Painting With Acrylics: A Versatile Medium with No Limits

I love painting with acrylics.

I still work with pastels, oil paints, and oil pastels, but I have come to appreciate the flexibility that acrylics offer. I love the fact that they dry fast, and that there is no dust to worry about.

I also like that acrylics have the consistency of oil paint, but they can be thinned and cleaned with water. I can use acrylics on just about anything. They give me room to be playful. If I make a mistake, I can paint over it and start again.

Like oil pastels, fine art acrylic paint is a fairly new medium, but it has won over a lot of artists from other mediums. It is especially popular in mixed media and in modern art.

The forerunners of acrylic paints were developed in the Renaissance when painters would boil paints mixed with resins. This would decrease the drying time of the paint. Totally synthetic resins were invented later on in Germany. In the early 20th century, Mexican muralists, such as Diego Rivera, popularized acrylics through their use in outdoor murals.

Why do so many people enjoy painting with acrylics? The first reason is that acrylic paints provide a dazzling range of brilliant colors. The second reason is that acrylic is a fairly straightforward medium; the learning curve is less steep than for watercolors or oil paints.

The following articles will teach you what you need to know to get the most out of this versatile medium.

• Acrylic painting tips- Get to know the characteristics of acrylic paints and learn how to handle them.

• Still life acrylic painting demonstration- Follow this demonstration for learning the very basic techniques.

• Acrylic painting techniques- Basic techniques for using acrylics to paint in a traditional style.

• More experimental acrylic painting techniques- Explore a few more popular acrylic techniques to enhance your art works.

• Acrylic painting supplies- Excited about getting started? Learn what you will really need to paint with acrylics.

Explore Drawing And Painting › Acrylics