Our founder of Art&Wine, Jean Dahrieh, explains which medium he prefers to use in his paintings and why. Stay tuned for our upcoming posts to learn all his tips and tricks for creating your own work of art!

When it comes time to start working on your next painting, it's important to have the right tools for the job. But when that tool is paint, you have to make a choice. Do you want to use watercolor, acrylic, or oil paint? Because there are so many different types of paint to choose from, having multiple options for paint type can be a real headache for beginning painters. 

Each painting has its own strengths. The key thing to remember about different types of paints is that each is ideal in certain situations. Likewise, you can't use one type of paint for every project. Each is a good choice on the right surfaces and under the right conditions. Some of them dry faster than others, some of them handle weathering better, and some of them produce a distinctive image.

WATERCOLOR

Watercolor paint is the least expensive type of paint out there. It is created by suspending pigment in water. Watercolor paint can dry quickly, but it is incredibly delicate when it comes to resisting even a single drop of water. Because of this, watercolor paints are the least durable option among paints. That being said, it can be used to create unique images unlike anything else created with oil or acrylic, images that often have a quality all their own.

Jean Dahrieh shares his point of view, “I use watercolour for quick sketches, especially when I am outdoors, or for a small initial composition of a larger painting, so I can test out colours and ideas. Watercolour is an excellent medium, but it also has its limitations; you need to work from lighter colours to darker colours because of colour bleeding, and if you make a mistake, it is very difficult to fix.”

 

 

If you would like to learn how to use watercolor paint, here you can learn some techniques on how to use it.

ACRYLIC

Acrylic paint is different from oil in one key way. Instead of being made from pigment suspended in oil, it is made from pigment suspended in a polymer emulsion. This gives the paint very different properties than oil-based paint or watercolor. Acrylic paint is better for people who want their paint to dry faster. Where oil paint can take a long time to dry, acrylic paint can dry in a matter of hours. It is also more water-resistant than watercolor or oil paint, meaning it is less likely to be damaged by moisture in the short term. The main downside to acrylic paint is that it is much less versatile when it comes to mixing and matching colors than the other options.

 

Jean Dahrieh shares his point of view, “Acrylic is probably the most commonly used paint, and is the easiest of the 3 to work with. It is perfect for Art and Wine classes as you can create vibrant colours and if you make a mistake it can be fixed. As a latex based paint it washes off easily with water and dries very quickly, which is why I always use it when performing at any live painting event as I can build up colours quickly. It can also be used as a base for oil paints. It is very versatile and very easy to use, I would recommend it to anyone taking their first steps into painting.”

 

If you would like to learn how to use acrylic paint, here You can see a very easy explanation of how to paint with acrylic paint.

 

 

OIL

Oil paint has its roots going back a long way and has been used as the primary paint choice for many projects, dating back to before the Renaissance. Many famous paintings we study today were painted using oil-based paints. The Mona Lisa is just one famous example of many. Oil paints work by suspending pigment particles in an oil base. Because of their composition, they are a great choice if you are thinking of bright, vibrant colors or if you are creating an image with depth. They are also much easier to mix than acrylic paints, and mixing them often results in a much wider color palette. The biggest disadvantage of oil paints is that they take longer to dry than acrylic or watercolor paints, taking days or even weeks to dry completely.

 

“Oil is the most complicated paint to work with, but it produces amazing effects and results. Technique and experience are essential when working with oils for painting, and you also need to learn to be patient. Paint can take 1-2 days to dry, and you need to make sure you allow enough time between drying the bases and layers to avoid bleeding the colors. It is the medium I work with for all my major artworks, as it allows me to create incredible textures for a beautiful finish.”

 

If you would like to learn how to use oil paint, here You will be able to learn different very useful techniques to get started.

Whatever type of paint you want to use for your next project, the experts at Art&Wine will be happy to help you find it. We can show you what different types of paint look like in action and give you a complete rundown on which will work best for any project. Simply contact us to learn more about how Art&Wine can help you find the perfect paint for your next project. 

Jean teaches all of our art and wine classes using acrylic paints. Not only is this paint very easy to use, but it also allows for a wide variety of painting techniques and experimentation with color. Another reason why it is the best for our classes is that it dries quickly, allowing our clients to take their artwork home after class without worrying about whether it will survive the trip home.

If you are in Barcelona and would like to try acrylic painting, sign up for one of our different classes on our website! reservations!