Oil paint or acrylic paint?

In order to choose the type of paint that best suits you, it is important to know all its characteristics. Oil paint or acrylic paint, each has its own specific characteristics. Here are the differences between them.

Oil paint

Oil painting is done with turpentine oil. Due to toxic fumes, oil painting must be carried out in an open environment. Oil paint is pleasant to handle and has the advantage of being durable, even if the colours fade somewhat. In terms of aesthetics, oil paints are more vivid and deeper. In terms of the drying process, a painting made with oil paint can remain wet even after days or weeks. This makes it possible to make later changes and to change the colours if the result is not as expected. However, the drying time can also be a disadvantage, especially if you want to move the work shortly after it has been completed. For the maintenance of brushes and possible stains, special products should be used.

Acrylic paint

Acrylic paint is made from water, so it has the advantage of being much less toxic. Easy to work with in general, acrylic paint has a less natural appearance than oil paint. Some leading artists refuse to accept acrylic paints as a legitimate painting medium. In terms of durability, it is still difficult to judge the performance of acrylic paints since they have not been used for very long. They were introduced in the 1950s, so it is too early to have enough experience. This is one of the major differences with oil paint: acrylic paint dries quickly, within minutes. However, this can make mixing colours more difficult. Cleaning the brushes is quicker, as a simple rinse with water is sufficient. Acrylic paint also has the advantage of being less expensive and therefore more accessible, especially for students.

A broad overview on ARTactif

To get a clearer idea of the differences between oil and acrylic paint, there is nothing better than to look at some creations. On the site artactif.com you will find more than 300,000 works. Since 1999, this site has been focusing on all professional and amateur artists. Faithful to its vocation as an official directory of contemporary artists, it strives to help its subscribers make a name for themselves by presenting their creations to the greatest number of people. On ARTactif, you can find the work that corresponds to you in a few clicks. The search tab allows you to refine your selection. You can then choose to display all the paintings made with oil paint or acrylic paint. In both cases, thousands of results are displayed to give you a vast overview of the works according to the material used. It's up to you to scroll through the works and find the type of paint that appeals to you.