While the oil and watercolor paints have been used by artists for many centuries, acrylics are a relatively modern art medium, having been first developed in the late 1940s. A highly flexible medium, liquid acrylics can be applied much like watercolors on paper, while in their heavy body form acrylics are a practical alternative to oil paints on canvas supports. The pigments in acrylic paints are suspended in a synthetic polymer resin, which when dry is flexible and will not crack, fade, or discolor with age or exposure to sunlight. Acrylics come in a wide range of rich colors that can be blended to achieve a full range of hues, values, and intensities.
I prefer to paint with acrylics because I can achieve results that are virtually indistinguishable from oil paintings, while keeping my home studio free of the toxins and odors associated with oil paint and the solvents that are used with them. Acrylic paints dry within minutes after being applied, which allows the artist to over-paint or glaze an area without the lengthy wait required by slow drying oil paints. Manufacturers have developed a wide range of products, such as gessos, gell and liquid mediums, thickeners, glazes, and varnishes, which add additional versatility to acrylic painting. Because acrylics are water soluble before drying, bushes can be easily cleaned with soap and water.
