🎨 Acrylic vs Oil vs Watercolor vs Gouache vs Poster Colors: Choosing the Right Painting Medium

Whether you're picking up a brush for the first time or exploring new creative paths, choosing the right painting medium is your first major step. This modern guide compares five popular mediums—Acrylic, Oil, Watercolor, Gouache, and Poster Colors—and provides a clear roadmap, tutorials, best practices, and a list of standard beginner projects.

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🎯 Medium Comparison Table

Medium	Drying Time	Opacity	Cleanup	Cost	Beginner Friendly	Best Used For
Acrylic	Fast	Opaque	Water	₹₹	✅✅✅✅	Landscapes, Abstracts
Oil	Very Slow	Opaque	Solvents	₹₹₹	✅✅	Portraits, Realism
Watercolor	Medium-Fast	Transparent	Water	₹₹	✅✅✅✅	Landscapes, Loose styles
Gouache	Fast	Opaque	Water	₹₹₹	✅✅✅	Illustration, Posters
Poster Color	Fast	Opaque	Water	₹	✅✅✅✅✅	School Projects, Practice

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🛠️ Best Practices for Each Medium

🎨 Acrylic

• Use synthetic brushes and prime your canvas.

• Work quickly as it dries fast—use a stay-wet palette.

• Thin with water or acrylic medium.

🛢️ Oil

• Work in a ventilated area and use linseed oil or turpentine safely.

• Start with an underpainting and build in layers.

• Follow the "fat over lean" rule.

💧 Watercolor

• Use 100% cotton paper (300gsm) for best results.

• Learn wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques.

• Paint from light to dark.

🧴 Gouache

• Use smooth paper and mix paint to creamy consistency.

• Avoid overworking areas—gouache can lift.

• Layer from dark to light (opposite of watercolor).

🖍️ Poster Colors

• Use thick paper (chart or watercolor paper).

• Avoid too much water to prevent paper buckling.

• Clean brushes immediately after use.

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📚 Suggested Tutorials by Medium

Medium	Tutorial Source
Acrylic	Step By Step Painting
Oil	Draw Mix Paint - Mark Carder
Watercolor	Makoccino YouTube
Gouache	James Gurney YouTube
Poster Color	Art Arena YouTube

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🧭 Roadmap to Learn Painting (12 Weeks)

Week	Focus Area	Activities	Learn From
1	Choose Your Medium	Buy basic supplies, watch introduction videos	YouTube, Skillshare, Step By Step Painting
2	Color Theory + Brush Practice	Practice mixing colors, try gradients and strokes	Color Wheel Basics - YouTube
3	Techniques of Your Medium	Learn washes, layering, blending (as per chosen medium)	Medium-specific YouTube tutorials
4	Simple Object Painting	Draw and paint cups, fruits, trees	[Makoccino, The Art Sherpa]
5	Composition & Light	Study shadows, highlights, and simple lighting techniques	Proko
6	Style Exploration	Try abstracts, impressionism, or realism	[James Gurney for Realism, The Art Sherpa for Abstract]
7	Basic Figure Drawing	Practice gesture drawing and proportions	[Croquis Cafe, Proko]
8	Medium Switch (Optional)	Try a new medium for comparison	Step By Step Painting, James Gurney
9	Environment Painting	Paint landscapes, trees, night sky, seascapes	[Painting with Jane, Bob Ross, Makoccino]
10	Portraiture	Start with sketching, then try acrylic or oil portraits	[Draw Mix Paint, Proko, Daria Callie YouTube]
11	Final Project Preparation	Brainstorm theme, make thumbnails, sketch outlines	General research and references
12	Final Project	Create a full painting on canvas or high-quality paper	Apply all learned skills

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🖼️ Standard Paintings to Practice

Level	Painting Subjects
Beginner	Sunset, Mountain silhouette, Simple flowers, Seashore scene
Intermediate	Portrait sketch, Urban buildings, Fruit bowl, Galaxy night sky
Advanced	Detailed landscapes, Oil portrait, Abstract emotion-based piece

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✨ Conclusion

Start with acrylic or watercolor if you're a beginner. As you grow, explore the richness of oils or the matte charm of gouache. Follow the roadmap, build a routine, and most importantly—have fun with the process!

🎨 Happy painting!