People have been painting and documenting the world as they perceive it for ages. Paintings are an excellent medium to convey human emotions and capture what you see in front of your eyes. In terms of themes and techniques, paintings are adaptable.

Regarding mediums, there are several choices. Each artist has their own preferred painting media. There are numerous painting materials, ranging from oil to acrylic. They are all unique in their best qualities and traits, allowing artists to try out various styles. A combination of various mediums is also possible in painting, making it more flexible.

Read this to learn the best mediums for paintings.

• Among artists and art students, water color paintings are ubiquitous. Paintings in this water-based medium are typically done on paper. It is well-known for being translucent, which is another factor in its appeal. Although water color medium can take a while to dry, the results are amazing. Watercolor is a popular medium among painters around the world for realistic portraits and landscapes.

• Acrylic medium is another extremely popular medium for paintings. For canvas painting, it is most preferred, as it dries quickly, allowing you to experiment more with colors. It does not require special brushes or tools and is quite easy to get your hands on. From beginners to experts, the acrylic medium is the best way to create a painting. This medium also allows for experimentation. It can be mixed with other techniques to get the desired effect. Acrylic pastel mixed media paintings are one of those which allow more vibrancy than simple acrylic.

• Oil mediums are often termed complex among all mediums. There are a few things involved with this, such as special ingredients, tools, and brushes which can make it expensive and difficult to master. However, the experts largely prefer oil painting medium because of its results. Despite being time consuming and messy, oil color medium allows rich color and vibrancy in the painting, which is long lasting. There is also a lingering smell that makes the painting special.

• Gouache painting medium allows a matte finish and is great if you want to digitize your work. The consistency of this medium is somewhere between acrylic and oil mediums.

Whatever medium you choose, you can achieve a great result. The decision is based on your requirements and expertise level. In recent times, artists have preferred to experiment with mediums instead of sticking to just one. This can create new effects in paintings. Acrylic pastel mixed media paintings are, for example, a good way to make your flat acrylic painting alive. Artist Ellen King has used acrylic pastel mixed media paintings to capture images from India. Her idea of achieving the effect of the explosion of color in images of rural India has come true with acrylic pastel mixed media paintings. She has created bright paintings with exquisite colors, which is also the essence of India. Her ‘Faces of India’ collection depicts India as he saw it through acrylic pastel media paintings. Visit Ellen King’s website to find out more about it.