Which medium is best??
Stacey Deller
the wrong group (if it sends at all), but as an aspiring artist, I am
learning to paint in acrylics, but I am very interested in painting in oils.
What are some peoples views on the two mediums, and which do you think is
the better (especially for works to sell in the future?)?
Thankyou for your time
Stacey D
Paul Mesken
There are different and subtle opinions about this matter but mine is
not : Oils are better than Acrylics period.
- Oils look better (they have depth unlike the flat Acrylics).
- Oils blend better (because they're slow drying).
- Oils glaze better.
- Oils make more money because a prejudice is present under buyers
that Oils are in some way more valuable than Acrylics (at least, that
is the experience of some professional painters that do both Acrylics
and Oil and see the difference in prices for their work according to
medium).
- Oils don't change color as radically as Acrylics when drying (this
also seems to be a problem with Water Colors and Gouache).
- Oils are a proven archival medium (but, to be honest, I personally
think Acrylics will do well from an archival viewpoint even though
it's relatively new and, thus, still unproven).
The are some counter opinions from the Acrylics camp :
- Acrylics dry fast and are therefor better for quick work with
deadlines (but I say : Egg Tempera dries even quicker and looks
better).
- Acrylics (and the other materials) are cheaper than Oils (upon which
I say : finger paint is even cheaper, you get what you pay for).
- Acrylics are easier to work with (I say this is nonsense, Oils are
the most forgiving paint medium around, you can simply scrape off
entire sections, try this with Acrylics).
- Acrylics are less irritating and less poisonous, Oils needs
materials that might result in allergic reaction (most notably Turps).
There are alternatives though (even Water Soluble Oils).
Of course, I'm an Oil paint lover :-)
Here are some more diverse opinions :
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29251
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106903
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154026
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28965
NightMist
wrote:
>On Sat, 22 May 2004 11:43:50 GMT, "Stacey Deller"
><sdde...@bigpond.com> wrote:
>
>>Hi, as I am new to this newsgroups, please forgive me if I have sent this to
>>the wrong group (if it sends at all), but as an aspiring artist, I am
>>learning to paint in acrylics, but I am very interested in painting in oils.
>>What are some peoples views on the two mediums, and which do you think is
>>the better (especially for works to sell in the future?)?
>>Thankyou for your time
>
Being as I used to paint in oils and now paint in acrylics (small
children, small apartment, small income) I'm gonna chuck in my
nickles worth here.
>There are different and subtle opinions about this matter but mine is
>not : Oils are better than Acrylics period.
>
>- Oils look better (they have depth unlike the flat Acrylics).
I've not had this problem.
However, I have seen this problem. Mostly among artists who try and
thin strictly with water. That does indeed make the paint flat and
lifeless. Sort of like what happens if you thin oils strictly with
cheap turps.
>- Oils blend better (because they're slow drying).
No debate here!
No matter the brand or amount of retarder you use, you absolutely
cannot blend acrylics in the same way you can oils. If you want to do
anything close to blending on the painting as you might in oils, you
have to be very very fast and work very small bits at a time.
>- Oils glaze better.
Here I might disagree entirely. Glazing is most of what I do. It is
much quicker to accomplish in acrylics, and I feel the results I have
gotten are in some cases better than what I could have done with oils.
On the other hand, that may reflect an evolution in my ability rather
than having anything at all to do with the materials.
>- Oils make more money because a prejudice is present under buyers
>that Oils are in some way more valuable than Acrylics (at least, that
>is the experience of some professional painters that do both Acrylics
>and Oil and see the difference in prices for their work according to
>medium).
Absolutely without question completely correct!
>- Oils don't change color as radically as Acrylics when drying (this
>also seems to be a problem with Water Colors and Gouache).
Totally true.
With time you sort of make adjustments in your head to compensate.
>- Oils are a proven archival medium (but, to be honest, I personally
>think Acrylics will do well from an archival viewpoint even though
>it's relatively new and, thus, still unproven).
agreed.
>
>The are some counter opinions from the Acrylics camp :
>
>- Acrylics dry fast and are therefor better for quick work with
>deadlines (but I say : Egg Tempera dries even quicker and looks
>better).
I haven't worked a great deal in egg tempera.
Some months ago I did see a portrait that was done in egg tempera,
gouche, and acrylics, that was just stunning in it's execution.
With the constant developments in acrylic grounds, mixing water media
(I am useing the term here as loosely as has come to be customary) is
becoming ever more possible.
>- Acrylics (and the other materials) are cheaper than Oils (upon which
>I say : finger paint is even cheaper, you get what you pay for).
Quality pigments mostly cost the same across the board.
Watercolors are also less expensive than oils. Binder cost and brand
recognition is mostly what makes the differences. (fillers and other
such crap common to all media aside)
The irksome bit is that not all pigments carry across between mediums.
Some pigments used in oils just die in acrylic binders, some are not
physically possible to use in watercolors or gouche, some cannot be
used in pastels. And you can say that again in reverse.
>- Acrylics are easier to work with (I say this is nonsense, Oils are
>the most forgiving paint medium around, you can simply scrape off
>entire sections, try this with Acrylics).
Been there, done that. It can be done, but like oils it very much
depends on what is under the paint.
>- Acrylics are less irritating and less poisonous, Oils needs
>materials that might result in allergic reaction (most notably Turps).
>There are alternatives though (even Water Soluble Oils).
Pish and tosh! There are plenty of irritating poisonous things you
can use to effect in acrylics! As time goes by you see the hazardous
materials warnings popping up on acrylic paint, medium, grounds, and
varnishes more and more.
I really hate to see people asking "which is better, oils or
acrylics?"
Why not ask, "which is better watercolors or pastels?"
or, "tempera or gouche?" or, "casien or encaustic wax?"
It has been half a century since acrylics were first marketed as "a
safe and easy alternative to oils" and it still has not lived down
that marketing. There is some point of overlap of technique in most
mediums, but generally they are what they are with their own
requirments and limitations.
What you use depends entirely on what you are doing, how you want to
do it, and where you are trying to do it.
Barbara
--
"It's such a gamble when you get a face"
- Richard Hell
Stacey Deller
each medium.
As to not asking the question "which is better", please forgive a complete
novice, who wants to work with everything, but financially has to decide
between the mediums and stick to it (at least for now!) Thanks again for
your responses
"NightMist" <nigh...@uir.zzn.com> wrote in message
news:40afb864...@news.madbbs.com...
DNALJM
>children, small apartment, small income) I'm gonna chuck in my
>nickles worth here.
Maybe you could sell the submissive sex slave? I'm just teasing of course,
that would be like selling the coffee maker.
Jane
NightMist
It would be worse than that, she makes a great latte.
I thought about selling the kids. I even got an offer for daughter
number 2 from a Turkish guy I occasionally played online backgammon
with (until he found out I was female). I decided to keep her, though
that incident provided great fodder for teasing for some years.
The space issue has gotten ridiculous over the years. I'm considering
asking to buy in with a guy I know who rents a largish space for
studio purposes. I'm hesitating because of the distinct possibility
of us killing each other within the first month. On the other hand, I
find myself frequently fantasizing about varnishing without anybody
around to have an asthmatic reaction.