Acrylic or Oil.

When I first decided to start painting, I dove into oils and started experimenting with them. In my head, I always thought of acrylics more as bright, cartoonish colors and didn’t really consider them as a viable option. Then I bought a random set to play with and did one random painting and put them away. (I actually love that painting, but there was something about the process that made me just put them in a container and in a drawer.) I actually owe the experiment to a painter I met on Instagram, _antonioart, whose acrylic paintings made me want to understand the medium more.

So last week, I started a new painting. As with all of my stuff, music plays a big role in the process and this particular painting was named the moment it started. “Cruel Melody” (a song by Black Light Burns that has always been a favorite…and relates back to my love of art…more on that later) began in earnest as an experiment in acrylics and within the first hour I could see exactly what was in my head beginning to assemble.

I am going to take my time with this one. It’s a 16×40 canvas and I think it will look very dramatic once completed. We’ll see I guess.

I already have a second painting in mind so I think I may keep going with the acrylics and see how it goes. I may lack the patience for oils…I’m just not sure yet. I do love the creaminess of good oil paint as it spreads across a canvas. I think my initial thoughts were that the oils would be more forgiving, which they are and can be, but they also will make you wait for that forgiveness.

I’d love to hear some other opinions – the good, the bad, the why you chose one over the other…let me know.