Most artists around the world focus on using generally two prime types of paints for creating their masterpieces - water based and oil based. Despite the fact that these colors never mix with each other, there are certain water based options which can actually be concocted with their oil based counterparts. But again, there exist some of the former which should never be used with the latter.

In the market, there are many different kinds of water soluble colors available and they have just a single factor in common - they allow thinning as well as manipulation when water is added to them. Besides that, they require an hour or longer to dry by means of transpiration. On the other hand, oil based options can only be thinned using spirits.

Now, in general, watercolors come in the form of pigment tablets which release their pigment when dissolved using water. With them, it is possible to achieve a great amount of detailing along with delicate washes, but only if utilised in a neat manner. In order to keep the paints usable for a long time and prevent quick drying, water can be reapplied over them. Nevertheless, a layer of water soluble paints is not appropriate for mixing with oils. However, acrylics are more than ideal for that, since they can be easily applied in washes or opaque as well as on board, wood or canvas.

Even though oils and acrylics cannot be mixed directly, the latter can be used as an excellent medium to achieve an underglaze when working with oils for creating a colorful acrylic painting. Underglazing can be described as the method of applying a single paint layer and then using it as a foundation for the consecutive paint layers that would make up the picture.

Traditional underpainting or imprimatura generally requires more than one or two days for drying entirely. But using acrylic as underglazing can shorten that time span to an hour or even less, depending upon the circumstances. Acrylic paints offer additional protection to the canvas against oil present in the medium. Since they can easily provide a glaze or an opaque layer, they allow the artist to use an imprimatura of their choice.

So if you are planning to prepare something out of acrylics and oil paints soon, now you know the correct way to proceed with the task.

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