Thursday, April 07, 2022

Cheetahs

For the past few days I've been experimenting with acrylic paint. I've been wanting to do this for years. What appeals to me about it is its quick drying time. Don't get me wrong - I love oil for SO many reasons, but I have to admit that sometimes I don't want a brush stroke to mix with everything under/around it.

I thought the quick dry feature might work particularly well with these animals where I want to play around with fun color. So one of the first things I tried was to paint one that I had already painted in oil. This first cheetah is the oil version:

 

Click Here to Bid (6x6in. - oil - starts at $100) "Askance Cheetah"

I have way more control over my colors in oil because I've been using it for so long, so I tended to be more "true" to the colors that I saw in the reference photo. Whereas in this next version (acrylic), I was really all over the place in terms of color, but it was fun!


Click Here to Bid (6x6in. - acrylic - starts at $100) "Direct Cheetah"

I'm curious to see the reaction to acrylic vs. oil. My husband has an opinion, and although he is just one person, he is the only one I've heard from so far. : ) So please, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

8 comments:

Donna T said...

They look the same except for the brightness. The acrylic is brighter. Not a lot of difference.

Penny said...

I'd like to see them in person before I decide. Okay?

PamW said...

I am drawn to the variety of colors in the acrylic painting. Both capture the stern look but the acrylic shows your fun!

Anonymous said...

I like the one painted in acrylics. The colors seem crisper, and the background "pops" brighter.

Rembrand said...

While they are both magnificent, I have a preference for the oil-based painting. It's warmer, a bit muted, feels less 'sharp', more layered in its strokes. There's more depth to it I think.

Crisynda K Buss said...

They both are wonderful. I enjoy the thick background in the oil. The pops of color, pink and blue notably, are delightful in the acrylic.

Jo Castillo said...

Interesting differences. The bright higher chroma colors show more in the acrylics. I like the excitement. The over all colors seem richer to me in the oils. So, I’m for the oils. I like the quick dry of acrylics which always dry darker than I expect. Doesn’t look like you had that problem. For small paintings that you will be shipping it seems like acrylics is perfect for that.

Karen said...

Hi, Carol,
Cheetah in acrylic, with that direct gaze, looks far more "engaging" and awake than the bored,sultry oil version.
You're right - OPEN acrylics might be even more fun since there's more "open" time to consider...
both very good and quite different!