Is ACRYLIC a poor mans alternative to OILS?

Question

Having taken up Watercolours when I retired - like you do!
I have come accross the mixed media s etc., and thought I might give Acrylic paint a whirl, but having only recently become aware of Acrylics I wondered........one sees Watercolours and Oils by the old Masters, but never have I seen Acryclics, and as I plan to be the next Grandma Moses..............

Answer 1

I certainly do not think that Acrylics are a poor man's alternative to Oils.
Both watercolours and oils are the 'traditional' art materials that have been used by generations of artists. Watercolour has been used in a variety of ways, from the very precise victorian paintings of biological, plant specimens, through to the very loose work of Turner. Likewise oils have been used in a very wide range of applications from lovely transparent washes in early portraiture through to the impasto effects of Vincent Van Gogh. Paint media like acrylics, gouache etc are the derived development of these original mediums.
Acrylic can be used throughout the whole range of 'oil' techniques. It can be used as thin transparent washes, it can be built up as an impasto techniques, it can be thickened, thinned,extended etc. The advantage is that it can dry quickly, or its drying time can be extended. Oils took time to dry! Acrylic can be applied to a whole variety of different surfaces or supports, oils tends to be limited to flat primed surfaces. Gouache is the designer's water colour again developed for a range of applications. Many old masters worked in tempera, which is worth looking at and is often mistaken as thinned oil painting. Why explore these mediums, at least give them a chance. If we look at the work of the POP artists, tomorrows 'old masters' they used mainly acrylics. May I suggest a look through the specialist crafts art and design catalogue, education edition, in order to see the range of media and its applications. Their website is www.specialistcrafts.co.uk Hope this helps widen your knowledge and give you a thirst for experimentation. Good luck and enjoyment!!!!!

Answer 2

Acrylics are certainly not a poor individual's alternative to oil. As a matter of fact - the good acrylics are extremely expensive. If price is your gauge for quality - that is.

I've worked with Golden acrylics and Lascaux acrylics - both of which are very expensive and very good. They are good because they are packed full of pigment.

On the other side of the coin - there is a lot of bad oil paint out there, too - full of filler.

You can make an acrylic painting that looks exactly like what people expect an oil painting to look like. You just have to work in layers . That is, you make an underpainting, let it dry, come back and add some more, let that dry, and so on and so forth. Just like with oil, only it's faster. Between your layers, add a transparent coat of gloss medium and you'll have a nice shiny painting that looks like oil covered in varnish when you are finished.

If the Old Masters were the New Masters and/or the Current Masters - they'd use whatever they felt could best convey their vision. Be that oil or acrylic.

Answer 3

No believe me it is not a poor man's media...have you seen the prices of this stuff...I paint in all media's the reason I use Acrylic is most people do not know the difference when they buy one of my paintings they refer to it as a oil painting even though I tell them over and over it was done in acrylic and is non toxic. That is the big thing for me watercolour and acrylic paints are generally non toxic except for a few colors that you should not eat(I'm not sure who would eat them) and they clean up with water. It takes a little time to get use to working with acrylic but I love them..I can paint in my home instead of my studio with these paints and not smell the house up...some times I get up in the wee hours of the morning and paint so that it is a big plus. Get you some books about acrylic (there are several) and supplies and enjoy...I look forward to seeing some of your work when you get famous...best of luck.

Answer 4

Acrylics are a different medium with several advantages:

1.Less complexity
There are centuries old controversies in the world of oil painting about which of the numerous combinations of varnishes, spirits, and pigments are the 'best' for various purposes. In acrylic there is only one actual medium. Acrylic resin, and one solvent, water.

2. Greater versatility
With acrylic you can use a completely aquarelle technique as in traditional watercolor. You can do work that is essentally similar to oil painting, with glazes on top of an underpainting or simply thick opaque layers. You can build up thick impastos with acrylic gessos, and all using one medium that dissolves in water.

3. Dries faster
It can be days for a layer of an oil painting dries, but acrylic dries in hours or even minutes.

Answer 5

I understand about the reference to Grandma Moses...starting late in life rather than painting in a primitive style. I sat on her lap when I was a youngster having been reared a few miles from her home and a fine lady she was. No embarrassment wanting to emulate her persona. She used oils of course because acrylics had little exposure in the 50s and 60s...the new tech paint was a bit too plastic for purists. But I've used it for 30 years and some of my work is indistinguishable from oils though the comparison is unfair. Like comparing crayons and pastels. Two different medium but each with their own stature among artist. Personally, I like crayons and have done some good work with them, too.

Answer 6

Acrylics are just another medium for painting. The texture and colour palette are a little different. Some prefer it to oils some detest it. Depends on the affect you are trying to achieve. I f you go to a gallery check some of the modern art you will see more use of acrylic there. I say try both you may prefer oils but you may find that for some pieces you prefer acrylic.

Answer 7

I do oil painting, and I reckon it is quite expensive if you go to large sizes (60*80 cm. for ex.)
But no, acrylics is not a poor alternative to oil in painting.
It is just a different media. It dries much faster than oil, so be careful to handle that but your experience with watercolours will help.
As other alternative media you have "water oils" for example, oils that are soluble in water. They can be the only choice for people who are allergic to the traditional solvents.
But none of this is "minor art" : it is what you paint that matters, not how or with which media you do it.

P.S. acrylics offer you a wide choice of flu colours : my advice is to avoid them the results are rarely aesthetic!

Answer 8

As the Old Masters are just that > OLD that is why you don't see works done in Acrylics. It's a modern man-made paint. I think some of them would have loved it!
You can use it in the same way as water colours or use it at the thicker consistency like oil paints.
I don't do a lot of painting as my prefered medium is pencil or pen and ink, but I like it. Cleaner and quicker drying than oil.
Good luck with the plan...........The art-world needs you!

Answer 9

to sum up everyone's thought, Acrylic is not a poor man alternative ot oil.

Acyclic is medium so versatile and capable of creating something to achieve both watercolor or an oil look for your artworks with added advantage of faster drying time without additives.
.
ways back when there aren't any fast drying medium to ad to oil, artists had to wait for the painting layer to dry to add new layer so the painting won't look muddy (thin over think).

Answer 10

Super GL, you got some great answers but something you said makes ME(an I'll bet others so sad).

As an aspiring artist why would you want to emulate Grandma Moses. She, bless her heart, painted THAT way because she did not know what "perspective" was and cannot be criticized for that omission.

However, in these enlightened times we have been shown the advantage of art with a foreground, middle ground and background this allowing the artist to paint reality in gorgeous DEPTH, rather than only a surface depiction like Grandma Moses. It would be a shame for you to restrict yourself in such a way.