{"id":19196,"date":"2022-04-25T05:57:51","date_gmt":"2022-04-24T21:57:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/studio83.com.hk\/zh\/?post_type=kb&p=19196"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:09:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T08:09:44","slug":"whats-the-difference-between-oil-painting-and-acrylic-painting","status":"publish","type":"kb","link":"https:\/\/studio83.com.hk\/zh\/kb\/whats-the-difference-between-oil-painting-and-acrylic-painting\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the Difference Between Oil Painting and Acrylic Painting?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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When you first start out painting, one of the initial decisions to make is not what you will paint, but what you will paint with. Three of the most common paint choices are watercolours, oil or acrylic paint. Distinguishing between watercolours and the latter two is relatively easy, but what about oil paints and acrylic paints? What are the differences and how do they affect the final result on canvas?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Differences and a Brief History<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you were to squeeze both of these paints out of their respective tubes, it would be hard to tell which is oil and which is acrylic.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the makeup of these paints is rather different. The chemical composition of oil paints was developed in the 12th<\/sup> century and includes pigments suspended in oil, most often linseed oil. The composition is not compatible with any water. Instead, white spirit or turpentine should be used to clean or thin the paints.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Acrylic paints are by far younger than oil paints and less than 100 years old. The pigments of this type of paint are suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion rather than linseed oil. This allows the paint to combine with water to be thinned, making them considered suitable for newcomers to painting.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Outcomes on Canvas<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Due to the difference in paint composition, the two types of paints also react differently when applied to a canvas. Oil paints can take days to fully dry while acrylics usually take just a few minutes. If you prefer to finish your paintings quickly, it is much better to use acrylic paints. However, realistic paintings usually work better with oil paints.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another difference when on the canvas is the lightfast of these paints. Lightfast is a word that refers to how well the paints hold up when exposed to natural light over a long period. Oil paintings are not as resilient against natural light as acrylic paintings. This is why many older paintings look faded and need touch-ups. On the other hand, acrylic paintings have exceptional lightfast.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Key Takeaways:<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1. Oil paints date from the 12<\/span>th<\/sup><\/span> century while acrylic paints are less than 100 years old<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The different compositions make using acrylic paints easier for beginner painters<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Oil paints take a long time to dry while acrylic paints dry in just minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Oil paints are usually better to create realistic works<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Acrylic paints have better lightfast meaning they hold up better in natural light compared to oil paints<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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