oil painting Archives - Indigalleria Blog

For a beginner in this field, it’s inevitable to be confused about which color would be preferred by art lovers today? Or which type of paint would bring about your thoughts more beautifully? Firstly, there is no such thing as a better type of color that matters today! Both the types of colors are as good and what matters is mastering the colors and their strokes

However to understand more about the differences we would go into detail as to what takes an artist to make a choice between the two.

The Cost Benefits –

The oil paints are more expensive as compared to acrylic paints, therefore an artist prefers acrylic over oil when it comes to the overall cost. Acrylics can go with washing the brushes with water however oil paints require special oils to clean the brushes, which adds to the cost. Read what makes oil paints expensive to know more about it. Also add the cost of the t-shirt you are wearing, what if you paint it too!

The Drying Property –

The oil paints take way too long to dry, sometimes as low as a week or month, OR maybe as long as a decade to dry out completely. This property of oil paints helps a beginner to perform slowly or maybe a patient artist to keep on making changes in it. An impatient artist can prefer acrylic which dries out really very quickly, sometimes even on the platter. However, drying out too quickly can also cause some trouble to the artists which they would realize during the process.

The Vivid Color Property –

As oil paints are made up of pigments and oil it is more vivid and vibrant than acrylics, and acrylics are synthetically produced. Thus a better quality of acrylic and low quality of oil paint would be very similar.

Space It Takes –

Oil paints take more space of your art studio as compared to the acrylic paints as oil paints require more paraphernalia like the thinner, cloth, palette, and more brush count than acrylic paints and not to forget the turpentine for cleaning the mess after work. For acrylic, you can use it on paper too hence very fewer preparations. Before starting with the oil painting there would be quite a number of things to keep in mind.

How Does It Blend –

The oil paints blend more nicely as the lines between the two colors are mixed smoothly as first because it takes time for it to dry and secondly oil makes the blending more smooth. The acrylic which dries too quickly makes the lines more clear and does not blend in.

The Time Effect On The Paintings –

The acrylic paints do not change their impression in the long run, however the color changes when it dries out. On the other hand, the oil paints do not change color when it dries but they do turn a bit yellowish in the long run, which is 100-200 years.

To know how to clean your oil paintings watch the video.

CONCLUSION –

If there is one factor supporting oil paints then there is another factor supporting acrylic paints. Mastering a type of color is important, that’s what I said in the beginning. Asking which is better and looking for one right answer is absurd, hence making out a choice on your experiences and your working style is what it all takes to make a decision for yourself.

Set out on a journey of colors with us…share your experiences and choices!

Why are Oil Paintings Expensive — (Image source: Michael Harding)

A very common question that is asked from me is ‘Why are oil paintings or oil paints expensive?’ and a very short, simplified answer to that is, that it depends on the texture of oil paint that is used, and also that it also takes a long time to dry, and time is money! One extra point to support the costliness of oil paints is that they are the ancient type of colors, which adds to their quality.

Oil Paint - Winsor Newton — (Image source: Winsor Newton)

Does the type of oil paint used actually matters, as what is made on the canvas is more important rather than the brand of the colors?

Absurd to think that the so-called brand or in better lines the quality of the oil paint does not matter! It does matter as the life of the painting you are buying depends on the quality of the paint. The good quality of oil paint is more pigmented than the cheap one. The more pigmented the color is, the more vibrant your painting is, even if the colors of your painting just have black and white in them.

So from where does the Pigment comes from? If the amount of pigment is what increases the cost, then where does it come from is what matters here!

The Blue or Ultramarine Blue Color-

They are made from the very precious, limited stone, lapis lazuli, which is found in Afghanistan. The blue color is very rarely found naturally on the earth.

yellow color Pigment — (Image source: Pinterest)

The Yellow Color –

Lemon Yellow Ochre is a natural earth pigment being used since the beginning of human civilization from ancient Egypt. Ochre, an earthen clay, contains various levels of iron to create its yellow pigment. Ochre also commonly appears in oil paintings throughout history. It is a very non-toxic and lightfast pigment.

Also, some yellow colors are unique as it is made from the urine of those cows who eat only toxic mango leaves.

Tyrian Purple color — (Image source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The Tyrian Purple –

This purple color is made from the glands of snails from the ocean. And surprisingly it takes 12000 snails to make just 2gm of the pigment. This is the purple Tyrian shell.

What is the Process of Production of Oil Paints?

Yes, the oil paint production right from its procurement to its final stage of packaging, mixing properly the color pigments to the oil with repetitive stir which is also very time-consuming. The repetitive stir and mixing and churning ensure no lumps are left and the quality of the color is enhanced.

Click here to see How Oil Paints are made => Video

So as you can understand the expensiveness of oil paints and their luxury, buy an oil painting for your home decor, office or gifting purposes to treat yourself to the lavish paintings from the hands of our Indian artists.

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oil painting

Acrylic Vs Oil Paints: Which is Better?