So you want to learn how to paint, but you’re not sure whether to start with Acrylic or Oil Paints…
These two types of paints have such unique characteristics, it can feel like two totally different ball games! I know how difficult and overwhelming it can be to make even such a simple decision at the beginning of your painting journey.
In reality, there are pros and cons to both types of paint.
But the truth is— and I hope this makes you feel better— whatever you decide, you’re going to have lots of transferable skills if you decide to try a different type of paint in the future.
I promise, it’s true! The fundamentals of painting stay the same regardless of your medium, so don’t put so much pressure on the tool.
Amazing painting can be created with both acrylic and oil paints, and both can be incredibly fun (and challenging) to work with. You just have to decide!
I’m hoping in this article I can help you decide by providing some insight into the pros, cons, and differences between oil and acrylic paints and why you might choose one over the other—
Coming from the perspective of someone who has been learning to paint over the past couple years, and is still, in many ways, a beginner myself.
So, let’s dig in!
Key Differences between Acrylic and Oil Painting
When considering whether learning to use Acrylic or Oil paints, there’s a few main differences between these two types of paints that can help you decide:
Drying Time
The difference in drying time between acrylic and oil paints is probably the biggest difference that will affect your painting technique.
Acrylic paints start to dry within seconds or minutes of painting with them. This can make blending or creating smooth gradients really challenging, because you have to work quickly. However, it makes it much more achievable to paint in layers. Once the paint dries, you can layer on top additional details, and repeat.
Oil paints are basically the opposite. They can take days to be dry to the touch, and months to dry completely! So your experience painting with them is going to be completely different. Because your paint will stay wet for an extended period of time, you can very easily blend the paint. You can even use a Q-Tip to remove mistakes as you paint!
If you are painting in a single sitting, this means that everything on your canvas is going to be wet while you’re working, rather than drying as you go. If you want to paint in layers, you can still do that, but it will take days in between sessions for the paint to dry!
From my experience, when I’ve tried to paint in layers while the painting is still wet, each time you add more paint, your brush will pick some up from the canvas. This can make it so tricky to work with and get a desired effect.
I’ve found that the slow drying time of oil paints made it ideal for me to practice still life paintings and portraits, where attention to detail and blending are super important. On the other hand, I loved learning landscape painting with acrylics, because of how easy it is to create different layers with additional details.
Materials
To get started with acrylic painting, you really only need a few supplies. You need some paint, some brushes, canvases, and a palette. (Even the palette is negotiable if you’re up for using an old dish!).
Oil painting, though, is a whole different story. Not only will you need all those same materials, but you’ll need additional solvents and mediums to paint with oil paints.
If you don’t know what those are, I’d recommend doing a bit more research before diving into oil painting! But here’s the TL;DR— Oil and water do not mix. So, you can’t just mix oil paints with water to make them thinner, and you can’t even clean your palette and brushes with water.
You’ll need what’s called a solvent which you can mix with the paint to thin it out and clean up. The most popular choices are Turpentine or Mineral Spirits.
But here’s the thing about these solvents— Most of them have some level of toxicity. So, it’s super important to paint in well-ventilated area (smelly fumes), and NEVER put them down the sink.
You’l also find that oil paint has a really thick, pasty texture that can be difficult to work with. If you want to change the consistency, you’ll need a medium, which changes the texture and sometimes the drying time of your paints.
So, as you can see, the materials needed to get started with oil paints make it a whole lot more complicated that acrylic paints, which isn’t exactly beginner friendly. it really takes a lot of research to get familiar with all the different oil painting supplies! I was confused for like 3 months straight.
Cost
There’s a really common piece of advice that acrylic paint is much cheaper than oil paint. In general, this is true, but that’s mostly when it comes to quality, professional grade paints.
( a tube of oil paints can go up to hundreds of dollars!!)
But I definitely don’t recommend that for beginners.
When you’re starting out, the cost of beginner-grade acrylic and oil paints are going to be pretty comparable, with oil being slightly more expensive. It’s more-so the extra materials that can make oil painting more expensive.
My preferred acrylic paints
My preferred beginner oil paints
Look, feel, and personal preference
There is something really charming about oil paints, and it’s really hard to describe to someone who’s never used them.
The softness of the paint, the bright and rich colors, they can just make oil paint so appealing. Personally, I find it to be a much more satisfying feeling to paint with than acrylics.
And yes, the colors are actually more pigmented and therefore more vibrant. They also don’t change as they dry like acrylic paints (which get slightly darker.)
These factors can really come through in the finished painting, in my opinion! I love the texture and vividness in my oil paintings, where my acrylics don’t seem to have the same quality.
But really, the way colors come through in a finished painting is going to have a to more to do with your brushwork and understanding of color theory, than just the paints you use. It’s not a huge difference, just something to consider.
You may be naturally drawn to the way one or other of the paints feel, like I am drawn to oil paints.
Messiness factor
If it wasn’t clear by now, Oil paints are pretty messy and hard to clean up! Because they take such a long time, you’ll have to store a completely wet painting for days on end. And if you get the paint on your clothes or even skin, it can be kind of a nightmare to get out.
Not to mention, you’re going to have jars of toxic chemicals sitting around because you can’t throw them in the trash. So it gets pretty messy!
Acrylics can be messy too, but definitely not to the same extent. They can be washed down the drain with soap and water and are much easier to clean off of things in case of an accident.
Long term durability and value
If you’ve ever cooed over the gorgeous paintings from the renaissance era in a museum, you were almost guaranteed to be looking at an oil painting.
In fact, acrylic paints weren’t even developed until the 1950s!! DaVinci died in 1519, for reference (Just imagining DaVinci with a set of Liquitex is making me chuckle).
We can’t really say much yet about the longevity of acrylics, since they’ve only been around for 70-ish years.
But experts believe that as long as a painting is properly varnished and stored, it can last a long time without damage.
There is still however a favoring towards oil paints in the world of art collectors. They’ll often sell for higher price points and be more coveted. Even though, this is mostly based on perception at this point.
That said, it’s probably not going to make a huge difference to your average buyer on Etsy, per say. But if you’re going after collectors, might be something to consider.
Pros and cons of acrylic vs oil paints for beginners.
All that said, lets recap some of the pros and cons of acrylic vs oil paints for beginners
Pros and Cons of Acrylic Painting
Pros
- Dries quickly
- Water-soluble
- Easy to clean up
- Less expensive than oil paint
- Can be used on a variety of surfaces, including paper, canvas, and wood
Cons
- Can dry too quickly, making it difficult to blend
- Can look flat or less textured than oil paint
Pros and Cons of Oil Painting
Pros
- Rich, deep colors with a lot of texture
- Can be blended easily
- Can stay wet for days, which allows for more time to work on a painting
- Long-lasting and durable
Cons
- Takes a long time to dry
- Requires messy & potentially toxic solvents for cleaning
- More expensive than acrylic paint
Which one is better for beginners?
As you can see, the answer isn’t all that straightforward. It really depends on your goals, personal preference, and natural inclination.
If you’re looking for a more forgiving medium that dries quickly and is easy to clean up, acrylic paint may be the way to go.
If you want to create rich, textured paintings and don’t mind waiting for paint to dry, oil paint may be the better choice.
My Personal Recommendation
If I really had to choose which is better for beginners point blank, I would have to go with acrylics. If you’ve never picked up a paint brush before, it’s going to require a lot less time, energy, money, and research to get started with acrylics. That’s also, from my experience, where you’ll find the most beginner friendly art tutorials online. You’ll probably find it easier to paint thing like landscapes, which are a popular subject for beginners.
HOWEVER, I do think there are cases you should go ahead and start with oil paints.
If you’ve got your sight set on portrait painting or still life’s, you might find oil paints to be a preferable medium due to the blending capabilities.
Some questions to help you decide:
Have you tried either type of paint? What did you think?
Often times local art centers will host “make it take it” classes, where you can try out painting without having to buy al the supplies to get started. This is a great way to see if you have a natural inclination towards one type of paint over the other.
What types of things are you most interested in painting?
Now, this is really just my persona opinion from learning to paint, but I would say— Acrylics have made it easier for me to learn landscape painting techniques, whereas oils made it easier for me to learn portrait and still life painting techniques. I can’t garauntee you’ll find the same, but this was true for me!
Do you have a well ventilated space to work in? And one you don’t mind getting messy?
If you’re painting in your bedroom, it might be best to stick with acrylics.
What are your long term goals?
They say oils are the most difficult paint to master, but it’s the top choice of professional artists for many reasons. if you’ve got your sights set on going professional, you might challenge yourself by starting with oils!
The beginner friendly way to start with oils
Maybe you’re sold on acrylics at this point, maybe, on the other hand, you were feeling drawn to oils but now you’re feeling a little discouraged.
Toxic chemicals? Messes? Costly materials? These are often the main reasons people steer clear of oil paints.
BUT, there is another way! Have you ever heard of water mixable oil paints?
Water mixable oils are a newer type of oil paints that don’t require all the chemical solvents. Unlike traditional oil paints, you can mix them with water and clean up easily with soap and water— no chemicals required.
and they still behave just like regular oil paints from a texture and dry time perspective. This makes them such an ideal option for beginners interested in oils!
I actually started with traditional oils, but after some time switched to water mixable oils because I felt like I could get the same result with less mess, less chemicals, and easier cleanup.
The only cons are the colors are still not going to be quite as rich as traditional oil paints, and they do get a little darker as they dry. They’re also not likely to be as durable and long lasting as traditional oils.
In my personal experience, I have found these differences to be so negligible that I can’t recommend water mixable oils enough.
The real truth about what paint is best for beginners….
If you’re a beginner painter, it can feel like theres so much information out there about paints, techniques, and everything else under the sun. It can be so overwhelming!
Here’s the truth about all of this… It doesn’t really matter.
The results you are able to achieve are going to be so much more dependent on the hours you put in practicing and learning, than the type of paint you choose to buy. there are both incredible acrylic paintings and oil paintings out in the world.
One artist I love even uses house paints for her painting— Yes, like the ones you use to paint your walls. She says she loves how opaque they are and how it helps her keep her costs down.
If that’s not proof that the paint doesn’t matter nearly as much as the skill, I don’t know what is!
You can create incredible art in whatever type of paint you decide to use. The most important thing is to just get started painting!
[…] you want to learn more about the differences between working with acrylic and oil paints, I have a whole blog post on which is better for beginner artists I’d recommend you check […]