Oil vs. Acrylic

Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Alex Rowe discuss all of the differences between oil and acrylic paint in great depth, as well as their similarities.

It’s essential for any artist who paints to know what the technical differences are between oil and acrylic paint.

The dry time varies tremendously, the solvents and mediums are completely different, oil painting has safety hazards to be aware of, while acrylic painting does not have any. 


Video Walkthrough

  • Dry time
  • Benefits of acrylic
  • Hazards of oil
  • Slowing/Extending dry time
  • Choosing colors
  • Black paint
  • White paint
  • Palette knives
  • Painting mediums
  • Oil brushes vs. Acrylic brushes
  • Thumbnail sketches
  • Sketching in pencil or paint
  • Painting in layers
  • Painting takes patience
  • Painting with a cotton rag
  • “Fat over Lean”
  • Clean up
  • Silicoil brush cleaning tank
  • Student grade, pro grade paint
  • Poor quality supplies
  • Brush techniques
  • Getting started with painting
  • There’s no wrong way to paint

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