Which do you prefer oils or acrylics? Can you tell me some advantages and disadv

Question:

Which do you prefer oils or acrylics? Can you tell me some advantages and disadvantages?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: My personal preference is oil, but I think most people should start with acrylic.

Acrylic is less expensive by far, has a wider range of "hue" colors (synthetic versions of traditional pigments which are often less toxic), dries quickly, and with enough product can even have a luster similar to oil. They can be combined with watercolor, used on paper and fabric without rotting them, and cleaned up with water. Products to thicken them, retard their dry time, thin them, make them matte or glossy can be gotten easily. They also combine well with mixed media. They are a great product for many modern painters, both professional and hobbyists.

The disadvantage to them is subtle, but significant to me. They look plastic, and there is less room for absolute control than with oil. They have more colors, but few of the colors compare to the intensity of the pigments available for oil.
I find acryilics frustrating to work with because I find myself using products to try and make them work more like oil paint.

Oil paint is pricey. The tubes of paint last longer because they do not dry quickly. Pre-mixed oils come in a huge variety of colors, more than acrylics or at least as much. One problem is that many of these colors are so expensive it almost makes no sense to buy them. Mixed paint does not need to be used as quickly because without additives that speed the dry time, it will last weeks with just a little ceran wrap stuck over it.

The brushes will be hard to clean, solvents like turpentine will be needed. The paint smells, and eats paper and fabric with time. Many of the pigments use heavy metals and chemicals you should not get in your skin or eyes. Honestly, the drawbacks are many. However, I have not found anything for my own painting purposes that looks as good as oil paint. I simply like the appearance I can achieve with it.

Oil paint is easier to re-work and glaze with. It has a more organic quality, and changing its texture can rely as much or as little on pre-mixed products as you like. You can make your own paint from pigment if you wish (and have the $$$).

Once the investment in oil paint is made, it becomes very versitile. However, there's a learning curve just in dealing with oils that is much less steep with acrylics. For some people it isn't worth it, or acrylics give them exactly the look they want. In the end it's just personal preference.