Different Painting Techniques

We all know what painting is - a practice of applying paint to a surface. But there are different ways of doing that. There are different materials and different techniques.

On this page we'll take a quick look at the different painting techniques. Each of these techniques is challenging in its own way. Which one is for you?

Oil Painting

Oil painting is one of the most popular styles of painting. In western world, it's the best known technique. It became widely popular during the Renaissance when the old masters such as Da Vinci, Botticelli, Raphael, and others used it to create timeless works of art.

Oil paints are very versatile. You can do almost anything with them and they last practically forever. One of the main characteristics of oil paints is that they take much longer to dry than acrylics or watercolor paints. This gives you more time. You can remove what you don't like while it is still wet, re-work existing paint, add more paint, or just paint over it when it's dry. Oil painting is much more forgiving than other techniques and a good choice for beginners.

Acrylic Painting

Acrylics came on the scene relatively late (in the 1950s), but quickly became popular. They are very adaptable and versatile, and are capable of producing effects similar to oil paints or watercolors. They are water-based and water soluble.

Because they dry very fast, you need to work fast, especially if you wish to blend colors. Fast drying time can be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on how you look at it. Another great thing about acrylics is that you don't have to worry about odors or allergies, which are common in oil painting.

Watercolors

Watercolors can be quite tricky to master. They dry very quickly and mistakes are difficult to correct. They can be used in a variety of ways to get a variety of effects. They are not so forgiving as oil paints.

Watercolors are one of the cheapest and cleanest mediums that you can use in art. They are water-based and water-soluble, and easy to clean up with just water.

Pastels

Pastels are a unique painting medium and a big change from oils, acrylics, or watercolors. They are round or rectangular sticks made from pure powdered pigment and a binder. There are different types of pastels, from hard, semi-soft, to soft, and each gives a slightly different result. When painting with pastels, colors are mixed on the paper by overlaying or blending and not on a palette. Pastels are a wonderful medium and can be applied in a number of ways.