a look at the main differences of the two. When you understand the differences, you will be able to see which one is more suitable for your goals.
Historically, oils are much older than acrylics. They have been used in Asia more than 1500 years ago. The old Renaissance masters were very fond of oils and have used them to create timeless works of art. Acrylics, by comparison, are very new. They appeared on the scene in the 1950s, but still very quickly gained popularity.
The most obvious difference between the two is drying time. Acrylics dry very fast, it only takes a few hours or even minutes for them to dry. Oil paints, on the other hand, take much longer - from few weeks to several months. This can be seen as an advantage or as a disadvantage. It depends. Do you paint fast or slow? Because oils dry slower they give you more time to work. They also look more traditional and are more forgiving of mistakes.
On the other hand, they smell bad, they are toxic and can even cause allergic reactions in some individuals. With acrylics you don't have this problems. They don't stink, they're water based and water soluble which also translates into easy to clean. They are also not as expensive as oils.
Okay, so we see that they both have their pros and cons and you simply have to experiment with both of them to decide which you prefer. The answer is simple: try and see.
It wouldn't be appropriate to just say which one is better, because it all depends on personal preferences. It's a question of which one is better for you. In this article we'll take a look at the main differences of the two. When you understand the differences, you will be able to see which one is more suitable for your goals.
Historically, oils are much older than acrylics. They have been used in Asia more than 1500 years ago. The old Renaissance masters were very fond of oils and have used them to create timeless works of art. Acrylics, by comparison, are very new. They appeared on the scene in the 1950s, but still very quickly gained popularity.
The most obvious difference between the two is drying time. Acrylics dry very fast, it only takes a few hours or even minutes for them to dry. Oil paints, on the other hand, take much longer - from few weeks to several months. This can be seen as an advantage or as a disadvantage. It depends. Do you paint fast or slow? Because oils dry slower they give you more time to work. They also look more traditional and are more forgiving of mistakes.
On the other hand, they smell bad, they are toxic and can even cause allergic reactions in some individuals. With acrylics you don't have this problems. They don't stink, they're water based and water soluble which also translates into easy to clean. They are also not as expensive as oils.
Okay, so we see that they both have their pros and cons and you simply have to experiment with both of them to decide which you prefer. The answer is simple: try and see.