Are you another Picasso waiting to sprout? You have a picture about how your art work is supposed to look like, and perhaps you also have new elegant canvas. But wait a minute; there is one important thing to do before you unleash your inner Van Gogh, choosing the best medium to paint with. Looking at the shelves full of assorted tubes and pots of products can be confusing as each promise unique outcomes to artists.
I myself as a painter get overwhelmed by the vast choices of available colors, and choosing the perfect one that will go with my personality as well as easier to adapt to is quite a difficult task. But do not worry! This guide will prepare you to conquer the middle path.
The OG Paints: Watercolors for the Flowy Artist
Imagine this: a light breeze on a spring day, soft music playing, and your brush gliding across the canvas with a graceful swish of color. That is just what watercolors do for you. Perfect to capture light, ethereal scenes and to create soft, ethereal effects, these water-soluble paints are just what you need. They’re relatively inexpensive, portable (convenient for painting outdoors!), and dry quickly, making them perfect for a beginner.
However, watercolors have a life of their own. They need a light touch and the ability to just let things happen—literally, as the paint wets the paper. So, mistakes are tougher to cover up, and they favor a more forgiving and experimental approach.
Acrylics: The All-Rounder for the Bold Artist
Acrylics are the weapon of choice if you want to have more vivid colors and a bolder style in your paintings. It can be thinned out like watercolors to achieve washes, and they can also build up like oils to achieve thick, textured effects. They are fast-drying, meaning you can achieve the layering of colors quickly and give off interesting effects. Furthermore, it is more lenient than watercolor, so it’s easy to just paint right over your mistakes while still wet.
Acrylics are perfect for realistic and abstract paintings. They are versatile, which means they go well on most surfaces—from canvas to wood—yet still relatively affordable. They do tend to dry out quite fast, so keep your palette moistened and cleaning supplies at bay; that is, acrylics stain like a boss!
Oils: For the Patient Artist Who Wants That Luxe
Ah, oils—the paint of the masters. If you dream of doing richly pigmented, detailed paintings with smooth transitions, then oils are for you. They afford unequaled vibrancy and blendability in the creation of realistic effects in a really believable way. And that slow drying time really lets you work on blending and details.
But then comes the but. Actually, two of them. Oil paints are the most expensive. They require special solvents for cleaning brushes and thinning paints, and proper ventilation is extremely important because of the strong fumes. And those slow-drying times translate to waiting around for layers to dry before adding more—a test of patience even for the keenest artist.
Specialty Paints: Beyond the Basics
The painting mediums go way beyond these three staples. Gouache provides its own remarkable blend between the transparency of watercolor and the opacity of acrylic. Tempera paints, commonly used in schools, are water-soluble but dry to a matte finish. There are special paints that glow in the dark or react to black light!
But the most important thing? Experiment! Do not be afraid to try different mediums and find out which one excites your creativity. There is no one “right” choice; the perfect medium is the one that helps you bring your artistic vision into the world. Happy painting!
