Oil Painting vs. Watercolor: Which Medium is Right for You?
You’re in your local art supply store, walking down the paint aisle. Bright hues, tiny tubes, and mysterious bottles beckon you. Or maybe you’re scrolling through social media and pause at an artist’s timelapse of a vibrant painting coming to life. Perhaps you’ve been moved by a landscape, a face, or an object, and feel compelled—like so many others throughout history—to seek expression in paint. The desire to paint is natural and often emotional. But just as naturally, you may arrive at these materials with a fair bit of confusion or even intimidation. What exactly is paint? What is oil paint? What is watercolor? What are the differences between the two? And most importantly, how do you choose what’s right for you?
At their core, oil painting and watercolor have a surprising amount in common. Both are painting mediums that have stood the test of time. Both involve pigment suspended in a medium and offer a wide range of effects, from delicate glazes to bold, saturated strokes. Many of the pigments used in oil and watercolor are the same or very similar. And both media lend themselves to building up layers of color and texture. Yet, in all the ways they are similar, oil and watercolor painting are also profoundly different. From materials and surfaces to techniques and results, the two offer vastly different experiences to the artist.
Oil Painting: A Historical Overview
Let’s start with oil paint, a medium that dates back to at least the 12th century. It didn’t truly rise to fame until the 15th century, when Flemish painter Jan Van Eyck began creating luminous, highly detailed works that captivated audiences and artists alike. During the Renaissance, oil painting became the go-to method for many of the great masters, enabling them to achieve realism, rich color, and delicate transitions of light and shadow. Fast-forward to today, and oil paint continues to be a favorite among artists for its flexibility, rich texture, and slow drying time.
Preparing for Oil Painting
Preparing the Surface for Oil Painting
Imagine dipping a piece of crusty bread in olive oil and then accidentally dropping it on your favorite shirt. That oily mark spreads quickly and stains deeply. Oil paint behaves in a similar way if not applied to a properly prepared surface. That’s why most oil painters begin with a treated support—usually stretched and gessoed canvas or linen. Canvas is especially popular due to its affordability, flexibility, and easy storage. Some artists also use specially prepared paper, as long as it’s labeled “oil-primed” or pre-treated with gesso to prevent the oil from seeping through and degrading the material over time.
Choosing Brushes for Oil Painting
Oil painters have access to a wide range of brushes, from stiff-bristled flats to soft, synthetic rounds. Choosing brushes proportional to the size of your painting is key—you wouldn’t want to cover a large canvas with a tiny detail brush. A well-rounded brush kit might include a round brush, a flat brush, a filbert, a few small detail brushes.
The Paint and Mediums
The paint itself comes in aluminum tubes, often labeled with details about the pigment, lightfastness, and transparency on the back of the tube. Most oil paints are suspended in linseed oil. Straight from the tube, oil paint is quite thick. To adjust the consistency, artists rely on solvents and mediums. Solvents such as odorless mineral spirits thin the paint and speed up drying. Oil-based mediums like linseed, walnut or safflower are what give oil paint their name. Oil mediums increase transparency, extend drying time, and layer beautifully, giving that glowing finish oil paintings are famous for. Artists often experiment with different ratios of solvent and medium to achieve their desired effect.
The Drying Process of Oil Paint
One of the unique characteristics of oil paint is that it doesn’t dry the way other paint does. Instead, it cures—slowly oxidizing as it interacts with air. This process allows oil paintings to remain workable for hours or even days, making it ideal for blending and detailed adjustments. Because of this, oil painting allows for techniques such as glazing (applying transparent layers of color over dry paint) and impasto (thick and gestural swabs of paint).
Watercolor: An Overview
Now let’s talk about watercolor—arguably oil’s polar opposite, but equally as rich in history and expressive potential. Watercolor paint is made from finely ground pigment and a binder (typically gum arabic), which is then diluted with water. The result is a paint that’s lightweight, transparent, and highly responsive to both brush and surface. You may remember playing with Crayola watercolor sets as a kid. Make no mistake—watercolor is also a serious and professional-grade medium with deep historical roots. In fact, watercolor predates oil painting and has been used across many cultures for centuries. In Europe, it gained popularity in the Middle Ages and has since become known for its immediacy, lightness, and delicate luminosity.
The Ideal Surface for Watercolor Painting
Watercolor adheres best to paper, particularly watercolor paper, which is thicker and more absorbent than regular paper. This paper is specially treated (or “sized”) to handle repeated washes without buckling or tearing. If you’ve ever tried to paint on regular printer paper, you’ve likely seen it wrinkle, pill, or even disintegrate under too much water. High-quality watercolor paper often results in noticeably better outcomes, and because watercolor relies on light bouncing through translucent layers of pigment, a bright white surface is ideal.
Brushes for Watercolor Painting
Brushes used for watercolor tend to differ from those used with oil. Sable brushes, whether real or synthetic, are the gold standard for watercolor. They’re known for their softness and ability to hold large amounts of water in the belly of the brush. Watercolor brushes are usually rounded in shape and help deliver smooth, fluid lines or soft washes of color. Having a few different sizes on hand can help you manage everything from broad backgrounds to tiny details.
Watercolor in Tubes vs. Pans
Unlike oil paint, watercolor comes in both tubes and pans (small dry cubes). Tube watercolors are more concentrated and creamy, while pan watercolors are dry and activated with water. Many artists enjoy the portability of pans, especially when painting on-the-go or outdoors. Watercolor doesn’t mix as easily on the palette as oil paint, so it’s helpful to have a broader color selection. Also, keep in mind that watercolor doesn’t typically include white paint—instead, artists rely on the untouched white of the paper for highlights and luminosity.
Key Watercolor Techniques
Techniques in watercolor also differ greatly from oil painting. One of the foundational methods is wet-on-wet, where water is applied to the paper before pigment. This creates soft, flowing color transitions and diffused edges. Wet-on-dry (painting with wet pigment on dry paper) results in more controlled lines and vibrant tones. Artists may also use masking fluid to protect certain areas of the paper, preserving the white until the painting is complete. Unlike oil paint, once a watercolor stroke is down, it’s difficult to remove, so planning and control are important. That said, watercolor’s quick drying time can invite spontaneity and happy accidents, which many artists find exciting.
Which Medium Is Right for You?
So which medium is right for you? It depends on your goals. If you want a portable, easy-to-clean, low-mess option that’s great for travel or quick studies, watercolor may be your best bet. If you’re aiming for depth, fine detail, and a painting process that can be spread out over days or weeks, oil painting might be more your speed. If you’re drawn to tactile brushwork and rich texture, oil may suit you. If you prefer soft transitions, subtle effects, and luminous layers, watercolor is likely to satisfy.
Ultimately, there’s no wrong choice—just a journey of discovery. Each medium offers unique possibilities, and exploring both can broaden your skills and deepen your artistic expression. Whether you reach for the transparency of watercolor or the richness of oil, you’ll be working with materials that have inspired generations of artists to capture the world in color.
Additional Articles To Read:
https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/painting-in-oil-in-the-low-countries-and-its-spread-to-southern-europe
https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/collection-areas/drawings-and-prints/materials-and-techniques/drawing/watercolor
https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/watercolor-painting-in-britain-1750-1850
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