Watercolor vs Acrylic: Key Differences, Techniques, and Which to Choose

Did you know that most artists get started with painting using watercolor? If you’ve ever picked up a paintbrush as a child, there’s a good chance it was dipped in watercolor. Because of its soft colors and easy blending attributes, watercolor introduces many to the world of painting. 

As we grow as artists, though, many of us start exploring the vibrant world of acrylic paints. This art medium is all you need for creative freedom, with its bold colors and endless possibilities of layering, texture, and control. 

Still, sometimes it’s hard to assess all the qualities of watercolor and acrylic, even if you’ve worked with both art mediums. If you’re curious about how watercolor and acrylic differ — how each feels to work with, what effects you can achieve, and which might suit your style — this guide is here to help. 

Let’s compare watercolor vs acrylic paints and break down the key differences, techniques, and advantages of each medium. 

Key Takeaways

• Watercolor paint is one of the oldest art mediums that produces transparent layers and soft, fluid effects. It works well for creating light, delicate personalized artwork.

• Acrylic paint is a modern, versatile medium that dries quickly and can create both bold, opaque layers and thin, transparent washes, depending on the technique.

• Watercolor painting supplies are affordable and portable, ideal for artists who like to work on the go. Acrylic setups offer a range of quality and more control over vibrant colors and textures.

• Both mediums suit different styles: using watercolor, you can create ethereal landscapes and soft custom portraits. Acrylic is more suitable for durable, vibrant, and textured artworks on various surfaces.

What is a Watercolor Medium?

How many times have you heard beginner artists mentioning “aquarelles”? Little do people know that this common artist painting medium, officially called watercolor, is actually one of the oldest forms of painting. 

Believe it or not, the history of watercolor dates back thousands of years to ancient Egypt. In fact, ancient Egyptian painters created colorful figures and hieroglyphs on papyri using water-soluble pigments. This ancient medium flourished during the Renaissance and became the most popular choice for artists who worked on nature and landscape paintings.

The basic qualities of watercolor paints include their transparency, lightness, and fluidity. As a result, watercolor paintings feature delicate layers and soft gradients. This medium gives artists the freedom to experiment with vibrant colors and use subtle tones in a single piece.

Watercolor Techniques and Styles

Artists who work with the watercolor medium usually experiment with numerous art techniques. That’s because of its versatile property to create both subtle, soft washes and bold, textured details. As a result, there are numerous watercolor painting ideas that inspire artists of different genres.   

Here are some of the most common watercolor techniques and styles modern artists tend to use.

• Wet-on-Wet - It’s a painting technique where an artist applies new paint to an already wet surface. It’s ideal for soft backgrounds that require blending colors. 

• Dry Brush - If you use a dry brush on dry paper, you can layer over previous paint layers and create rough, textured strokes. This technique, also used in ancient Ayurvedic practices, adds depth and texture.

• Glazing - This technique is also known as "layering." It builds depth by adding various layers of color that vary from light to dark.

• Color Lifting - To remove or lighten areas of paint on the paper, artists use this technique. It’s especially useful for creating light reflections (such as in water), correcting mistakes, or adding depth. Sometimes it also creates a sense of transparency. 

Pros & Cons of Watercolor Paints

Like any medium, watercolor paints have their own set of advantages and drawbacks you should know about. Below, we’ll discuss the main pros and cons of this artistic medium.

Advantages of Watercolor Paints 

Watercolor paints stand out with transparent effects, portable nature, and affordability. This section will cover some of the main reasons why watercolor is a favored medium by both beginners and experienced artists.

• Watercolors are easy to set up and clean. All you need is to take out your basic materials, such as paper, paints, mixing palettes, brushes, and water jars. Thus, it’s ideal for artists who look for inspiration outside.

• Compared to other mediums, watercolor painting supplies are very affordable. Therefore, if you haven’t decided which art medium you prefer, you can always experiment with watercolor.

• While some mediums, such as oil, require weeks and even months to dry, watercolor dries quickly. In particular, it requires from a few minutes to half an hour to dry completely. 

• Watercolor techniques, with adjustments, can mimic effects like those of oil or acrylic paint. Adjusting art techniques and layering is enough to achieve the same effect.

Disadvantages of Watercolor Paints 

Despite the advantages, watercolor paints also have some limitations. Here, we’ll explore some of the cons that artists encounter when working with watercolors.

• Watercolors can be hard to control, compared to watercolors. Often the paint flows freely and can spread unpredictably. As a result, achieving precise details with watercolor is challenging due to its fluidity, especially if you’re a beginner. However, "Make the best of an emergency." - said a renowned watercolor artist John Singer Sargent.

• Unlike acrylics and oils, watercolor paintings are more fragile and therefore prone to fading over time. That’s why you should avoid leaving the watercolor paintings in sunlight. Humidity can also affect the vibrancy of the colors.

• Correcting mistakes is challenging with watercolor. There’s almost no chance to erase pigment once the paint dries. Consequently, fixing errors affects the whole look of the painting.

• Watercolors require specialized paper to prevent warping, which can be more costly than regular paper or canvas.

What is an Acrylic Medium?

Acrylic medium is a newcomer in the world of painting. In fact, some artists even deny acrylic as a "true" traditional medium because of its relatively recent invention compared to centuries-old options like oil and watercolor. In particular, acrylic first appeared in the 1930s when a German chemical company developed it for industrial use. As a result, many artists denied using this art medium, called it ‘artificial’, and compared it to “plastic.” However, that’s just another misconception about acrylic.

Instead, acrylic paints are incredibly versatile and can easily create vibrant colors. Quick drying allows new creative possibilities with acrylic, using different textures and effects.

Acrylic Techniques and Styles

If you plan to create an acrylic painting, you have the option of trying and testing a variety of techniques. Acrylics can help you create properties, such as thick textures, smooth layers, or even fluid, abstract patterns.

Here are some of the most commonly used acrylic techniques and styles.

• Impasto - Painters usually use this technique to create a textured, three-dimensional effect on the canvas. For this, they apply thick layers of acrylic paint with palette knives. 

• Underpainting - Acrylic is also ideal for an underpainting technique. You can use it as a monochrome base to establish values and add layers of color.

• Glazing - Just like with watercolor, you can also create this thin layering effect with acrylic. Using this style, you’ll be able to create subtle color transitions and a smooth, polished look.

• Pouring - It’s a method of mixing acrylic paint with a pouring medium in order to create free patterns on canvas. Not surprisingly, pouring is especially organic for abstract work. 

"I love learning new methods of working, and acrylics have become more abstract in my urban environment." - says Michele Noble, a british mixed media artist.

Pros & Cons of Acrylic Paints

Before you decide to work on your next piece using acrylic paints, it’s important to weigh their pros and cons and make an informed choice. Let’s discuss some of the major advantages and drawbacks of acrylic paints every artist should know about.

Advantages of Acrylic Paints

Some of the main reasons why artists often choose to work using acrylic paints are their versatility, durability, and ease of use. Here are the key advantages of choosing acrylic paints over other mediums.

• Acrylics are also water-soluble and easy to clean up. They require only water for thinning and washing brushes. Therefore, this art medium for beginners is both convenient and environmentally friendly.

• Acrylic dries fast. Specifically, it requires about 30-60 minutes to fully dry. What’s more, in just 3 to 4 days, you can have a completely cured surface. This helps painters quickly finish and display the artwork.

• Once dry, acrylic paints are highly durable. Thanks to their water-resistant surface, acrylic paintings are resistant to fading and cracking over time.

• Acrylic is one of the most versatile art mediums. This means that by using acrylic paints, you can mimic various other mediums, such as oil and watercolor. 

Disadvantages of Acrylic Paints

However, this art medium doesn’t come without drawbacks as well. Specifically, you should consider these potential drawbacks when working with acrylic paints.

• Acrylic paint color becomes darker as it dries, so the shade you initially apply may not be the final color. This often makes matching the colors challenging, especially for realistic work.

• Acrylics are sometimes considered “less valuable” by some galleries and collectors when compared to traditional paint mediums like oil. 

• Acrylic paints are susceptible to fading and damage. If you don’t protect the painting properly, environmental factors might affect its vibrancy.

• Mistakes are harder to correct on acrylic paintings than on watercolors once they're dry. Consequently, it’s hard to make adjustments.

What's the Difference Between Acrylic and Watercolor Paints?

Even though it’s hard to confuse paintings created using acrylic and watercolor, it’s still important to compare their main features in order to choose the right one. The thing is that there are plenty of differences between acrylic and watercolor paints and each of them is suitable for different artistic purposes.

This table provides a quick comparison to help you understand the distinctions between watercolor and acrylic at a glance.

1. Composition and Ingredients

Back in the 1500s, the main ingredients that constituted watercolor paints were sugars and hide glues. However, in the 19th century, the composition of watercolor evolved and it became a common practice among painters to use gum arabic as the primary binder. Today, these ingredients are mixed with finely ground pigments and as a result, watercolor can easily dissolve in water. 

Unlike watercolor, acrylic paints are a relatively modern invention from the 20th century. The basic ingredient of acrylic paint is an acrylic polymer emulsion — a synthetic substance that binds pigment particles together. Thanks to this composition, acrylic can dry quickly.

2. Transparency vs. Opaqueness

Watercolors and acrylics differ in their transparency level as well. Specifically, watercolors offer a wide range of transparency. It’s considered the best art medium to create the effect of vibrancy with different layers of transparency. 

Similar to this, acrylics can be both opaque and transparent. Usually, there are plenty of acrylic painting techniques to create brighter effects compared to watercolors. Plus, the opacity of acrylics makes it easy to mask underlying layers and cover mistakes. 

3. Use of White

These two art mediums also differ based on how white is used. With watercolor, white is rarely used to lighten colors. The only time you can use white watercolor paint is to add subtle highlights or final details (but even then, they usually use it in small amounts). 

In contrast, one can hardly imagine an acrylic painting without the use of white. In fact, using white is the main technique to create lighter shades, add opacity, or adjust the brightness of colors. Considering that acrylic is an opaque paint, it’s easier for you to apply layers of white over darker colors without losing intensity.

4. Accessibility and Price

In terms of cost, watercolor tends to be more affordable and accessible, especially for beginners. In fact, a small set of watercolor paints, a brush, and specific paper are enough to get started. The price of all this usually starts as low as $10–$20  and can go up to $50–$100. What’s more, it’s easy to carry, which makes it even more accessible for painters who often travel or move.

Acrylic paints are also accessible but the prices vary based on the quality. If you’re a professional, chances are that a proper acrylic setup will cost from $100–$200 or even more if you prefer a larger set. But for beginners,  basic acrylic starter kits can cost around $20–$40.

5. Surfaces

Watercolor paints require specific types of paper that are designed for this medium. You can’t use regular paper for watercolors, as it may wrap or tear. On the other hand, paper isn’t the only surface you can use for acrylic paints. In fact, they are ideally suitable for surfaces such as canvas, wood, and even fabric.

Watercolor vs Acrylic: Choosing the Right Medium

Hopefully, you already realize that choosing between watercolor vs acrylic paints completely depends on your artistic level, goals, vision, and preferences. If you have tested both mediums and have a hard time deciding which one is more suitable for your projects, simply scroll up and assess the pros and cons of watercolor and acrylic mediums once again. 

For those who aim to create soft, layered effects and don’t mind the unpredictability of water-based washes, watercolor might be perfect for creating ethereal landscapes or realistic portraits. However, if you prefer vibrant colors, fast drying times, and versatile textures, acrylic will give you more freedom to layer, add textures, and work on different surfaces.

Nevertheless, not everybody is professional. If you’re a newbie in the art world or if you don’t paint at all and would like to bring your creative ideas to life with expert assistance, consider working with our professional artists. Our team at Photo2Painting can turn your pictures into exceptional paintings using either acrylic, watercolor, or various other art mediums.

If you need guidance or would like an expert to bring your creative ideas to life, explore our custom painting options and let us create personalized paintings that will last a lifetime!