Oil paint, pastel, water colour, graphite, water soluble, acrylic, charcoal; what is the difference and what should you use? Let me tell you...
Many people find art a daunting subject; which medium is the best for beginners? What materials do I need? Can I paint/draw/etc if I have little to no talent?! Well, take a deep breath my friend and let me answer your questions!
CHOOSING A MEDIUM
No one medium is inherently better than another. Truth to materials is important, but at the end it is not the medium that matters – it's the message. (Bryan Dunleavy)
Most people I talk to who want to be more creative are very hesitant to jump into something they're not familiar with, and that's okay! Heck, I wouldn't want to just pick up restoring cars as a hobby without getting some sense of what I'm doing! I'm going to cover some of the main mediums that people use.
SIDE NOTE: If you don't see one of your favourites say, for example, you love working in encaustics, or say you already know which medium you prefer, I encourage you to keep an open mind, maybe even take some advice from Harley Brown.
Once in a while, work with a medium that you're not used to. It is always an energizing experience, one that spills over into your 'regular' work. (Harley Brown)
Lesson time: Any paint is made up of two things. The first and most important is pigment, the second is filler.
Pigment is what actually gives paint its colour. Way back in the Renaissance and before that, in ancient periods pigments were all organic, made from beatles, shells, blood, rocks, you name it. Organic pigments contain carbon, and over time they fade, which is why old paintings today often have to be restored before they make their grand appearance in a gallery.
As we've progressed, synthetic pigments and inorganic pigments have become possible. Synthetic pigments are made from coal, or other gas-based chemicals, inorganic pigments are made from the reactions between chemicals. What this boils down to is these synthetic and inorganic pigments last longer and are more vibrant.
SIDE NOTE: If you're worried about only having organic or synthetic/inorganic pigment in your paint, don't stress too much, there are companies out there that have a mix of both in their paint, and some that lean one way or another. It's up to you, but if you're just starting out, ignore the part about the pigment and focus on this next part.
The second part of any paint is the filler, or the medium/base/binder. While Watercolour paint and Acrylic have mainly water based filler or medium, Oil paint is (you guessed it!) oil based.
Some of you smartypants out there may be saying, "well Joy, why can't I just use pigment when I paint, why do I have to choose a medium?" Well smartypants, pigments don't work that way. Firstly, most pigments are dry, some are so solid they have to be ground into a very fine dust (Ultramarine blue, for example, is made from the precious stone Lapus Lazuli).
You can't spread a stone dust across your canvas can you Karen? No! Pigment needs to be broken down and integrated into a medium, hence the different paint mediums!
Good quality paint will have a different ratio of filler to pigment. See it's more expensive to make paint that has more pigment in it, than it is to make paint with a buttload of filler. So if you go to your local Michaels or Art store or what have you, you'll notice that they have different 'levels' of paint. They probably start with student, then artist and then professional. That is because there is more pigment in the higher 'levels' of paint as opposed to craft paint, or tempura paint, which has lower pigment levels and lower quality filler.
So, if you're starting out, don't worry about having the Rolles Royce of paint, get something in the mid range, and avoid craft or dollar store paint!
If you find pigments as fascinating as I do, you might want to check out these links, https://www.fastcompany.com/3058058/the-harvard-vault-that-protects-the-worlds-rarest-colors , https://www.cnn.com/style/article/how-paint-is-made/index.html , http://www.winsornewton.com/na/discover/articles-and-inspiration/history-of-pigments
or do some research of your own!
If you don't feel like going down that rabbit hole, let's talk about acrylic!
Acrylic Paint
Most people suggest oil paint for beginners, but I would say that Acrylic is probably the easiest medium to jump into. You don't have to learn complicated clean-up routines, you can wash the paint down the sink, or wait for it to dry and scrape it off your palette, it has a plastic or rubbery texture when it dries, and peeling that paint is ohh sooo satisfying.
Before you call me weird, remember when you were in elementary and you would put glue on your hand so you could pull it off later? Yeah, it's like that. Other people like it too okay?!
Of course the peeling isn't the only great thing about acrylics!
If you're a fast worker, then acrylics might be the medium for you! Because Acrylics are water-based (see above) they dry/cure faster than oils. Which means you can't be super duper picky about details. And when you're starting out, you tend to want to start with details. Acrylics force you to look at the big picture, and although that might be a learning curve for you, there is no better way to go about it!
Acrylics are also the most versatile paint. You know those mediums we were talking about? Well, if you paint with acrylic those have just become your best friend. A little bit of medium can change the way your paint behaves! You feel like taking a little longer on that landscape? Add some retarder. You want your paint thicker? Add some medium. You want your paint glossy bright, add some gloss medium. You want your paint to be thinner than a frozen pond in summer? Add some medium!
Acrylic paint is great to start with, because it's easy to experiment with and change. It also helps give you a good sense of how you naturally like to work with paint. Which can point you to one of the other two mediums.
Watercolour
Instead of relying on mediums, watercolour paint relies on, you guessed it, water! Out of all the mediums, this one is probably the one that offers the least control. So if you are a type A personality, this miiiiiight not be the best choice for you. There are two main techniques when it comes to watercolour. Wet on wet, and wet on dry. Wet on wet is when you start with a wash, a light coloured background and then you apply paint to that wet surface. wet on dry is when you apply the paint to a dry surface.
I find working in watercolour demands that you know a bit more about what you're doing. You either have a plan, or you let the paint dictate which direction you go. It's a bit like you're Pocahontas painting with the wind, you can have a compass, but you really have to be good at going with the flow.
I find that Watercolours can be better or worse depending on the surface you're painting on. Watercolour uses a lot of water, and water tends to soak through paper fairly quickly. If you've ever spilled coffee on your recently printed English essay, you know what I mean. The thicker the paper the better! Thicker, more absorbent brushes also go a long way to making your watercolour creations a success.
Remember to tape of a border for your watercolour projects, and stay away from dollar store watercolour sets!
Oils
If you haven't already guessed, oil paints are oil based. The up-shot is that unlike watercolour and acrylic, you don't use water to clean your brush before going to the next colour or when you clean up. Acrylics use mediums and water to move paint and add or subtract body (thickness) and watercolour uses mainly water. This probably makes sense to you. You probably did finger-painting as a kid or painted something, (bird houses, Christmas ornaments, inaccurate family portraits) with brushes at some point. So this way of painting is familiar to you.
Well, forget what you know when it comes to oil painting!
More than the other mediums oil paintings are more layered, you usually start with an underpainting, making guides and outlines and placing shadows and light.
I think of it as creating a sculpture on canvas. You have to create a foundation first, then as you build you can chisel some areas away, and make others more detailed.
Oil painting also requires oils; there are some oils that can function similarly to mediums, changing the rate your paint dries at, making it thicker, thinner etc. You have to be a bit more particular about which oils you use, what types of brushes you have and how you dispose of your paint. Instead of swishing your brush in water before using a different colour, you use paint thinner, or turpentine.
Calm down Karen!! Turpentine can be a dangerous chemical if you don't use it right, but there is no reason to be scared. As long as you are not painting in a closet, and you don't leave turpentine next the furnace, or exposed wiring, you should be okay! There are less chemically paint thinners too if you're a bit more paranoid.
Here are some handy tips to keep your brushes clean (I am not sponsored, these are just things that others have also recommended!)
At this point you might be thinking, "okay Joy, with all of these steep learning curves, why would I ever want to use oil paint? And who was the loony who thought it was good for beginners?!" I know right?! But seriously.
Oils might take a bit of adjusting to, but truth be told it does have some amazing factors. Because of it's long drying time you can adjust and perfect until you start seeing wrinkles around your eyes. For beginners, and perfectionists (guilty) this is great, you don't have to worry about mistakes as much because anything can be fixed! Also once you really get the hang of the clean up, the routine can be pretty standard and even simpler and faster to clean up than the other mediums. Oil is also great if you are forgetful, or busy. You could leave your paint palette out for a day, maybe even two and pick up where you left off! Cool right?
Oil paints are naturally glossy, and their colours usually come out of the tube much darker looking than when it's mixed or on the canvas, so it may take some time to get used to mixing oil paint. Oils are smooth like soft butter, it can be a satisfying physical process working with oil, and if you're patient enough it might just become your favourite medium!
So... Recap.
Acrylics are for the bold, the new and the creative - the explorers
Watercolour is for the carefree, the people who can understand the process but find excitement in those organic and spontaneous shapes
Oils are for the patient, the perfectionist, those looking to hone their craft or find a stable, consistent medium that they plan to stick with for a while.
So! Which medium are you drawn to? Anything you agree with? Disagree with? If you have a different media you're into let me know!
Happy art making!
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