Nova Color’s Key Brushstrokes: Acrylic vs oil paint comes down to working time, handling, and cleanup. Acrylics dry fast and clean with water, while oils stay workable longer and blend more smoothly.
- Acrylics dry fast, clean with water, and cost less.
- Oils dry slowly and blend more easily.
- Acrylics are safer for small or enclosed spaces.
- Oils need solvents for thinning and cleanup.
- Choose based on your pace, workspace, and preferred finish.
If you're new to painting, you've probably heard that acrylic paint is a reliable place to start, which is true. You may still wonder how acrylic compares to other mediums, what sets each apart, and which one fits your style. One medium artists often weigh against acrylics is oil paint. Both create strong, expressive work.
However, acrylic and oil behave very differently. Understanding those unique differences helps you choose the right paint for how you like to work and what results you want. This acrylic vs. oil paint comparison gives you a clear look at the essentials.
Acrylic Paints vs Oil Paints
If you're wondering how each medium behaves in practice , you're in the right place. This guide walks you through the core acrylic vs. oil painting difference, compares strengths and limitations, and helps you decide which one supports the way you love to paint.
So, let's begin:
What are Acrylic Paints?
Acrylic paint emerged in the 1905s and quickly became a favorite for artists who want and need strong color and dependable handling. It consists of pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion that binds the color once dry.
Because acrylics use water as a vehicle, the paint forms a stable film as the water evaporates. This chemistry makes acrylics water-soluble when wet, fast-drying, and adaptable to many techniques—qualities that often come up in acrylic vs oil paint pros and cons discussion
Advantages of Acrylic Paints
Because of their composition and water-solubility, acrylic paints offer a range of strengths that appeal to painters at every level. These advantages include the following :
- Vibrant Colors – Using natural or synthetic pigments, acrylics deliver a wide range of rich colors. Our collection offers 90+ professional options you can mix to build nearly any shade or more.
- Can be Used on Many Surfaces – Acrylics adhere well to most porous surfaces when properly prepared and primed, giving artists flexibility across projects.
- Safe and Non-toxic - Most acrylic paints are made with non-toxic ingredients and are safe to use without gloves in normal studio conditions.
- Quick Drying – Because they’re water-based, acrylics dry in a fraction of the time needed for oils. Without an extender, our paints become dry to the touch in about 30 minutes and fully dry in 1 ½ to 2 hours.
- Easy to Use – Acrylics thin with water, clean up with soap and water, and don’t require solvents. This makes them approachable for beginners and practical for small workspaces.
- Durable – Once the acrylic resin cures, the paint film becomes tough and maintains color well. Varnish extends that durability even further.
- Widely Accessible – Affordable ingredients and water-based formulation make acrylics more accessible to hobbyists and professionals alike.
- Versatile – Acrylics are versatile and mix easily with colors, gels, and mediums, which is one of the clearer differences in an acrylic vs. oil painting comparison.
Disadvantages of Acrylic Paints
Acrylics aren’t perfect for every artist. Some of the same traits that make them convenient can also create challenges. These disadvantages include the following:
- Choice Overload – With so many colors available, beginners may feel overwhelmed. Starting with a core palette—primary colors, black, white, and a mid-brown—keeps the learning curve steady.
- Darkens When Dry - Acrylics typically dry a bit darker. A gloss varnish restores brightness once the painting is complete.
- May Dry Too Quickly - Fast drying can limit blending time, especially on the canvas. Using an acrylic retarder or a slow-drying medium makes working time more manageable.
- Limited Grip on Nonporous Surfaces - Acrylic paint adheres best to porous materials. Slick surfaces like glass, metal, or some plastics need careful prep and priming.
- Harder to Remove Once Dry - Wet acrylic cleans easily, but dried paint is stubborn. Protect your workspace and tools to avoid buildup.
- Some Low Quality Brands - Because acrylics are widely produced, quality varies. Professional-grade paints help avoid issues with weak color or poor durability, an important note in any acrylic vs oil paint comparison.
What are Oil Paints?
Oil paints date back to the 7th century and became widely used by the 15th century. They’re made by suspending pigment in a slow-drying oil, most commonly linseed oil.
Because oils dry by oxidation rather than evaporation, they stay workable for hours. A typical layer becomes dry to the touch in 6-8 hours and usually needs about 24 hours before adding another layer—one of the biggest practical differences in the acrylic vs. oil painting workflow.
Advantages of Oil Paints
Being oil-based gives oil paints certain characteristics that many artists value. These advantages include :
- Longer Work Time – Because oils dry slowly, you can adjust passages, blend transitions, or step away without worrying about your palette skinning over.
- Deeper and Wider Color Range - Oil paints layer smoothly and hold subtle color shifts in value and temperature. Their long open time supports complex color development.
- Versatility – Oils suit many techniques, from thin glazing to heavy impasto, and respond well to textured brushes and knives.
- Predictable Color – Oils tend to stay the same value and saturation as they dry, a detail some artists prefer when they are comparing acrylic vs. oil paints' pros and cons.
Disadvantages of Oil Paints
Oil paints also come with limitations that may affect your project workflow. These disadvantages include :
- Dries Too Slowly – Long drying times make it harder to build multiple layers quickly. Thick applications take months to cure before varnishing.
- Easier to Muddle Colors - Because oils stay open for hours, inexperienced painters can unintentionally blur passages or lose clean color separation.
- Changes Color with Age – Linseed oil can yellow over time. High-quality materials reduce the effect, but it’s still something to consider when you’re comparing acrylic vs. oil paints.
- Requires Solvents– Oils don’t mix with water, so thinning and cleanup require materials like mineral spirits or turpentine.
- Less Accessible – High pigment loads and specialized production make oils more expensive and harder to source for beginners.
- Low-quality Brands Exist – Budget options may contain fillers or weaker pigment loads, affecting handling and long-term stability.
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What's the Difference Between Acrylic and Oil Paints?
Now that you've gained a deeper understanding of both acrylic and oil paints, how do they stack up to each other? To make it easier to compare these two popular painting mediums, let's look at them through the following factors:
1. Color vibrancy and saturation
What made oil paints rise to popularity in the 15th century was because of their deep rich color which, by then, could not be replicated by any other painting medium.
In fact, the reason why acrylic paints took so long to gain a foothold in the art market was that earlier versions simply weren't as vibrant as oil paints
However:
With the leaps and bounds in pigment technology, modern acrylic paints now stand on par with oil paint when it comes to richness of color.
2. Mixing and blending
High-quality acrylic paints can be just as easy to mix and blend as oil paints.
But if we're talking about average acrylics vs average oils, the latter will be easier to mix and blend because of their long working time (though you could always add acrylic retarder or an acrylic medium to extend the working time of your acrylics).
3. Health and safety considerations
Acrylic paints and oil paints are non-toxic and safe to use.
However, oil paints do require chemicals like turpentine and white spirits to thin them making them harder to use in small enclosed spaces like your bedroom or basement.
Since acrylics only require water, and maybe a little soap, they can be used wherever you want.
4. Cost and accessibility
While both acrylic and oil paints can range from student-grade to professional-grade quality, acrylic paints are simply much easier to produce and are therefore much more affordable and accessible even to casual hobbyists.
Acrylic and Oil Paints: Which One is for You?
In summary:
Acrylic paints are just as vibrant as oil paints. They're also very versatile, easier to use, more durable, dry quicker, and more affordable.
Oil paints are also rich in color, are easier to mix and blend, give you a longer working time by default, dry predictably, and are almost as versatile as acrylics.
So, between acrylic and oil paints, which one is right for you?
We'll leave that to you to decide based on your own preferences and painting needs.
