Oil Paint or Watercolor Paint: Which Is Best for Beginners?
A great form of self-love is diving into new hobbies that would fill your soul with creative juices and fire. One of the best art forms that you could dive into is painting, but with the myriad of different paints and styles, choosing a beginner-friendly painting style can be a bit overwhelming.
If you're learning how to paint, it's easy; you may be choosing between using watercolor or oil paints. Watercolor seems like the first choice of many newbies, and even in school, watercolor paints are often available. But you should also consider oil paints and how they translate on paper, providing you with more control over the output. Then again, is it the best for beginners?
Fortunately, online oil painting classes and watercolor classes will surely help you kickstart your painting journey. And if you're still wary about picking up your brush and slathering them on whichever paint, keep reading. We'll dig deeper into the pros of each type of paint!
Why Should I Choose Oil Paint?
Oil paint is a slow-drying paint that's made of particles of pigment dissolved in drying oil. Because of this, the viscosity of the paint can be changed, and you could also increase the varnish, giving you more flexibility with your paintings.
Below are some reasons you should try oil painting:
Reason #1: Mistakes are Manageable With Oil Paint
Watercolors are pretty and vibrant until you make a mistake, and it could turn into a huge headache. Getting rid of watercolor mistakes can be tricky, especially when you can easily damage the paper.
Fortunately, it's a much easier process with oil paints, allowing you to scrape back the paint with a palette knife and wipe off your canvas with a rag. This way, you'll sustain little-to-no damage on your canvas, unlike with watercolor paint, where you can rub a hole through your paper.
Reason #2: You Can Take Your Time With Oil Paint
Another reason oil paint is a beginner-friendly option is that once you swipe paint on your canvas, you still have time to push your paint around. Sure, having a quick dry time is probably something you'd want so you can hang your paintings up on the wall, but if you want to make a few edits on your painting, watercolor paint won't give you that option.
Reason #3: It's Easier to Add Dimension With Oil Paints
If you want to add shadows and brighter highlights, oil paints are your best friend. Because they are slightly translucent, you can use glazing and underpaintings to add depth, shadows, and highlights to your works.
This can be particularly difficult with watercolor paint since they're transparent in nature, and you may need to add more layers of paint to get the depth and shadow you need.
Reason #4: You Can Layer More Paints and Get a More 3D Look
Yes, you can layer paints with watercolors, but it's often limited, especially when you need to consider the canvas or paper you're painting on. Fortunately, oil paints work best when creating layers and 3D effects because oil is much thicker and has more depth.
This is why painters who produce hyperrealistic paintings use oils to add more shadows and highlights, giving their work more dimension and 3D effects.
Why Should I Choose Watercolor?
Unlike oil paints, watercolor paints have pigment suspended in water-based solutions. Since it doesn't have oil and varnished looks, you'll get a flat, matte finish for your paintings.
Below are some reasons watercolor paint may work for you:
Reason #1: Watercolor Spills and Stains are Easier to Clean
Although watercolor canvas mistakes are harder to fix, there's no doubt that they're much easier to clean off of different surfaces and even clothes since they're water-based paint. On the other hand, oil paints are much trickier to clean off of surfaces — it's so difficult that some solvents and wipes won't help!
Reason #2: You Need Less When Painting With Watercolor
The great thing about using watercolor paint is that materials are much easier to source, and you'll need less to build your workstation. With that, you can take your watercolor anywhere you go.
In contrast, oils require more supplies, so it is much harder to build your workstation if you want to build a solid painting station. So if you're looking for a more hassle-free route, watercolor is a great painting option.
Reason #3: You Can Get a Matte and Effortless "Messy" Look
Choosing what watercolors to use really depends on the style you're going for, and if you want a matter and "messy" look, then watercolors are a fantastic go-to.
With oil painting, this can be quite difficult, especially since its material provides you with a more polished and varnish look. Unless you're going to go all-out and splatter your oil paint on canvas, then oil paints may work for you.
The Bottom Line: Join Online Painting Classes to Know What Paint Works for You
As mentioned earlier, the type of paint you use really boils down to your style. Understandably, as a beginner, you may not have that down yet; that's why joining classes can help you figure out which type of paints would work for you as you kickstart your painting journey.
Fortunately, there are online painting classes for adults that you could join to help you figure out which style works for you. Not to mention, you'll be learning from the experts in the field, learning their techniques, and absorbing tips and tricks that you could apply to your work.
So if you're ready to start a new hobby and get your hands dirty with different colors, consider trying both mediums. Who knows — your style could be a mix of both!
How Can E John Robinson Help You?
As mentioned earlier, learning a new hobby is a great way to develop your character and foster self-love. Now that you're spending more time at home, it only makes sense to spend some hours diving into different artforms. If you're thinking of starting a new hobby and want to explore the world of painting, you've come to the right place.
E John Robinson is the instruction shop for E John's watercolor and oil teaching courses, allowing you to explore the artist in you. Here, you can purchase instructional courses in DVD format, enabling you to learn from the best in the comforts of your home.
From oil lessons to watercolor lessons, down to e-books; if you're looking for online painting classes, digital downloads, and DVD formats, check out our selection today. Work with us and be an artist today!