As an artist you probably have a favorite medium to paint in, be it oils or acrylics, or perhaps you enjoy experimenting with the different effects you can create with both, but you may also be wondering whether there will be any repercussions in the future as a result of using both oils and acrylics on the same piece of art.

Generally speaking, the answer in no – you can paint over acrylics with oils, but as with most things you get the best effect and the best long lasting quality if you do it properly. Firstly make sure the canvas you are using for your wall art is both suitable for oils and acrylics, and has been primed for the use of both.

Many artists use acrylics to start a painting and finish with oils as the acrylics dry so much faster. However, if you plan to create your wall art in this way, make absolutely sure that the acrylics have dried completely. It is usually best to leave them for 24 hours to allow them to dry right through, and even for several days for thicker applications.

For the best application of the oil paints, make sure your acrylic application is not too thick or too smooth, as the oils will need something to stick to. To avoid issues of differing flexibility between the oil and acrylic paints, paint onto a rigid support such as a hardboard, rather than onto canvas.

It is also important to note that you can’t start your painting with oils and try and paint with acrylics over this.