Is Acrylic Painting Better than Oil Painting?

I have used acrylic and oil paint. Here is what I think.

Photo by Anna Kolosyuk on Unsplash

I’ll start with acrylic paint.

Acrylic paint is easier to work with, because it’s water-based. Why?

1. I don’t have to wait long for the paint to dry.
2. Clean up is easy. All I need is water to clean my brushes. If I accidentally got acrylic paint on the table or hands, no problem! All I need is water to rinse it off.

Oil paint is difficult to work with, because it’s oil-based. Why?

1. I have to wait for the paint to dry.
2. Clean up is difficult. You can read more about the 3-step non-toxic method I used to clean my brushes. If I need to rinse my paintbrush, it’s not easy as just dipping my paintbrush in water. If I accidentally get on my hands, the oil paint can leave a stain. When I started working with oil paint as a kid, I stained my hand.

Photo by Henrik Dønnestad on Unsplash

Although oil paint is difficult to work with, I am able to create a creamy texture, because it doesn’t dry as quickly as acrylic paint. I also don’t have to work as quickly in fear that the paint will dry up on the palette.