Do Professional Artists Use Acrylics?

Do professional artists use acrylics? The short answer: Yes! 

Professional artists use a variety of different mediums - it's what makes art so interesting and unique! I've been making art for eighteen years (it will be nineteen this year) and in that time I've worked with watercolor paint, oil, gauche, acrylic, and digital mediums. I've also mixed them together to see what the affect is! Many artists will even tell you what the medium that they use in a specific piece is. Acrylic paint is one of my favorite mediums to use in my art process. You can see a little of that below in this YouTube video where I use acrylic paint to finish this piece: 

There are many reasons to use acrylics, but there are three main reasons why I use acrylic paint as a professional artist: 

Reason #1: It's Forgiving

It's so frustrating to be working on a painting and make a mistake. Luckily most acrylic paint is opaque and you can use it to easily cover up errors that you've made while working on your latest painting. 

Reason #2: It's Cheap 

It can be expensive to begin making art. There are a lot of supplies, like canvases and paint brushes, and the more specific that you want to be the more items you need. Oil, for instance, is a much more expensive medium to work with than acrylic paint. I like that I can buy a new tube of paint for a few dollars and it lasts for a while! 

Reason #3: It's Accessible 

Sometimes, art supplies are limited by the area that you live in. The awesome thing about using acrylic paint as a professional artist is the accessibility. You can walk into almost any craft store and find acrylic paint! 

Professional artists use acrylic paint. Go get some and experiment with it to find your favorite brands! 

Curious about seeing more art made by acrylic paint? Follow me on Instagram @hwylie_art.