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Question:

Which paints are best for portraits?

Whic of these paints wold be best for portraits of animals and people?Oil paintsWatercoloursAlso which would you recommend for landscapes?Thanks.

Answer:

It depends on your skill really. I have seen master pieces in both. Oil paint is much more forgiving so I'd opt for that one.
Oils are easier because you can paint over any parts you aren't happy with. Watercolors require a lot more precision and planning. Oils can give you more freedom to experiment without worrying about messing up your painting.
Actually, it would be up to the artist what medium to use. I prefer acrylics my self. Some artists watercolors. Some oil paint. Watercolors and acrylics dry faster. Oils take about 6 months to a year to completely dry. Choose the medium you prefer and go for it.
Either are okay for those subjects. The determining factor would be how experienced you are in these mediums. Watercolor can be tricky as once the pigment is down it can be hard to lift. Oil you can scrape off all day long. Should the need arise. So I would go with the one you are most comfortable with.
whatever paints you feel most comfortable working with are the ones i would recommend. i like watercolors because they are the most immediate form of painting. the setup and clean up is usually under 5 minutes and you can fit everything you need to paint in your pocket. watercolors are an unforgiving medium that seems best suited for many quick paintings. acrylics are in between watercolors and oils. you can work over areas as much as you like or you can paint very quickly and loosely, or you can do slow deliberate glazing. its quick drying so its easy to work fast. the worst thing about acrylic paint is plastic paint and it can look like plastic. oil painting is the slowest process and requires the most thought to do properly. oil paint has to be painted fat over lean so you have to be at conscious of that as you paint. oil painting also has the slowest set up and clean up, for me it runs from 15 minutes to an hour including setting up the palette. despite all this there are certain characteristics of oil paint that you just cant get in any other media. the most noticeable of these is how oil paint holds a brush mark.

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