10 tips for painters switching from ACRYLIC to OIL paint

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Water Mixable Oils

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Hi, I am the son of two artists and began painting in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia before I could walk. I was a rare combination of artist and athlete so I moved to Los Angeles in 2008 to play football for USC. I left the team my sophomore year to focus on painting and filmmaking, applying the same focus and discipline from my football career to my art. I primarily work in oils, and spend most free days painting "en plein air" in my new home of Sarasota Florida.
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[mitchbguitars]

Tip for Acrylic Paints to keep your colors staying Vibrant (don’t use Titanium white) 
use Zinc White instead. Titanium White eats the color & dulls the vibrance down. Zinc white will help keep your color mixes more vibrant.

[edwardsprafkin]

Every medium has a plus side and a minus side. For example, the pluses of oil painting: include mixing wet into wet, slower drying times, thicker applications, etc. The same positives can be the negatives of oil painting: they stay wet, dry slowly, and the surface can get too thick too fast. One medium isn't better or worse than another. Oil and Acrylic are two completely different mediums with entirely different working properties. It simply comes down to the artist's preference. In this case, you either prefer oil paint or acrylic paint; both are excellent mediums of choice.

[orangeujealous]

Perfect timing! This is exactly what I’m doing today, going from acrylic to oil. I’m very, very nervous about it. Wish me luck fam.

[izzypfutzenreuter]

Now that you opened up the can. You need to spill the tea on why you were fired. Please, my anxiety has been probed.

On a more serious note, I find that oil painting is easier to transition to since I've mostly focused on digital art the past decade. I habe some background as we were required to do this medium also at UDK, but definitely the workability of oils is more forgiving than acrylics, albeit materials are more expensive.

[tuesdayg]

I've only worked with acrylics and as a legally blind person I'm wondering if oil's might be easier to work with. Thankyou so much for your concise and super helpful videos, really, thankyou so much. Trying to save up for oil paint supplies.

[dysfunctional_deviant]

I have used acrylics for years and now I really want to try oils. Your videos are such a big help!

[BASSHEAD]

We gotta know the wine and paint story!!!
Can’t leave us hanging 😭

[dmytrandr]

The cool thing about acrylics is that you can paint densely and then dilute the paint with a lot of water and work exactly like with watercolors. Also they didn't really lose color overtime. If you don't try to fight with acrylics, the painting become to look like a mix between gouache and watercolor painting techniques

[lisalindberg]

I am just starting with oils. I have done WC and acrylics and enjoy both for different reasons. Just want to try oil. Thanks for your videos. I truly enjoy them and learn a ton.

[jolenedelilys]

You can start with acrylic for your base shades and color, blocking out, then use oil to do the finer details. It is a fact that oils adhere to acrylic just fine.

[FilomenaJackStudio]

Slow dry medium. That's the magic answer to working with acrylics if you want them to act like oils. No odors, easy to clean. :)

[BlackJar]

Funny, I don't have those problems with acrylics -- I've blended wet into wet with acrylics since my first primative, and have often created thick and and textured painting with it.

[clairiebee]

Thank you for always adding in the, 'what happened was..' parts, if you don't tell me what could possibly go wrong, I'm more inclined to just do what I want and mess the whole thing up.

[GMMABA]

I’m so glad I found this dude. Thank you because I’m OBSESSED with portraits and the intricacies of faces and busts; anatomy and string light and the juxtaposition of soft shapes with hard light or vice versa and acrylic can’t capture that dreamy, fantasy state; it’s graphic in comparison and gauche is delicious but doesn’t do it like oil so I’m so grateful for your channel!!!

[isabellamarie]

these are the tips i definitely needed to hear since recently switching from acrylics to oils, it makes everything so much simpler and easier. thanks so much for your really helpful videos!

[Pyroific]

i recently tried my first painting with acrylics and found myself using so many things to keep the paint wet like slow drying medium, misting the paint with water etc that i feel like just investing the basics into oils instead would just be so much easier

[jeffreybarton]

I switched to oils from Acrylics about a week ago.
Never going back. I knew I didn't like Acrylics, but never tried Oils till I got some water soluble ones.
Everyone's pointed out their reasons on here, and mine are no different.
Oils are just easier and more fun. Acrylics were driving me away from painting. Oils have made me love painting again.

[darioscomicschool]

2:11 I wanna hear that story. I was wondering I would apply to one of those Wine and Paint Nights...^^
4:44 You make me wanna Oilpaint. Using Acrylics on my Canvases right now to get a bit the hang of it.
7:17 you are getting to me!

[rachelscottart]

This is so helpful! Can't wait to get some oils now & break out of my acrylic comfort zone. Thanks so much!

[lifeismusicparnadonkers]

I paint whit oils and watercolours. I love those paintes. I painted whit acrylic before