The debate between oil paintings and acrylic paintings is one that is frequently brought up. Oil paintings have been around for 600 years or more, making easy acrylic paintings look like a newborn. And it’s completely true that oil painters outweigh acrylic painters by a large margin. Just go to any painting event and look around – acrylic painters are outnumbered ten to one! However, you will still adore acrylic painting for the following reasons, which we shall list for you. And no matter if you are an experienced artist or a budding one, these all apply to you.
Toxic Chemicals Are Found in Oil Paint Thinners and Solvents
Oil paints are quite thick by nature. Thus, in order to get a relatively thinner coat of paint, oil painters use thinners and solvents to desaturate the paint. However, solvents are also used to clean paintbrushes after painting.
It is commonly known that solvents and thinners required for oil paintings are hazardous. These chemicals evaporate into the air you breathe while you paint and are known to create serious medical and neurological damage over time. Many tremendously gifted artists have stopped painting with oils because the toxins were causing them seizures.
Acrylic emulsion paints, on the other hand, are a much safer medium for painting as they can be thinned down simply by adding some water. Thus, causing no health damage.
Acrylic Paintings are Simple to Learn and Easy to Handle
Acrylic emulsion paints are significantly more user-friendly for beginners, and here’s why. Acrylic paints are quick to dry. This, however, is perceived negatively by some artists and designers. Oil paints, on the other hand, remain moist for hours after they have been applied. This helps you to merge back into the hues hours later, but it is also considered a significant drawback.
Since acrylic emulsion paints dry so rapidly, we can apply numerous layers of paint in the time it takes an oil painter to add two or three. We can quickly make modifications to any artwork. Is a portion of your design flawed? Not a problem! You only have to wait two or three minutes to entirely modify that component of your design. With oil paints, you must wait until one layer dries before adding another or your paint will merge with the one underneath it, making it much more difficult to control – especially for beginning painters.
Acrylics also offer an advantage in terms of transportation and storage. When you’re finished painting outside, you can tuck your work under your arm and go away whistling. But when transporting an oil painting, you must use appropriate carriers to avoid spilling oil paint all over the place. Thus, necessitating additional expenditure.
Acrylic Paintings Are Quite Versatile
Easy acrylic paintings are very adaptable. Thus, making them more accessible to new artists. With acrylic paints, you can paint on nearly anything. From plywood to canvas and even glass, the versatility of acrylics is just on a different level.
As an aspiring artist you must know that while working with watercolors, it is critical to go from bright to dark. Whereas, while working with oils, it is critical to work thin to thick so that your paint does not fracture. Acrylic, on the other hand, lets you paint any acrylic color over any other acrylic color. You have the option of painting from light to dark or dark to light. There’s a lot less to be concerned about, especially for a novice artist. Plus, the icing on the cake is that, unlike an oil painting, an acrylic painting does not require glass to be framed.
Acrylic Painting Costs You Less Money
The desire to save money is universal and acrylic painting lets you do so. Acrylic paints are far less costly than other media. It’s another reason they’re so personable and welcoming to newcomers. This allows you to experiment and learn without fear of making costly mistakes as the majority of any artist’s artistic path is spent exploring new things and making a lot of mistakes.So, there you have it. At the best fine art institute in Dehradun, we’ve had a great time working with acrylics, and we’re sure you will as well. We feel that acrylic paints have enormous potential for widespread adoption, and our objective is to get as many people enthused about acrylics as possible!