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Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Why Does The Artist You've Chosen Prefer Acrylic Portrait Paintings Over Oil And Watercolor

By Patrick Gray


If you have decided to have a formal portrait painted of you, your children, or your whole family, you want to choose the best artist you can afford. Many people believe these kinds of works have to be painted with oils in order to get a rich, textured picture that will last for generations. The portraitist you are using may prefer acrylic portrait paintings and suggest you choose this medium for your picture. There are many reasons to accept this recommendation.

As the client, it may not matter to you, but artists love acrylics because they dry quickly. If you allow your artist to use acrylics for your portrait, you might notice that she uses a spray water bottle regularly to keep the painting moist. She may also spray the palette to keep the paint from drying and to avoid having to remix.

Acrylics are popular because of their versatility. Instead of a traditional looking portrait, you might decide you like the look of watercolor or gouache. By adding a little extra water, but not too much, the artist can give you the look of these mediums and still use acrylics. If you like a really translucent look, there are acrylics in ink form that replicate watercolors and are easier for some artists to use.

When you are really set on the look of oil, your artist can still use acrylics to achieve it. Your artist can choose a color palette that is more aligned with oils than acrylics. There are agents that can be added to the paint to thicken it and increase the drying time. This allows the artist to use different techniques and can give your picture the look of an old masterpiece.

Canvas isn't the only surface artists paint on. Oils are limited to certain surfaces, but acrylics are much more flexible. You can choose to have your picture done on canvas if you like, but you can also consider other recommendations. Paper is an option, as is wood and cloth.

The versatility of acrylics allows artists to work with one set of paints and create work that has the look and feel of several others. This medium can be layered to create texture because previous layers dry quickly and, once dry, are permanently set. They are water resistant unlike watercolors. Unlike oil, which can take weeks to dry completely, acrylics will dry overnight, but can be thickened to be used like oil.

If you have concerns that works done in acrylic have a shorter lifespan than oils, your artist will probably tell you there is no evidence that acrylics will break down over time. Although they have only been commercially available for the last sixty years or so, even the oldest acrylic paintings are surviving very well.

In this digital age, people have their pictures plastered all over the place. Few of these are memorable. Even formal photographs, created by professional photographers, find it hard to compete with painted portraits. They command attention like no other medium.




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