Oil vs. Acrylic

[Chef Zomagic]

Discuss.

[Alex Chow]

Both mediums are good.

[bitjockey]

I'd love to learn how to work with Oils, but I just started experimenting with acrylics a few months ago. I figure I should develop a good familiarity with that first.

[DavePalumbo]

As a general topic, I'm not really sure it's a subject worth discussing. Do you have some particular question or problem?

[Stoat]

Awright! Steel cage match! Two media enter, one medium leaves.

Okay, I have no idea...

[sodAp]

basketball vs football

discuss

[cmalidore]

Thought we already kinda did that.

I prefer oils - though I can't really say why. I like the feel and the slow dry so that I can push and shove paint around. They're both equally justified paint mediums that many people can use better than I can.

I wasn't aware they were a yin and yang thang. Can't they all be friends? I mean I leave them both on my art desk at home and so far they've behaved next to each other. No tubes have been found shoved through the paper shreader.

[Hexokinase]

Discuss.

No, thanks.

Try the search option though. If you don't have any particular questions, you might discover something new about each medium.

[Flake]

The schools go back soon.

There should be less of these threads.

[Jie Kageshinzo]

I suppose Acrylic would have an edge because of its speed, so it'll run circles around Oil. It can be like bullet-time for Acrylic. However, it is also this slowness of Oil that can be an advantage, as he can have more time to ponder his tactics and strategy against the quick but fickle Acrylic. Think of it as an experienced but slow master against a young but brash talented student.

I guess, in the end, it will depend on how good their talent managers are in winning fans.

[DavePalumbo]

oh, connected the dots from this thread to that other thread.

I still don't see why one would or needs to be "better" than the other, but I just felt like mentioning that I do my under paintings in acrylic and my top coats in oil. They can coexist! :D

[alesoun]

Silk, cotton, rayon, wool; each have their qualities and their uses. I wouldn't make a winter coat out of silk; doesn't make it less useful than wool, though....

Define the discussion.

[Psychotime]

Can someone explain the difference? I don't paint.

[Christian223]

Oils are good for cooking, acrylics arent.

For me, acrylics need just the right amount of water to "understand" them, oils dont need understanding, just time to dry :)

[DavePalumbo]

Can someone explain the difference? I don't paint

srsly?

well, oils are oil based. They're made up of ground pigment and oil. Acrylics are water based. I'm not totally sure what they're made of, pigments with "acrylic polymer emulsion".

Oils "dry" (though it's actually oxidation and not evaporation) over a slower span of time, leaving more time to blend and manipulate the paint. They're fragile when dry by comparison. Acrylics dry very very quickly and turn, essentially, to a plastic like substance.

Oils clean up in solvents typically, though can also be cleaned with simple cooking oil as I'm told. Acrylics clean up in water.

[VulgarDragon]

I use oils in my car. Acrylics tastes better but they aren't healthy.

[a la bapsi]

Acrylics are made of...acrylic.
Kind of like plastic gel something, and color.
I've never actually finished a piece with oil before, just acrylic, so I'm probably gonna be biased here. :x
I enjoy how quickly acrylic dries, sometimes I even get annoyed by how it doesn't dry fast enough while I paint. It can be watered down to the point where I can do washes on paper as I would with watercolor, which is pretty cool. Problem is, at times, when I'm using acrylic, I get distracted with "shit, gotta do this, dammit, gotta do that like right now"...kinda sucks how you can't just leave your palette out for a little bit and expect it to still be usable [and..that staywet palette stuff's such a pain in the ass to prepare. boiling paper? what?]
One thing I hear a lot about oil is how "nice it feels".
I heard from somewhere that acrylic feels like toothpaste, while oil feels like butter. ...anywho.
but yeah. Oil paint, since it doesn't have record speed drying time, I think you can take your time and blend beautifully for an extremely realistic effect or something. o_o

Iono. I think every medium has its advantages and disadvantages. Like Palumbo said, they can even coexist. a;laskjdlkj so yeah.
/fart

[Kagemusha22]

I personally prefer Oils, despite being messier they always turn out more vibrantly for me. Whilst Acrylics....Meh!

But my default paint of choice, is watercolours.

[chaosrocks]

oooh another of these threads

hey Allie, my favorite most comfy winter coat is made out of ...guess what..... SILK! (heheeheh)

there have been many of theses threads
I will merely quote Whitaker

"Painting with oils is like painting with butter, Painting with acrylics is like painting with toothpaste"

[feifeicreate]

Discuss? what is this? art school all over again?

well...I had a love/hate relationship with oil...for people like me who can't work without a deadline, slow dry is a pain...carrying a 4 feet tall wet canvas cross the entire campus was not easy...other times, I have to blow dry it slowly with a hair dryer (don't do it too quick, or the paint will crack). But I'd say oil is my favorite. I love the richness and softness of oil, the freedom slow-dry gives me...but doing oil needs a lot of pacient. sometimes you need to just leave it for the day and come back later.

what I normally end up doing is create background and cover large area with Acrylic, and work the figures and details with oil.

[DSillustration]

I was hanging at the bar with Oil not too long ago,
and this douche named Acylic started talking shit about my boy and how slow he was.
Oil said, "Listen up boy, I was drawin' titties when Rothko's Mom was still wearing diapers! You better put on those Latex gloves cause I'm-a-gonna killz you!"
Man, it was awesome, you shoulda seen Acrylic, he went stiff in seconds.
Luckily Alkyd stepped in settled it peacefully.

[Ilaekae]

Let me guess...watercolor pissed his pants again...

[DavePalumbo]

I has hanging at the bar with Oil not too long ago,
and this douche named Acylic started talking shit about my boy and how slow he was.
Oil said, "Listen up boy, I was drawin' titties when Rothko's Mom was still wearing diapers! You better put on those Latex gloves cause I'm-a-gonna killz you!"
Man, it was awesome, you shoulda seen Acrylic, he went stiff in seconds.
Luckily Alkyd stepped in settled it peacefully.

that's funny, I was at a bar the other night and saw Water-Mixable-Oil sitting alone in the corner with nine day stubble and stains all over his shirt, drinking himself to death

[Elwell]

that's funny, I was at a bar the other night and saw Water-Mixable-Oil sitting alone in the corner with nine day stubble and stains all over his shirt, drinking himself to death
The ironic thing is that he was trying to drink himself to death with non-alcoholic beer.

[Jie Kageshinzo]

Anyone seen Pastel yesterday? When she heard that someone wants to pit Oil against Acrylic, she went white as chalk, the poor girl. I can't really blame her, though. She has always gotten well with Oil.

[DSillustration]

The ironic thing is that he was trying to drink himself to death with non-alcoholic beer.

HAHA!

[Victor B]

dsillustration, davepalumbo, bless you guys!