Acrylic or oil paints?

what is the difference between an oil finished painting and an acrylic finished painting? which one looks better and more durable?Acrylic or oil paints?
why does a painting have to be durable since it's hung on a wall anyway?


anyway...each medium has their own specific properties. Oils are oil based pigments and acrylic are water based.Acrylic or oil paints?
oil paints. my grandfather painted and the pictures came out very good with oil paints. hope this helps!
Oils is the best because you can blend and mix and looks a lot better, I use linseed oil to make it dry fast. Acrylic is hard to move and it dires quickly, its like pushing nail polish. The varnish will make anything durable.
oil paint is oil based and clean up is with stuff that will clean oil. there are other things that are necessary with oils - like turpentine-like stuff, mineral spirits and varnish. in some cases there are alternatives that dont have the strong smell or as strong a smell. in some cases these may be a little more costly. some people like the smell of oil paint and this stuff that goes with it. for some it can cause an allergic reaction or just be unpleasant.





acrylic is water based - clean up is with soap and water. most stuff with acrylics will not have the smell that oil based stuff has.





acrylics are newer - may be since just before the mid 1900's





oils have been around for several hundred years.





both will last as long as care is appropriate.





they have slightly different qualities, but mostly the advantages of these comes down to individual preferences.





if you are painting where you live, i'd go with acrylics because oils and all that is necessary have a strong smell that will go through your living space. also until you become very careful, oil paint will migrate - by that i mean it dries slow and chances are good you will get a little on your cloths or a shoe or a rag you drop somewhere or your elbow or some place else and when you go elsewhere that paint will get rubbed off on something - another painting, a couch, a kitchen counter, your bed, your tooth/hairbrush - all without you realizing it until you notice it later. acrylics are faster drying and dont seem to migrate this way as much. being aware and careful you can prevent it of course.





durability - oils will last a long time - with the right care. older oils will darken over time or the varnish (finishing varnish that goes over it as a last step) will darken and may need replaced - possibly not in a life time but eventually.





durability - acrylics - as they have not been around as long as oils the time test is not available. however aging processes are, and with these everything indicates that acrylics will last - with care - for hundreds of years too.





as for looks - that all depends on what a viewer or artist likes. in other words that is personal preference. both can look great both can look terrible to a person. there are even ways to make one look more like the other. so for the artist - the question is which do you prefer to work with in the ways you work. and for the viewer the question is which do you enjoy - which may be a case by case decision - one time oil another time acrylic unless as a collector you want to collect one or the other but not both. then you might look at how each would have to be cared for and displayed, may be that would influence which one you'd like to go with if you are only going to go with one.





prices are similar for selling and buying. altho oils might in general be a little higher priced there are plenty of works that this pricing can probably be found in reverse.





costs for materials and such are probably similar if you get most every thing available or needed that is basic or a little more than basic. oils probably have a greater range of high cost materials that you could buy and get into if you are working in oils. you can probably get by with less if you work with acrylic but i wouldnt base my decision on that alone.





i havnt done a lot of oil painting. enough to know what it is like. i work more with acrylics for some of the reasons mentioned above - mainly oils have more toxic materials associated with them - altho acylics too have to be handled in a safe way. eating and painting at the same time is never a good idea. both acrylic and oil paints include stuff you dont want in you system - being careful and knowledgeable about this is the only way to be safe. washing your hands etc before you eat. making sure certain paints do not get on your hands etc. for extended and in some cases even short amounts of time. breathing the fumes of oil paint materials is probably worse for you than acrylics in general but good ventilation is a good idea for both... for me i knew i'd always want to be able to work in one way or another where i lived - even if i had a separate studio - i'd still want to be able to work at times where i have to live - so i decided acrylics were a better choice for me to explore. once in a while i'd like to do something where oils would work better, however for me i think i made the right choice.