Acrylic paints

[aaronc]

From what I've seen on here most of the painting is done with acrylics. Is there an advantage with acrylics over oils ?

[gene-messer]

Easier to use .. mixes and thins with water .. dries quicker .. easier clean up .. all of those reasons are part of it

Gene

[aaronc]

Ahh,......alright. Was wanting to make sure there wasn't any issues in the longterm as far as absorption or so forth that I wasn't aware of. Thanks for your response Gene.

Aaron

[Robson Valley]

I started with acrylics in airbrush painting some 30 years ago. Also inherited a suitcase of tube artist's acrylics.
Dried acrylic paints can be dissolved with rubbing alcohol/propanol/isopropanol.
Some brands have far better "covering power" opaque qualities than others = Liquitex are thin, Stevenson are quite thick and opaque.
If you have a big background piece to do as a part of a carving (eg a 15"x 30" kitchen cupboard door), you can use indoor acrylic house paint instead of gesso to seal the surface. It's a lot cheaper, good covering power and many more colors to hide behind your finished artsy painting.
I always presoak my brushes so paint doesn't get up into the ferrule, I use hot water and plain bath bar soap for cleaning brushes. Very satisfactory.

[aaronc]

Robson Valley,
thanks for the reply, great information.

Aaron

[Buffalo Bif]

Robson Valley, great tip on soaking the brushes to keep the ferrules clean.

I don't paint many whittlings, the ones I do I like to get wet before I paint. I think it makes the paint absorb deeper and the color more uniform. I don't sand anything so grain raising is not an issue.

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Originally Posted by gene-messer

Easier to use .. mixes and thins with water .. dries quicker .. easier clean up .. all of those reasons are part of it

Gene

I agree, this is why I use acrylics.

Dave

[Robson Valley]

Usually, I presoak my brushes in water for 20-30 minutes while I get everything else organized. Enough so the ferrules are under water. Then I pat the brush "dry" (sort of) on a pad of paper towel. So much water stays up in the bristles in the ferrule that the brush doesn't get crusty. This is critical for watercolor painting when you switch from, say, a deep blue and want to paint a clean, clear yellow next. I don't expect green petals on a sunflower! True, it's tedious to rinse the blue out of the brush but not impossible.

[sashadoc]

aaronc: You might want to take a look at Lynn's video where he starts to paint his Viking. It is about three parts starting with this one. You can get a lot of information from watching him work!!! The link is included. Have fun.

Tim
OutWestWoodCarving: Viking Warrior – Part 8

[One Thumb Carver]

Originally Posted by gene-messer

Easier to use .. mixes and thins with water .. dries quicker .. easier clean up .. all of those reasons are part of it

Gene

Since I dislike cleaning up after oil I agree with Gene You can go to Gene Blog and watch how he Paint a project,. Gene Messer’s Carving Videos