Why acrylics?

[godfather]

I often wonder why many figure painters switched to acrylics as they seem harder to control; and in all honesty do not look at good as oils. By this I mean unless you are very good with acrylics the differences in transitions and blending are obvious not so in oils. This is not meant to start a debate of which is better or worse just interested in why oils became unfashionable.

 

[RobH]

Originally posted by godfather@Sep 30 2005, 12:28 PM
and in all honesty do not look at good as oils. By this I mean unless you are very good with acrylics the differences in transitions and blending are obvious not so in oils.

Well that's a subjective issue.

The reasons as far as I can tell are:

Acrylics; water cleaned and thinned (readily available, doesn't smell), dry quickly, large range, potentially cheap initial cost

Oils: turpentine cleaned and thinned (stinky, additional cost), take a long time to dry, more expensive to get started with.

each has their positives and negatives.

Personally, it's the quick dry time and lack of smell that sells them to me

 

[mcsneed17]

the odor and fact that when you finished with an area you just painted you do not have to worry about it getting smeared that is why .

 

[nagashino]

just interested in why oils became unfashionable

Hi

I think you hit the nail on the head when you used the word "unfashionable". This hobby is IMHO very strongly driven by trends, and acrylics and the style of painting they dictate are both in fashion at present. There are pros and cons for both media but I think Rob is right, acrylics are more user-friendly from an operational point of view and their comparative cost against oils is a distinct advantage.

Phil

 

[KeithP]

Very interesting thread and excellent comments and observations from all of you so far...

Take a look at some of the work of Luca O., Phil Kessling and Lou Masses and I think that you'll agree that Oils can achieve the same level of transitions.

Not trying to start debate either but just letting you know that you can see some work by these gents in order to see what is acheivable in that medium.

I am an oil painter (for the most part), btw. Between using turpenoid and a drying box, I can move at a pace that works for me as well as avoide the noxious odors.

I also strongly resist the idea of classification of Oils or Acrylics. I use what ever medium I think will give me the results that I am looking for. Heck, in one figure I may use acrylics, enamels, oils, printers ink and India ink.


Keith

 

[Einion]

I think the good results seen early on were instrumental in giving acrylics their boost, coupled with the freshness angle as they looked a bit different than what we'd seen before. Once the medium became known speed played a big part in its growth (especially with traditional oil painters who tended not to use drying aids maybe) and the water-based aspect can't have hurt. After their initial fame I have to say I was less than enamoured with the 'typical' Vallejo/Andrea paintjob as it seemed to go hand in hand with a couple of stylistic decisions that were no aid to realism, principally the very matt finish on everything. Many also featured relatively weak fleshtones (poor colour) and an over-emphasis of sharpness (because it's what they're good at). For me, Latorre and Chacon's work were two notable exceptions in terms of the success of the overall effect.

As regards what's best to paint with, I'm firmly in the 'use what's best for any task' camp. There's no doubt that oils are naturally better suited to doing smooth transitions - with less effort, and in significantly less time - than with acrylics applied by brush. So there's an argument for them being the superior choice for larger-scale work, as well as for specialist jobs at smaller scales, depending on one's goals of course; the typical sort of painting used for garage kits shows an obvious exception.

As a longtime acrylic painter I would be the first to admit that they are not ideally suited to certain painting tasks, as anyone who has used hobby 'acrylics' (they're actually vinyl paints for those who don't know) will probably be the first to agree! Vinyls are great in terms of prep time, ease of cleanup and general handling and as regards painting they're better for some jobs, particularly in smaller scales. Plus of course they're great for undercoating oils as you can begin the final work practically instantly.

Although I'm still a dedicated acrylic painter I'll use oils/alkyds, enamels, alcohol-based colours and lacquers as appropriate.

Einion

 

[Joe Hudson]

My reason for switching from oils to acrylics? I got tired of painting the figure 2 times! :lol: Really you could say 3! You clean up the figure, then prime it, then undercoat it with acrylics, for me, then paint it with the oils. I just tried to make it a little faster and left out the oil part. I have seen so many really good oil painters and the same can be said about the acrylics and enamels. I think it is just best to try to find something that works best for you and do the best you can.

I am still trying to get a hang on these acrylics and sometimes say why am I doing this, just pull those oils back out but then I hit myself and say take a break and come back to it later. Sorry for the rambling!

Joe

 

[Jim Patrick]

A good topic to say the least. My PERSONAL opinion here. In the last several years we have seen a switch in popular figure scales from 120mm to 54mm (I think we may be begining to see another switch to 75mm). Most painters (read:MOST) have had a harder time with the switch as a lot of painters have seen the far to familiar "over blending" that happens with oils v.s. acrylics. Couple the switch in scales with Raul Latorre's groundbreaking techniques and you have a major revolution in the hobby. This, in my opinion, is what made oils "unfashionable". Not that they are, it's just that most painters today seem to use or want to use acrylics. My reasons are pretty funny though. I switched from armor to figures roughly this same time period and after looking in magazines it seemed most painters were using acrylics. Naturally, I bought about 7 or 8 PACKS of vallejo acrylics and soon found myself with WAY too many paints and not enough practise with them. I either wasted a lot of money or I was going to make them work! Well, I'll stop short of saying that I now make them work but I like them a lot and can't see myself using another medium again. Plus, I forgot how to use anything else! :lol:

Jim Patrick

 

[Guy]

Originally posted by KeithP@Sep 30 2005, 01:51 PM
Heck, in one figure I may use acrylics, enamels, oils, printers ink and India ink.


Keith

I have to agree with Keith. I use all mediums for what ever effect I want to achieve.

 

[Von Bock]

Well it's funny really. I years ago did my paintings in acrylics. I was told hey if you want good looking figs and to show well at shows you better get to using oils. I do all my faces in oils but uniforms were still acrylics. Now everyone is coming to acrylics. maybe i should move to oils :lol: I use different paints for different needs. Besides it really dosen't matter what you paint with the name of the game is pratice pratice pratice oh and have fun. Brock

 

[frank h]

Hi

Enamels. Oil's Acrylics ...the story of my painting life

Of the three Acrylics gives me the most satifying results
Or maybe getting older :lol:

There is also a wealth of how to's especially from the 28mm
mini painters as well as on sites like this

Good news for anyone starting out on figures

Frank

 

[yeo_64]

Hi ! For myself,I found that acrylics were the ONLY medium with which I was able to get a reasonable skin tone !! That,plus the quick drying time and the lack of an offensive odour(which my wife FULLY appreciates :lol: !) is what made me a full-time acrylic paint user. My 2 cents worth. Cheers !
Kenneth .

 

[megroot]

For myself,

Three years ago i stoppede with AFV and going only painting figures. I started with oils. The results are for a newbie as good as it good be. Then i joined AMSS (figure club) and the most of the younger guys :lol: like Gino Poppe and our Russian Paintres Larissa Tamberg where using acrylics. When i saw that i thought i was on the wrong track with the oils , so i switched to acrylic.
After three or four figures i would quit the hobby. The results that i get with the oils i couldn't get it with acrylic.
Now i prime, do the undercoating with acrylic, and paint with oils, and i must say, (others say it too) it begins to look at painting figures.
For less odour i thinned the paint down when it is nessecary with English Destilled Turpentine, and clean also my brushes in it.
My girlfriend is satisfied with this :lol:
O yes, i use something a little acrylic when i have to paint very small lines. That is for me the advantage of acrylic, the go better of the brush then oils. But i think i learn everyday, and everyday it goes better.
Further i like that look of oilpainted figures. I really do not know what it is, but it looks better

Marc

 

[callum]

Hi guys,

Just my ten cents worth but I use what I think will work at the time but given the choice it would be oils.

The thing I don't like about acrylics is in general to me, because the blending is done by layer on layer unless there are loads of layers the painting looks to me 'rough'. However they are it has to be said ideal for some applications where oils wouldn't work so effectively.

Whatever your choice though the main thing is to get as much done as you can. :lol:

Regards Callum.

 

[Blind Pew]

I think everybody would agree that there's pros & cons with each medium. I reckon it's a case of finding which one you are most comfortable with and sticking with that one. You will NOT get the results you are after with a medium you're not comfortable with.

I think Phil was spot on when he highlights the fact that trends do affect things, this is particularly so when we appear to be going through a period when many of the top figure painters are getting great results in acrylics, and the resultant coverage they get in figure magazines emphasises this fact. Thus any newcomers would probably gravitate towards using them as well, as emulating our heroes is how many of us get started before we develop our own style. Or perhaps not in my case!