So you are thinking about the BEST or MOST COMMON type of paint to use for your first piece of art.
Your search for quality art supplies online, and the web throw terms at you which you have never heard of! Acrylic paint, oil paint, gouache paint, blah, blah, blah…
Worry not, that’s just a lot of types of paint!
Now the question is, which among this big list, is right for you.
Virtually there is no definite answer for this. The best paint to use may be different for each painter depending on his ability, and the type of look he desires his work to get.
Apart from the more obscure features, there are fundamental differences between each paint that should be considered before choosing the medium which is best for you.
1. Oil Paint
This is one of the most common types of paint which is used by the old masters. As the name indicates, this has it’s color pigments embedded in oil. The benefits and (ugh!) drawbacks of using this classy paint are listed out below.
Advantages:
- The paint dries slowly, leaving plenty of time to work with it.
- Once dried, over-painting is possible without disrupting the underlying layers.
- The rich, deep texture maintains its intensity after dried.
Disadvantages:
- When the portraits are not exposed to light for weeks or months, the oil may start to darken.
- While slow-drying seems to be an advantage, it may feel like a disadvantage for some, as they will have to consider working on several paintings at once.
- Usually, brushes are cleaned with solvent, though you can use oil or dishwashing liquid.
2. Acrylic Paint
Several artists advise working with acrylics if you are new to painting because they can be mixed and cleaned up with water, dry fast, and are easy to paint out and of course yes, hide your mistakes! They are cost-effective too.
Here are a few reasons why you should or shouldn’t consider using this popular paint.
Advantages:
- Acrylic paintings are much less likely to influence from temperature, and light, than oil paintings.
- Overpainting without disturbing underlying layers is possible for this too, if dried.
- What’s more interesting is that it is possible to use either thickly (impasto), like oil paints, or in thin washes, like watercolor!
Disadvantages:
- The paint is fully waterproof once dried, so it is unable to remove by rewetting.
- If the acrylic gets dried on the brush, it is hard to remove.
Various qualities of acrylic paint are available in the market today. Both the quality and the amount of acrylic used can hugely impact how artists price their paintings.
And the funniest fact is that “#acrylicpaint” is the most famous hashtag that most prominent artists use on Instagram.
3. Watercolor Paint
You can unquestionably make stunning paintings with watercolor; however, if you are planning to use canvas boards, walk on by.
Wonder why?
This water-based paint tends to form beads on canvas, particularly primed canvas.
Advantages:
- The brushes used can be cleaned with ordinary water.
- It is possible to lift off watercolor by rewetting.
- If paint squeezed from a tube has dried, add a little water, and it’s ready for reuse!
Disadvantages:
- It’s arduous to rectify or hide mistakes in a watercolor painting, as it is transparent.
- In watercolor, there isn’t white paint.
This blog is not a comprehensive explanation of each type of paint. We aimed to provide you a quick overview. Our forthcoming blog will be PART 2 of this topic, where we will share the benefits and drawbacks of a few more paints.
Wait till that to create your masterpiece!
In the meantime, explore the wide variety of best price art supplies online on GlowArt – the best wholesale art supplies company in Australia, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin, Perth.