When it comes to painting on canvas, what is the difference between using oil and acrylic paints?

Which one should a beginner start with?When it comes to painting on canvas, what is the difference between using oil and acrylic paints?
As an art teacher I would advise you to start with acrylic. Acrylic is water based and you Can mix them easily. You can also play with several mediums to achieve different textures when using acrylic. For a beginner acrylic is very cost effective as well because you can buy a ';student grade';.





oil paints are very vibrant in color. However because of the chemical make up they mix differently and it takes abut 6months for an oil painting to dry completely. Because it is an oil based paint you have to use linseed oil to make it move....this can be be costly and smelly.





Good luck in your artistic pursuitsWhen it comes to painting on canvas, what is the difference between using oil and acrylic paints?
Acrylic paint is made from pigments and acrylic emulsion. It contains no oil and oil paint should never be mixed with acrylic. Acrylics are the new art paint, has vibrant colors and is easy to work with. Use acrylics to it's advantages, water cleanup, water thinning and because it dries fast, you can glaze the painting during the same session. Beginners starting with acrylics should buy Liquitex Basics paint, small canvas and assortment of bright brushes. Many famous and accomplished artists paint with acrylics.
I think you should test your talent. When I first started painting I jumped right into oil and I was able to handle it very well. I used acrylic befor and I don't like it because it dries to quick and it usually takes me a couple of weeks to finish a painting so sometimes I still need the paint to be wet. So its all up to you and what you can handle.
the difference in the two is the intensity of color,with acrylic, it is a water based paint that is easier to work with, with oil based paint there are alot more considerations, first of all, it has lead in the paint, which is poisonius, turpentine is used in the clean up, the canvas is usually prepared with Gesso. A beginner? That would depend on them, I would suggest acryllic, but that is a choice
You can start with either. Oil is much more advanced because it takes longer to dry and after awhile you have to leave it alone for days before coming back to it. And blending is much better with oils. But, acrylic is very good for quick assignments and with a good varnish, the final appearance can be very similar to oil. Good luck with both!
Oil is usually made of natural stuff (vegetal oil plus organical or mineral colours), it takes longer in drying and usually it has some smell (I don't mind this smell but some people find it unpleasant, specially if you are not living alone)


Acrilycs are usually made of mineral oil and colours, they have no smell in general, and dry in less than an hour, they are a bit cheaper than oil. If you are a beginner you can try better with acrilycs and then jump to oil.





good luck
Oils are miles better.





It's not hard to use them, as some people suggest and the results are much more attractive.





Tey take longer to dry which allows you to manipulate the paint for much longer.





The main thing to remember with oils is to work ';lean to fat';...this means, don;t add oil to the paint until the final stages of the picture.
A beginner should start with acrylics. Oil paints are harder to manipulate, they take other products to work with. Acrylics are much more forgiving and easier to clean up. Good Luck