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COMPARING ACRYLIC PAINTS TO OIL PAINTS
WILL YOU CHOOSE OILS OR ACRYLICS?
It has always been a question whether as to which one to choose—acrylic paints or oil paints? The answer to that depends on the purpose of your project since both are excellent in painting.
Except for the odor, which oil paints have and acrylic paints virtually don’t, one distinctive characteristic which separates one from the other is their drying time. For those who want to work quickly, acrylic is perfect with its rapid rate in drying since it is water-based as compared to oil paint’s slow drying time to allow colors to blend well. Although oil paints may be slower, they are an advantage when opting for certain painting techniques and needs glazing over the painted work. To slow the fast-drying effect of acrylics, there are acrylic retarders that impede the rate of evaporation of water in acrylic paint. Acrylic retarders are additives generally based on glycerin or glycol. In addition to acrylic paint, it slows down the rate of evaporation of water and makes the paint workable since you can add more water if necessary. Once through with the painting, you can let the film or layer of acrylic paint set and leave to dry. In the case of oil paints, they need toxic solvents as a form of additive, such as turpentine or mineral spirits, to make the paint thin in consistency and to clean up paintbrushes or other tools. However, there are water-soluble oil paints which were developed to help artist work on them more flexibly. It must be noted though that once oil paints dry up, they tend to be brittle and yellow and will be durable throughout the decades. If you’re planning to work on or blend many colors, it is best to work with oil paints because in contrast to acrylic paints the former tends to take up more pigment. That is possible since oil paints possess linseed oil which possesses a smaller molecule than acrylic. Smaller molecules mean light interacts better with oil paint layers or films. WHAT ABOUT STABILITY? When it comes to stability, as in its durability through time, acrylic is more permanent than oil paints. Through oxidation, normally oil paints become brittle or turn yellow in color. To prevent such from happening, you must apply a layer of varnish that has a removable quality. Acrylic paints, on the other hand, tend to be more stable and permanent and has not altered, cracked, or turned yellow since they were invented at least 50 years ago. LET'S CONSIDER VERSATILITY! Versatility is also an issue debated upon by artists and others painters. It seems that when it comes to versatility, acrylic paints are better than oil paints. Acrylic paints are best if one prefers to work on mixed media since, once dry, pen, charcoal, pastel such as chalk and oil, and other media can be used as added elements on top of the acrylic surface.. AND THERE'S THE PROBLEM OF CLEAN-UP! Upon clean-up, it is a con for oil paints since you’d need toxic solvents such as paint thinner to remove excess paint from your tools or tidy up an artwork. Acrylics, as a water-based paint, are more flexible as clean up only takes water and soap. |
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