For those who are painting with acrylics, this can be a big
issue if only because you are constantly dealing with the consequences or
benefits of your decision to work with jar color or paint from tubes. What I
have gathered from my acrylic painting sources, this is predominately a matter
of paint quantity. Namely, how much paint do you use?
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Carved in Stone by Charles Harrington, 48 x 60, acrylic painting.
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If you paint on a smaller scale, painting with acrylics from
tubes makes perfect sense. If you paint on a large scale, or use impasto
acrylic painting techniques with a lot of built-up paint on the surface, jar
paint is the more economical choice. Though obviously impasto-style painting
can easily be done with tube colors as well.
I've also heard mention of the fact that acrylic paints tend
to be smoother and thinner when they come from jars. This could be just one
person's perspective, but it would make sense given that jar color is often
used when a painter wants to mix their color with water or another medium, or
cover large swaths of a canvas.
Contamination can be an issue with jar color because
painters are often tempted or get into the habit of dipping their brushes
directly into jars, which is obviously not a problem when working from tubes.
But with tubes, artists often tell me they lose the screw-on tops and end up
having to transfer the paint so it doesn't make a mess.
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Eureka Springs Walking Trail by Charles Harrington,
48 x 48, acrylic painting.
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So much to consider! But whatever types of paints you use,
what you do with them is the most
important matter of all. When acrylic painting, one of the biggest adventures
is the exploration of color, color, endless color--and
500 Acrylic Mixes gives an acrylic artist the biggest color
playbook that I know of. Enjoy!
