ArtBistro

Acrylic is my fave kind of medium. I've tried just about them all and it drys the quickest, and isn't as messy as oil. I'm starting to dabble in other mediums though. I love to mix it up!

DanKingham said:

i agree.....

Agree, I enjoy acrylic for it's versatility and speed, I'm not always patient enough for oils.

With oil it takes what 2 days to dry?

With acrylic you just use water to clean up...hehe! :)

Weeks. wow!

That's a neat idea to pour it on to the canvas...I'll have to try that one. :) Thanks for the great idea!

I love Acrylics, but I have never tried Oils, The switch over to Oil, seems like it would be expensive, and if I didn't care for it, it would be a waste of limited resources. I would love to know where I could buy large size canvas, at low cost. Any one know?

HI, I have never used anything but acrylic, but I did buy some water based oil paints but have not used them yet.  I am not patient enough to use anything that takes too long to dry. As it is when I am painting, I always put the side of my hand in acrylic paint thats not dry yet, so oil paints would be smudged all over.  I think I should stay with my acrylics!lol!  I also use liquitex because of the thickness and the amout of coverage you get with them. They also blend together well on the canvas.

I have experience in most painting mediums. I enjoy acrylic paint, and joined this group. I have used acrylic in many situations, including illustration work on a tight deadline. So I can appreciate it quick drying advantages.

 It seems like the main complaint against oils on this thread is that they take too long to dry. Balanced against oils positives, I 'm not sure if that matters so much. You can use underpainting white-some dry in less than 2 hours and can be painted on top of right away. Good for build of of texture and can be mixed with other paints. With a good touch, its possible to paint wet on wet with out disturbing the layer beneath if preferred.. A drier can also be used in a painting medium. Using proper technique, you can work on oils day after day if necessary, even if parts are wet or tacky.

I usually have more than one painting going on at the same time. Some paintings are finished in one day, others take longer.

For painting outdoors I find on a hot day I have to spend a lot of time spraying my palette with water, and using a medium to make the acrylic act more like oil. For landscape painting outside, I greatly prefer oil.

Some people have commented on acrylics versatility, and brightness in color-I would argue that oil is more versatile and is richer in color, and can be just as bright. I guess I'm  painting with plastic when I use acrylic, and oil has a richer, more luscious feel for me.

Several people so far have said they have not tried oil. If you are a painter, you owe it to yourself to try it out. Maybe a fellow painter could set up a palette for you if you don't want to buy oils. A little can go a long way. I often find a tube of good quality oil, goes further than a tube of acrylic. Don't knock it if you have not tried it. If you have given oil a good shot and prefer acrylic, I respect that. 

I realize I may be expressing views that others may not agree with. I am not saying an oil painting is superior to an acrylic painting. I am just expressing a personal viewpoint. I still use acrylics, among other mediums.