Best painting medium for beginners
Best painting medium for beginners

Which is the best painting medium for beginners?

Ultimately, the way to decide which is the best painting medium for beginners is to try both out and see which you prefer.

Both acrylics and watercolors have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, so it is important to experiment with both to see which you prefer.

Acrylics are more versatile and we use it for a range of techniques, from thin washes to thick impasto.

We often praise water colors for their ability to create translucent washes that can be layered to create depth.

Ultimately, the best way to decide which is the best painting medium for beginners is to try both out and see which you prefer.

What are the different acrylic paints? Is this considered being the best painting medium for beginners?

There are a variety of different acrylic paints available on the market, each with their own unique properties. To decide if this is the best painting medium for beginners, let us first understand more about acrylic paints.

Some of the most common types of acrylic paints include:

  • Tube acrylics: Tube acrylics are the most common type of acrylic paint. They come in a range of colors and are available in both matte and gloss finishes.
  • Acrylic gels and pastes: Acrylic gels and pastes are thick and opaque paints that can create textured effects. We use a painting knife for these heavy bodied acrylic painting medium.
  • Acrylic inks: Acrylic inks are thin, water-based paints that are ideal for creating washes and translucent effects.
  • Acrylic sprays: Acrylic sprays are a fast and an easy way to add color and texture to your paintings. These paints are difficult for a beginner to use, however, these spray paints are used to create a smoky background layer effect.

What are the different watercolor paints?

There are a variety of different watercolor paints available on the market, each with their own unique properties. Is this the best painting medium for beginners? Well, you need to try this out to know.

Some of the most common types of watercolor paints include:

  • Tube watercolors: Tube watercolors are the most common type of watercolor paint. They come in a range of colors and are available in both matte and gloss finishes.
  • Gouache: Gouache is a type of watercolor paint that is thicker and more opaque than traditional watercolors.
  • Watercolor inks: Watercolor inks are thin, water-based paints that are ideal for creating washes and translucent effects.
  • Aquarelle: Aquarelle is a type of watercolor paint that is made with special pigments that are used with water.

What are the different oil paints? Can a beginner use this medium?

Whether oil painting is the best painting medium for beginners is something debatable. There are a variety of different oil paints available on the market, each with their own unique properties. Some of the most common types of oil paints include:

  • Tube oil paints: Tube oil paints are the most common type of oil They come in a range of colors and are available in both matte and gloss finishes.
  • Oil pastels: Oil pastels are a type of oil paint that is made with special pigments that are used with oil.
  • Alkyd paints: Alkyd paints are a type of oil paint that is made with synthetic pigments that are used with oil.
  • Solvent-based paints: Solvent-based paints are a type of oil paint that is made with natural pigments that are used with oil.

What are the different tempera paints?

What about tempura paints? Is this the best painting medium for beginners? Maybe not. There are a variety of different tempera paints available on the market, each with their own unique properties. Some of the most common types of tempera paints include: 

  • Tube tempera paints: Tube tempera paints are the most common type of tempera paint. They come in a range of colors and are available in both matte and gloss finishes.
  • Gouache: Gouache is a type of tempera paint that is thicker and more opaque than traditional tempera paints.
  • Tempera inks: Tempera inks are thin, water-based paints that are ideal for creating washes and translucent effects.
  • Watercolor tempera: Watercolor tempera is a type of tempera paint that is made with special pigments that are used in conjunction with water.

What are the different pastels?

There are a variety of different pastels available on the market, each with their own unique properties. Some of the most common types of pastels include:

  • Crayons: We use crayons that are made with wax and pigment.
  • Chalk: We also use chalk for painting, that is made with calcium carbonate.
  • Pastel pencils: Pastel pencils are a type of pastel that is made with graphite and pigment.
  • Oil pastels: Oil pastels are a type of pastel that is made with special pigments that are used with oil.

We sometimes consider pastels a good painting medium for a beginner to hone the skills and gaining control of the painting and outlines. However, pastel is not the best painting medium for beginners.

Finally, which painting medium is a better medium oil or acrylic?

Between oil and acrylic, which is the best painting medium for beginners? There are pros and cons to both oil and acrylic painting mediums. Some people prefer the look of oil paintings, while others prefer the look of acrylic paintings.

Some people find oil paintings to be more difficult to work with, while others find acrylic paintings to be more difficult to work with. Ultimately, it is up to the individual artist to decide which medium they prefer.

Some pros of oil painting include:

  • Oil paintings have a longer lifespan than acrylic paintings.
  • We can layer oil paintings to create a more complex look.
  • We can varnish oil paintings to give them a high gloss finish.

Some pros of acrylic painting include:

  • Acrylic paintings dry quickly, which can be helpful if you are working on a large painting.
  • We can paint acrylic paintings on top of other media, such as oil paintings, which can create interesting effects.
  • We can spray acrylic paintings with a fixative to make them more durable. Ultimately, it is up to the individual artist to decide which medium they prefer.

We think, for a beginner, it is advisable to use acrylic paint on canvas. Considering the pros and cons, we think acrylic painting is relatively easy to use and forgiving.

What kind of paper do we use for acrylic paint digital prints?

We typically print acrylic paint digital prints on high-quality photo paper. There are a few things to look for when choosing a photo paper to print digital prints:

  • You select the paper that is acid free, this is to prevent the photo from decaying.
  • Of course, the paper you select should have a high-resolution so that the photo prints clearly.
  • The paper should be thicker (170gsm or above) than regular printer paper to prevent the photo from warping or tearing.

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