Acrylic vs. Oil

The honest comparison. Drying time, mediums, cleanup, cost and archival life — then paint the same study twice, once in each.

Curriculum

1. 01What paint actually is: pigment, binder, vehicle
2. 02Acrylic: open time, retarders, plastic sheen
3. 03Oil: fat over lean, and why order matters
4. 04Grounds: canvas, panel, gesso and primers
5. 05A limited palette that mixes everything
6. 06Mediums, solvents and studio safety
7. 07Paint one study in acrylic, one in oil
8. 08Varnishing, drying, storage and archival life

Materials guide

What Noor actually keeps in the studio — and what to skip on your first trip to the supply store.

• Limited palette, 6 tubes

  Warm/cool primaries + white

  $78

• Synthetic + hog brushes

  One set per medium, never shared

  $46

• Primed panels, 8x10 (4)

  Panels beat cheap stretched canvas

  $36

• Refined linseed oil

  Skip solvents to start

  $14