Oil Is Not the Only Way: A Straight-Talk Tutorial on Paint Media

You've heard it a hundred times: real painting means oil paint. That's wrong. Oil is just one medium among many, and for a beginner or a working artist, it's often the worst choice. This tutorial isn't about mastering one medium—it's about choosing the right one for the job. And that starts with busting the myth that oil is somehow superior.

Is Oil Paint the Only 'Real' Paint?

No. Oil paint is a relatively recent invention in the long history of painting. Before the Renaissance, European artists worked in egg tempera, a quick-drying medium that was the standard for panel paintings from the 13th to the 15th century (Tempera, Wikipedia). And long before that, the ancient Greeks were painting with hot wax in a technique called encaustic (Encaustic, Britannica). Oil became dominant not because it's inherently better, but because it offered new possibilities—slow drying, blending, and layering. But those same qualities make it slow, messy, and unforgiving for quick studies or plein-air work. If you're just starting, you might be better off with acrylics.

Why Does Acrylic Paint Dry So Fast? Is That a Problem?

Acrylics dry in minutes because they're water-based—the water evaporates, leaving the pigment and polymer binder. That speed is an advantage: you can work quickly, layer without waiting days, and clean up with soap and water. Acrylics were developed in the late 1940s (EBSCO, Study Rocket) and really took off in the 1950s with the introduction of water-based acrylics like Liquitex in 1956 (Zenodo). The fast drying time is only a problem if you try to use them like oil. Instead, embrace the speed: do an underpainting, then layer on top. For a beginner, acrylics are forgiving because you can paint over mistakes almost immediately.

Is Watercolor Just a Pale Imitation of Oil?

Not at all. Watercolor is the oldest paint form, with cave paintings dating back 20,000 to 40,000 years (EBSCO, Study Rocket). It's transparent—you use the white of the paper for highlights, not white paint. That's a different way of thinking: you plan your light areas, then build up glazes. Watercolor had its 'Golden Age' in Britain in the late 18th century, with artists like Turner (Art UK). It's portable, dries fast, and is perfect for sketching outdoors. But if you want opaque colors, you're really working in gouache.

What's the Difference Between Watercolor and Gouache?

Gouache is simply opaque watercolor. It uses the same gum arabic binder, but with more pigment and a white filler like chalk, so it dries matte and can be overpainted (Gouache, Wikipedia). Think of watercolor as a stain, gouache as a paint that covers. Gouache is great for design work, illustration, and any time you need flat, bold areas of color. It's also rewettable, so you can rework it—but that also means it can smudge if not varnished. Don't confuse it with acrylic gouache, which is a different, water-resistant product.

Is It True That Oil Paint Takes Months to Dry?

Not months, but weeks. Oil paint dries by absorbing oxygen in a polymerization reaction, not by evaporation (EPFL GraphSearch). That means the drying time depends on the oil and pigment. Some layers can be dry to the touch in a few days, but a thick impasto layer might take a year to cure fully. That slow drying is why oil painters use the 'fat over lean' rule: each new layer should have more oil (fat) than the one below, so it stays flexible and doesn't crack (Winsor & Newton). If you're working on a deadline, that's a problem. But if you want to blend and rework over days, oil is unmatched.

Is It True That Oil Paint Takes Months to Dry?

Yes, but only for thick layers. A thin glaze might dry in a week, but a heavy impasto stroke can take months to dry through. The rule of thumb: thin layers dry faster, thick layers slower. That's why you build an oil painting from thin to thick. And you have to be careful—if you put a thick layer over a thin one too soon, the top dries first and the underside stays soft, leading to cracking. If you want to paint alla prima (wet-on-wet), you can do that with oil, but you have to be comfortable with the paint moving on the canvas.

So, Which Medium Should I Choose?

Here's my recommendation, plain and simple: if you're a beginner, start with acrylics. They're cheap, fast-drying, and forgiving. If you want to work outdoors, try watercolor or gouache—they're portable and require minimal setup. If you want to learn classical techniques like glazing and scumbling, eventually you'll want to learn oil, but don't start there. Oil is a commitment—it requires solvents, patience, and time. And don't forget that many great painters used other media: van Gogh often worked in oil, but he also made drawings; the Impressionists loved the portability of oil in tubes, but they also sketched in watercolor. The medium is a tool, not a religion.

Sources

• EBSCO / Study Rocket - https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/painting
• Drying oil (EPFL GraphSearch) - https://graphsearch.epfl.ch/en/concept/752713
• Acrylic paint history (Zenodo) - https://zenodo.org/records/4478372/files/Eliyahu%20Mirlis.pdf?download=1
• Watercolour (Art UK) - https://artuk.org/discover/art-terms/watercolour
• Gouache (Wikipedia) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouache
• Tempera (Wikipedia) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempera
• Encaustic painting (Britannica) - https://www.britannica.com/art/encaustic-painting