Why Does Acrylic Paint Get A Bad Rap?

[@SepulvedaBoulevard]

I would love a video on acrylic technique. I paint in oil, but would love to learn 😀

[@notsorryart]

You got it! Also I honestly think switching from oil to acrylic without guidance is harder than going from no painting experience to acrylic. All that to say, I’ll make a point to explain how the mediums differ in technique💕🙌

[@moodypanda130]

Which video describes how to clean acrylic paint/paint water? I would like to watch it :)

[@tylerclark3045]

I can, assuming the oils have not been adulterated with some chalky, refractive substance, tell in person with 100% accuracy which is which. The easiest way to demonstrate the difference is to put thick swatches of Mars black next to each other on a toned canvas. I don’t care how long you wait or what you varnish with, it’s apparent. That said, I don’t think one is better than the other. Oils just have darker darks and a transparency that acrylics don’t. Acrylics have major other advantages. I also think cheap acrylics are more common than cheap oils so people more often associate them with low quality.

[@asilrashid1979]

Thanks again for another informative and articulate video!! I have a couple of questions. First: I live in Montreal, our summers are pretty short and so evaporation method with acrylic paint water is not really a viable option. (How long does it take to evaporate anyways? )So what I do is I clean off my brushes really well and remove the layer of acrylic paint from my palette by peeling and scraping it off and dumping it in the trash. Also I have a small sieve filter in my kitchen sink that captures small particles. Is that enough? When I do paint with oil it’s water mixable oil so no solvents. Second question: I just finished a large painting that is almost 95% acrylic. I just added a few finishing touches in water mixable oil paint to make it pop more. Does this make it a mixed media piece? Or can I still market it as an acrylic painting?

[@notsorryart]

Thanks for your thoughtful questions! You're doing a lot of great things with your process, like scraping the dried acrylic paint from your palette and capturing particles with a sieve. It sounds like evaporation may not be a good option for you, and honestly, I often have the same issue here in Texas during the winter. I sometimes rely on using paint hardener or cat litter to dispose of my paint water when it isn't evaporating fast enough. The idea with paint hardener ( www.homedepot.com/p/Krud-Kutter-3-5-oz-Waste-Paint-Hardener-PH3512/202630524 ),the Golden Crash method ( www.goldenpaints.com/crashpaintsolids ), or even kitty litter is to absorb and solidify the paint water so it can be thrown out in the trash instead of going down the drain. I recommend having a few 5- to 10-gallon buckets on hand with lids. When the bucket is halfway full of paint water, mix in the paint hardener or cat litter, let it solidify into a mass, and then dispose of it in the trash. As for your second question, I personally would consider my piece mixed media if you’ve used multiple mediums in the finished product. There are exceptions to this, like if I prime an oil painting with a solid color of acrylic or use acrylic gesso, I might still call it an oil painting. But for me, if the final surface of the piece includes different materials-such as acrylic and water-mixable oils-then I consider it mixed media. I understand where you’re coming from, though. Some collectors are very specific about wanting either acrylic or oil, which is why I tend to specify "mixed media" and include in brackets the exact mediums, like ‘(acrylic and oil)’. This gives clarity without misleading anyone. Ultimately, it’s up to you, and I wouldn’t be upset if someone labeled a piece as oil or acrylic when it’s not 100% one or the other. It’s really a personal choice about how you feel your work is best represented. I hope this is helpful and thank you for watching 💕💕💕

[@asilrashid1979]

@@notsorryart thank you your response. Lots of useful info. I will definitely try the cat litter thing…