Acrylic vs Oil Paint: Choosing the Best Medium for Your Artistic Expression

Every artist faces one particular dilemma at some point in their lives — what medium will best bring your artistic vision to life? 

Oil paint has dominated canvases for centuries, blending colors and building texture. Though oil paintings take longer to dry and need careful handling, artists continue to use them for their rich texture. That was before acrylic was introduced in the 1940s and almost overshadowed oil paints with its vibrant colors and faster drying times.

Both mediums have advantages, but which one is right for you? Do you want the timeless richness of oils or the versatility of acrylics? 

In this article, we’ll compare two artistic giants — acrylic vs oil paint and help you select the ideal medium for your artistic expression. 

Key Takeaways 

• Oil paint combines pigment with drying oils like linseed or walnut and has been used for centuries.
• Acrylic paint is a modern, synthetic art medium that dries fast and has the qualities of both oil and watercolor paints. It was introduced in the 20th century.
• Oil paint offers smooth blending, rich texture, and vibrant, long-lasting color depth.
• Acrylic paint dries quickly, works on various surfaces, and is water-soluble for easy cleanup.

What Is Oil Painting? Main Properties

Oil is a traditional art medium that has always been considered the major choice for artists who aim to achieve a depth of color and realism. Naturally, oil paints consist of pigments suspended in drying oils, such as linseed, walnut, or poppy seed oil. Oil paint’s texture and layering are perfect for working on either classical portraits, contemporary abstractions, or landscape paintings. 

Oil paint allows artists to make adjustments, which is ideal for those who work slowly over time. What’s more, oil dries slowly, typically for several days to weeks. Believe it or not, some oil paintings can even take up to a year or more to fully dry! 

For instance, according to a 2022 study published in Heritage Science, oil paints might require as many as 30 years to fully dry. Oil dries slowly because of molecular relocation and evaporation of the organic medium.

Oil's slow drying time helps artists create subtle gradations and rich textures, which is ideal for detailed, long-lasting artworks. And this, in turn, is absolutely necessary for creating oil paintings that last a lifetime.

Benefits of Working with Oil Paints

According to the BYU Museum of Art, since the 7th century, oil paints haven’t stopped being the most popular artistic medium. This fact could be explained by the following benefits of using oil paints.

• Oil paints blend easily, which makes transitions of color smoother on the canvas.
• Oil paint’s transparency creates vibrant colors that remain unchanged over time.
• The texture of oil paints is very versatile. While using oil, painters can easily create various textures, such as sleek, smooth, thick, and impasto.

It’s hard to find an art medium more durable than oil. Oil paintings resist environmental factors like humidity and sunlight, which makes them less likely to fade or crack than other mediums.

What Is Acrylic Painting? Main Properties

Acrylic is a relatively new type of art medium that was created in the 20th century. Particularly, the German company BASF developed acrylic in the 1930s for industrial use. Considering that it was initially developed for industrial purposes, this form of artistic expression is even associated with the era of plastics and quick-drying materials. However, artists quickly started using acrylic as one of their main painting materials because of its versatility and ease of use.

Acrylic paint is a relatively new art material, created and popularised in the twentieth century. The earliest versions were developed for industrial use in the 1930s by the German chemical company BASF, made from an acrylic resin dispersion.

The paint itself is made from a synthetic polymer that dries quickly. Once dry, acrylic forms a water-resistant, durable surface, similar to oil. 

Acrylic’s unique properties are ideally suitable for creating custom acrylic paintings as well, since this form of art requires rapid production and fast drying time. As a result, acrylic is a popular choice among both amateur and professional artists.

Benefits of Working with Acrylic Paints

Although acrylic is often considered a cheaper and quicker alternative to oil, this art medium actually has plenty of benefits that make it worth considering for both serious and casual artists.

Here are the major advantages of working with acrylic paint.

• Versatility is indeed the most obvious benefit of working with acrylic paints. Acrylic can be used on surfaces like paper, wood, canvas, ceramics, glass, and much more. What’s more, using this material, you can receive either a thin watercolor effect or a thick impasto technique.
• Acrylic paints are among the most affordable painting materials
• Acrylic paints dry within 30 to 60 minutes, depending on thickness. This quick drying time makes it ideal for painters who work for commercial purposes. 
• Once acrylic paints are dried, colors become shiny and vibrant. Most importantly, they don’t fade away over time.

Key Differences Between Acrylics vs Oil Paints

Sometimes the artworks created by acrylic and oil paints look pretty much alike. But in reality, the properties of these mediums differ significantly. The advantages and limitations of these art mediums significantly influence artistic choices and the way they can realize their ideas. That’s why choosing the right type of medium requires a deep understanding of acrylic and oil paints.

The following table highlights the main differences between oil and acrylic paints.

1) Drying Time

Acrylic paints dry faster compared to most art mediums. Typically, acrylic requires about 1 hour to dry and 3 to 4 days are enough for the acrylic painting to fully cure. This makes it an ideal medium for painters who work fast and apply multiple layers in a single painting session. 

Oil paint, on the other hand, dries slowly and requires a few days, sometimes even weeks, to completely dry, depending on the material. On average, the drying time for oil paintings is between 3-6 months. However, oil allows painters to refine their artworks over time.

2) Color Shift

As acrylic paints dry, they usually get a bit darker as a result of the evaporation of water. Because of this, sometimes painters use slightly lighter colors to receive the desired hues when the paint is fully dry. Unlike acrylics, oil paints rarely change color after drying. Nevertheless, oil can get yellow over time.

3) Texture and Consistency

One of the things that make oil paints stand out is their rich, buttery consistency, which is ideal for working on heavy impasto techniques. Besides, oil doesn’t require texture-type additives to achieve depth. Thus, painters can create the desired texture directly from the tube without mixing oil paint with other media.

In contrast, acrylic paints don’t create much texture and you might need to thicken them by adding various other mediums. Thanks to its fluid consistency, you can even use water to make the texture appear thinner.

4) Longevity and Durability

If you’re aiming for a long-lasting, durable art medium, it’s better to choose oil because it’s resistant to cracking over time. In fact, oil paintings can even survive centuries with proper care. 

Acrylic paintings are also very durable but can resist cracking but this medium is considered less long-lasting for one reason: acrylic paint is vulnerable to UV damage and environmental factors. That’s why you should apply protective varnishes if you work in this medium.

5) Blending

Oil paints blend more easily due to their slower drying times. This means that as an artist, you have more freedom to mix hues and create gradations right on the canvas. Plus, you can refine and adjust blends over time until you reach the desired effect.

The same can’t be said about acrylic paintings, which dry quickly and make blending challenging without adding slow-drying mediums, such as retarders or extenders.

Acrylics vs Oil Paint: Which Should You Choose?

All in all, making the right choice between acrylic and oil paints completely depends on your purpose, artistic vision, and preferences. Both art mediums have their own advantages and limitations. 

For instance, if you’re short on time, want to finish your work as soon as possible, and are looking forward to creating vibrant colors and thin textures without making much mess, you should aim for acrylics. But if you’re comfortable with a longer pace of painting, want richer textures and better blending capabilities, and plan to refine your work over time, chances are that choosing oil as your main medium will help you reach your desired goal.

Either way, the best way to choose between these two art mediums is to try both of them and decide which one works better for your artistic goals. 

Now, as you’re already aware of the key differences between acrylic and oil paints, you might be thinking about hiring a professional artist who can create an outstanding painting based on your needs and preferences. Whether you prefer a hyperrealistic oil piece that is durable and lasts for a long or a contemporary acrylic artwork that captures bold, vibrant colors, our team of artists at Photo2Painting is here to help! 

Most of our expert artists have over 15 years of experience in both oil and acrylic mediums. They can turn your ideas into personalized paintings. Check out our collection of custom paintings from photos and see how we can bring your creative concepts to life.