Oil paint is a slow-drying paint that contains particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil. Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint that has pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. Even though acrylic paints can be diluted with water, once they are dry, the resulting product is water resistant. A finished acrylic painting can have the appearance of a watercolor, an oil painting, or some other unique look, depending on the percentage of dilution with water, gels, or pastes.
Linseed oil is the main ingredient that binds oil paint; on the contrary, water is the main ingredient that binds acrylic paint. Hence, we can say that oil paint is "oil based" and acrylic paint is "water based."
Oil paint and acrylic paint differ in the time required for the drying process. The time needed by oil paint to dry is comparatively longer than acrylic paint, and may stretch from days to weeks and even years, depending on the ingredients used. This is due to the fact that oil paint dries by the process of oxidization, and acrylic paint dries by evaporation. However, this slow-drying property of oil paint allows enough time for the artist to work with the product longer, changing both the color and the final appearance.
Alternatively, acrylic paint is often chosen by artists who want faster results, since it takes only hours to dry. However, a slower-drying acrylic paint was introduced in 2008 by Golden Artist Colors, which combine the qualities of oil paints with the quicker drying time of acrylic, resulting in a paint that remains wet for a few hours on the palette under normal environmental conditions.
When we use oil paint, we need a solvent such as turpentine to thin the paint and clean up the work space, which has its disadvantages because turpentine has toxic qualities. An additional step that is required is that the canvas must be thoroughly primed before being painted on, and afterward a removable protective layer of varnish should be applied to the finished product.
Over a period of time, oil paint can become yellow and brittle and start cracking, so it is recommended to follow the principle of "fat over lean" to avoid cracking; which means that each successive coat of paint must have a higher oil to pigment ratio.
Acrylic is typically more versatile in nature to use for the average artist, although because of its faster drying time, the painter is not able to blend colors or use the wet-in-wet technique available to oil paint. Retarders can be added to acrylic paint to slow the drying process, allowing water to be added to make the paint more workable.
Linseed oil is the main ingredient that binds oil paint; on the contrary, water is the main ingredient that binds acrylic paint. Hence, we can say that oil paint is "oil based" and acrylic paint is "water based."
Oil paint and acrylic paint differ in the time required for the drying process. The time needed by oil paint to dry is comparatively longer than acrylic paint, and may stretch from days to weeks and even years, depending on the ingredients used. This is due to the fact that oil paint dries by the process of oxidization, and acrylic paint dries by evaporation. However, this slow-drying property of oil paint allows enough time for the artist to work with the product longer, changing both the color and the final appearance.
Alternatively, acrylic paint is often chosen by artists who want faster results, since it takes only hours to dry. However, a slower-drying acrylic paint was introduced in 2008 by Golden Artist Colors, which combine the qualities of oil paints with the quicker drying time of acrylic, resulting in a paint that remains wet for a few hours on the palette under normal environmental conditions.
When we use oil paint, we need a solvent such as turpentine to thin the paint and clean up the work space, which has its disadvantages because turpentine has toxic qualities. An additional step that is required is that the canvas must be thoroughly primed before being painted on, and afterward a removable protective layer of varnish should be applied to the finished product.
Over a period of time, oil paint can become yellow and brittle and start cracking, so it is recommended to follow the principle of "fat over lean" to avoid cracking; which means that each successive coat of paint must have a higher oil to pigment ratio.
Acrylic is typically more versatile in nature to use for the average artist, although because of its faster drying time, the painter is not able to blend colors or use the wet-in-wet technique available to oil paint. Retarders can be added to acrylic paint to slow the drying process, allowing water to be added to make the paint more workable.
About the Author:
OceanSpectrum.com offers a complete selection of acrylic landscape paintings. Visit us for more articles and view the selection of art.
No comments:
Post a Comment