Acrylic or Oil Painting Beginners

Learn a few unique characteristics of acrylic or oil painting, and master both with ease. Many beginners prefer acrylics as they have a reputation of being easier to master. However, while oil paints require a few more supplies, they provide a very versatile media with which even a beginner can learn to create beautiful works of art. Both types of paint have unique qualities that make them ideal for many different projects.

Both acrylic and oil paint make excellent beginner paint media. Some prefer acrylics initially because of the simplistic use of water as a thinning agent and brush cleaner, along with the fast drying time. Use acrylics on canvas or canvas board as well as just about any other surface one can paint. Acrylics adhere to fabric, metal, wood and ceramics. Oil paints require the use of turpentine for cleaning brushes or thinning paint and have a longer drying time. Equal parts turpentine, linseed oil and varnish creates a medium for thinning oils. Use oil paints on stretched canvas or wood prepared with several layers of gesso. Apply a final coat of finish varnish only after oil paints dry for at least 2 weeks.

Purchase acrylic or oil paints in either student or professional quality. Buy just a few colors of the higher quality paints rather than many of the lower quality paints for richer, longer lasting color. From just red, yellow, blue, black and white, all the needed colors can be created. Create rich secondary colors like oranges from red and yellow, greens from blue and yellow and purples from red and blue. Lighten the colors by adding white. Darken them by adding a tiny bit of black. You may wish to purchase a burnt umber or sienna brown for a richer color rather than to attempt to make a brown from red, yellow and blue.

Keep in mind the time frame involved when working with oils rather than acrylics. An acrylic painting dries rather quickly--in a few hours to a day or so, depending on the thickness of paint and any mediums used. However, oil paints dry much slower. Though an oil painting may feel dry to the touch in a couple of days, it may not be completely dry for up to 2 weeks or more. An oil painting needs a final varnish finish as well, and this cannot be completed until after at least 2 weeks. The final varnish of course then needs to dry. If you must complete a project on a short deadline, choose acrylic paint rather than oil paint.

Rarely use oil paints straight from the tube. Create the thinnest of hues for initially laying in background color blocks by adding a medium as described in the Function section. As you begin to add details, add less medium to the paint. Final details made of mostly paint with little medium add texture and interest to your painting. Acrylics need no medium. Use water to thin them where you desire an effect similar to watercolor. For thicker paint effects, simply use acrylics from the tube. Use available oil or acrylic retarding mediums to slow the drying of either paint. Add polymer mediums to acrylics for a glossier look, similar to finished oil paintings.

Give consideration to brush choice with either paint. Nylon brushes, more durable and less expensive than other brushes, make suitable acrylic paintbrushes. Oil paint requires both bristle brushes and sable brushes. Many types of brushes exist to assist you in creating many different effects. When purchasing brushes, notice the small number on the handle of the brush. This refers to the size of the brush and simply put, the smaller the number, the smaller the brush and the larger the number, the larger the brush. The size is determined by a measurement of the width and length of the bristles. Though the sizes may vary slightly between manufacturers, an initial purchase of flat brushes in a size range of approximately 2 to 10 and of the appropriate type for your paint media should serve you well. Also, purchase a couple of small, round pointed brushes for detail work in a size of approximately 2 and 0 as well as a couple of brushes over size 15 for filling in large areas. Later, add other types of special effect brushes, such as fan brushes. Visit dickblick.com for more information about brush types (see Resources).