Oil paints are the most widely used medium among professional artists for a number of reasons: But acrylics were great for developing a broad understanding of painting whilst I was a beginner. I eventually moved to oils, after getting frustrated by the quick drying time of the paints. Below is one of my childhood paintings in acrylics. I personally started with acrylics many years ago.
You enjoy experimenting with mixed media.You are a complete beginner and do not want to worry yourself with the complexities of oil and watercolor painting.To get anywhere near this goal, you would need to follow a dedicated and rigorous training regime which focuses on drawing and the other fundamentals of painting (color, value, composition, etc).Īcrylics are widely favored by those just starting out with painting as they are easy to use and do not require any special supplies. Or maybe you want to become a master realist painter like John Singer Sargent or Joaquín Sorolla. In that case, you may want to take a more relaxed approach to how you learn. Or maybe you have no interest in breaking into the commercial art world and just want a fulfilling hobby. Therefore, they may be better suited to learn color and brushwork from the Impressionists, rather than the rigorous practices of the Russian academic painters. Everyone has different tendencies, interests and natural skills which determine the optimal learning path they should take.įor example, some people do not have the patience to sit down and accurately render every tone and detail of a subject. I don’t believe that there is a static learning path that everyone must follow to master painting. Your answers will determine how you proceed and what you should focus on learning. Before you go out and buy all your new art supplies and start throwing paint onto the canvas, you should consider why exactly you want to take up painting and what you want to get out of it.