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Depending on which painting medium you use while creating art, either oil, water, or acrylic. Each medium can give a different result. There are many benefits for each painting medium that you can use for creating individual artworks. And there are some facts to think about before choosing your favorite painting medium.

Oil Paint

Oil paint has been one of the most traditional artist’s mediums for centuries. Oil paint takes a long time to dry, so hence this paint can easily be blended on canvas or wood. This sometimes allows broad contrasts to the end results of art. Oil paint is long-lasting compared to acrylic and watercolors. The oil paints medium will endure the test of time. Which makes oil art a valuable asset for investors.

Oil paints are toxic and when using this medium, it is necessary to wear a face mask and use ventilation if indoors. Also, the brushes require turpentine to clean them properly and therefore it is essential to dispose of the waste properly in a closed sealed container disclosing to your local waste yard the contents.

Painting in oil, the painter can achieve a thick texture or it can be thinned down to give a diminished ghostly appearance. The oil paints are vast in colors and range from soft pastels to a bright bold eccentric vivid pallet.

Some artists find painting in oil very accommodating because mistakes can easily be covered, and due to a long time between drying the artwork can be altered readily.

The oil painting below called Selection by Vaughan Golding depicts the texture and contrasting bold colours used in the blocks within the artwork.

Water Color Paint

Watercolors are often used to create a soft appearance to the art. The lighter texture and tones can leave a gentle ambiance to your artwork. Watercolor paint’s medium can be a little different when applied to canvas, or thick paper, as such it takes practice to blend out the paint with water. Being careful to not paint like you would acrylic with heavy strokes. The watercolor paint is used sparingly, adding water as you go to work the piece.

Watercolors can take on an aspect of seeing through the art, a kind of light shadowing effect. Although some artists manage to paint watercolors with a solid perspective, this is not common.

The main benefit of painting in watercolor is that it is non-toxic and the brushes can be cleaned with water only, similar to acrylic.

Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint would have to be the easiest paint medium to handle. Although it dries fairly quickly, you can make adjustments quickly that may not be noticed when you are using oil or watercolor. Acrylic paint tends to be thicker than watercolors and it can last for a longer duration, so it can be rather good for outdoor murals. The benefit of acrylic paint as a preferred medium is that the brushes you are using can easily be washed with water. It is recommended to use a coffee paper filter when washing your brushes and dispose of the acrylic residue thoughtfully. (not down the sink).

Acrylic paint is non-toxic and does not require ventilation, so hence it can be a great medium for children or beginner artists. It is still a great idea to use personal protective equipment like an artist’s apron.

Also, another main benefit of acrylic is that it comes in many bright colours, including fluro and intense vibrant bold tones. The colours can be mixed easily creating many tones and shades.

The acrylic painting Rainbow at Larache by Erica Golding is a great example of the brightness that can be accomplished.

Gouache

Some other paint mediums include gouache which is a water-based color paint. The difference is that gouache paint is more concentrated and when using gouache medium, the colors are dense, thicker, and darker in tones.

Gouache paint is used on thick paper and is opaque in appearance, which can create dense scenes of visual art. It is different from water colour in the fact that you can not see through it.

A good quality gouache can be expensive but it will go a long way in creating masterpieces of art like the example for sale below My Boots painted by Erica Golding.

Other Mediums are Oil Pastel, and Ink

Oil Pastels are not necessarily a paint but they are oil-based crayons. The oil pastel can be fun to use and create a raised texture to the art, often highlighted features like shadowing can show extreme depth.

Ink is also not a to paint, but it is a good art medium that can show and define lines and shading. Ink can emphasize contours and shapes that you may want to highlight to the viewer. Also, ink is used much in printmaking.

Conclusion

I have highlighted the main few painting mediums that can be utilized while producing artwork. It could be said that every artist begins with their favorite choice to paint, be it oil, watercolor, acrylic, or gouache. The thing to keep in mind is that using any paint medium will take practice to achieve the desired art.

Practicing on thick paper, wood, canvas or cloth, you may like to photograph your steps in the production. This will allow you to look back at the work in the stages of progress. This in turn can improve your visual perception during the intervals of work.

The main trick is to just start, with whatever medium you are experimenting with. Try to let go of the inhibitions of trying to be like another artist. That is what makes art beautiful and unique is the diverse depictions of objects, scenes, or people as subjects from the mind of a realistic version.

After all an idea and every idea of the human has come about from imagination and this ability can highlight moods or feelings in creating artwork, with any type of paint medium.

I appreciate your time in reading this article about the different painting mediums and the pros and cons of each medium.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about achieving a certain desired artwork result, do not hesitate in leaving a message below or please email me for further info. I may be able to help you.

Or whether you are interested in purchasing any of my listed original artworks for sale, let me know.

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Kind regards

Erica ~ The jewellery designer creating heirlooms for future generations!