Acrylic vs watercolour: which is right for you?
It is one of the most common questions we are asked in the shop: should I start with acrylics or watercolour? Both are water-based, both are beginner-friendly in their own ways, and both are capable of producing extraordinary work. But they are fundamentally different mediums that suit different temperaments, different working styles, and different kinds of subjects — and choosing the wrong one for where you are and what you want to paint can make learning harder than it needs to be.
This guide gives you an honest, practical comparison of the two mediums across every dimension that matters to a beginner: how they handle, what surfaces they work on, how forgiving they are, what they cost to get started, and — most importantly — what kind of painter you need to be to enjoy each one. There is no right or wrong answer. But there is almost certainly a better starting point for you specifically, and this guide will help you find it.
The fundamental difference: transparent vs opaque
The most important difference between watercolour and acrylics is not drying time or surface choice or price — it is opacity.
Watercolour is a transparent medium. The paint is thinned with water and applied in layers, and the white of the paper shines through every wash, creating the characteristic luminosity that makes watercolour so distinctive. Because it is transparent, you cannot paint a light colour over a dark one — the dark will always show through. This means watercolour painters work from light to dark, reserving their whites and palest tones from the very beginning.
Acrylic is an opaque medium in its standard form, though it can be thinned to create transparent washes. You can paint light over dark, correct mistakes by painting over them, and change direction mid-painting without losing the work already done. This fundamental quality — the ability to cover and correct — makes acrylics significantly more forgiving than watercolour for beginners.
This single difference shapes almost everything else about how the two mediums feel to use. With watercolour, you are always working with the paint and trying to control it while it does unpredictable, beautiful things. With acrylics, you are more firmly in charge — and you have more options to fix things when they go wrong.
How forgiving are they?
Acrylics are very forgiving. Made a mistake? Paint over it once dry — the new layer will cover the old one completely. Unhappy with a colour? Add a fresh layer on top. Changed your mind about a composition? Repaint entire sections. Acrylics dry quickly and become water-resistant, so each layer locks in and the next sits cleanly on top. This makes the medium ideal for beginners who are still developing their eye and their technique, because the cost of a mistake is low.
Watercolour is significantly less forgiving. Once a wash dries on paper, it is largely permanent — you can lift some colour with a damp brush, but you cannot remove it cleanly or paint over it effectively with a lighter colour. Mistakes in watercolour tend to become part of the painting, and learning to work with rather than against accidents is one of the key skills the medium teaches. This is not necessarily a disadvantage — many watercolourists would argue that the discipline of having to commit to each mark makes them better painters — but it does mean the learning curve is steeper.
Drying time
Acrylics dry fast — thin layers can be touch-dry within minutes, and most layers are ready to work over within 20 to 40 minutes. This is generally an advantage, as you can build up multiple layers in a single session. The main frustration is that paint can dry on your palette before you have finished using it, which means you need to work with small amounts and refresh your palette regularly. A wet palette or a regular spray of water helps significantly.
Watercolour also dries relatively quickly, usually within 10 to 30 minutes depending on how wet the wash is. Unlike acrylics, dried watercolour can be reactivated with water — which means pan watercolours on your palette never go to waste, and you can rework dried areas of a painting to a limited degree. This reactivation also means you need to be careful when adding new washes over dried ones, as it is easy to disturb the layer beneath.
Surfaces and versatility
Acrylics are the clear winner for versatility of surface. They will adhere to canvas, paper, wood, card, fabric, metal, and most other surfaces that are free of grease and dust. This makes them ideal for mixed media work, large-scale projects, and painting on non-traditional surfaces. Most canvases come pre-primed for acrylics, and a coat of gesso on any absorbent surface prepares it for use.
Watercolour is much more specific in its surface requirements. Dedicated watercolour paper is essential — standard cartridge or printer paper buckles, tears, and absorbs paint unevenly, giving poor results. Heavier watercolour paper (300gsm and above) is the minimum for most work. The upside is that watercolour paper is compact and portable, making watercolour an ideal medium for painting outdoors or on the go.
Cost and kit
Getting started with watercolour is inexpensive. A small set of quality watercolour pans, a pad of 300gsm cold press paper, and two or three brushes is all you need to begin — you can put together a perfectly good starter kit for £30 to £50. The paints last a very long time because you use tiny amounts, and a single pad of paper goes a long way.
Getting started with acrylics costs a little more upfront, primarily because you need a surface to paint on (canvas or canvas boards) as well as paints, brushes, and a palette. A reasonable starter kit — a set of paints, a selection of brushes, a few canvas boards, and a palette — comes to around £40 to £70. Acrylics are also used up more quickly than watercolours, so ongoing costs are slightly higher.
Neither medium is expensive relative to oils, and both offer excellent student grade ranges at accessible prices alongside artist grade options for when you are ready to invest more.
What subjects suit each medium?
This is not a hard rule — both mediums are capable of almost any subject in skilled hands — but there are clear natural affinities.
Watercolour is particularly well suited to landscapes, skies, botanical illustration, loose florals, portraits with soft skin tones, and any subject where transparency and luminosity are an advantage. The medium's characteristic softness and its tendency toward organic, unexpected effects make it ideal for subjects that benefit from a certain looseness and atmosphere. Many plein air painters — those who paint outdoors directly from life — favour watercolour for its portability and speed.
Acrylics suit a wider range of subjects and styles. Bold, graphic work with strong colour and texture; abstract painting; large-scale canvases; pop art-influenced imagery; still life; and any subject where you want rich, saturated colour and defined edges all sit naturally with acrylics. The medium is also well suited to impasto work, where thick paint creates three-dimensional texture on the surface — something watercolour cannot do.
Personality and working style
This is perhaps the most honest way to help you choose between the two mediums.
Choose watercolour if you are comfortable with some unpredictability, enjoy the process as much as the result, tend toward patience and observation, and are drawn to soft, atmospheric, luminous effects. Watercolour rewards a certain kind of letting go — the willingness to work with what the paint does rather than insisting on exactly what you planned.
Choose acrylics if you prefer to be in control, like the security of being able to correct mistakes, want to work on canvas and larger surfaces, are drawn to bold colour and texture, or simply want to focus on learning the fundamentals of painting without the additional challenge of managing a particularly unforgiving medium.
It is worth saying that many painters eventually work in both — and that the skills you develop in one medium transfer meaningfully to the other. Starting with acrylics and later exploring watercolour is a very common and sensible path.
Can you use them together?
Yes, with one important rule. You can use watercolour under acrylics — apply a watercolour wash first, allow it to dry, then paint acrylics on top. However, you cannot apply watercolour over dried acrylics, because the acrylic creates a water-resistant surface that the watercolour cannot adhere to properly. In mixed media work, watercolour always goes first.
Both mediums can also be used alongside other water-based materials such as ink, gouache, and water-soluble pencils, opening up a wide range of mixed media possibilities.
A quick summary
If you want to keep and correct, choose acrylics. If you want to work loose and atmospheric, choose watercolour. If you want versatility across different surfaces and scales, choose acrylics. If you want portability and economy, choose watercolour. If you are completely new to painting and want the most forgiving introduction, acrylics have the edge. If you are drawn to the specific luminosity and flow of the medium and willing to accept a steeper learning curve, watercolour is deeply rewarding from very early on.
Either way, come and talk to us at Craft and Canvas. We stock both mediums across a range of brands and price points, and we are happy to help you put together the right starter kit for wherever you are starting from.
Frequently asked questions
Is watercolour or acrylic better for beginners? Both are genuinely beginner-friendly, but for slightly different reasons. Acrylics are more forgiving — you can correct mistakes by painting over them — which makes the early stages less frustrating. Watercolour has a steeper learning curve but teaches excellent observational and technical skills very quickly. The best choice depends on what you want to paint and how comfortable you are with unpredictability.
Can acrylic paint be used like watercolour? To a degree. Acrylics thinned heavily with water or a flow medium can produce washes that resemble watercolour in appearance. However, once dry, acrylic is permanent and water-resistant — it cannot be reactivated or lifted the way true watercolour can. The two mediums have fundamentally different working properties even when acrylics are used thinly.
Which is more expensive — acrylics or watercolour? Watercolour is generally less expensive to get started with, as you need minimal kit — paper, paints, and a couple of brushes. Acrylics require a little more upfront investment, particularly for surfaces. Ongoing costs for acrylics are also slightly higher as the paint is consumed more quickly. At artist grade, both can become similarly costly depending on the colours and brands you choose.
Do you need different brushes for watercolour and acrylics? Yes, ideally. Watercolour is best applied with soft brushes — natural hair or quality synthetic brushes that hold water well and come to a fine point. Acrylics work better with resilient synthetic brushes that can handle the slightly more abrasive nature of the paint and the more vigorous techniques the medium allows. That said, a good set of mid-range synthetic brushes will serve reasonably well for both while you are starting out.
Which medium is better for painting outdoors? Watercolour. It is compact, requires minimal equipment, dries quickly, and cleans up with water alone. A small pan set, a watercolour block, and two or three brushes fit easily into a bag and are ready to use anywhere. Acrylics can be used outdoors but dry very fast in warm conditions, which makes blending difficult, and require more kit.
Can you mix watercolour and acrylic paints together on the palette? No — they are chemically incompatible and mixing them directly produces poor results. Use them separately in the correct sequence: watercolour first, acrylics on top, never the other way around.
Shop at Craft and Canvas
We stock watercolour and acrylic paints across a range of brands at Craft and Canvas in Hebden Bridge and online at craftandcanvas.co.uk. Our watercolour range includes Winsor & Newton and Wallace Seymour; our acrylic range includes Wallace Seymour, Winsor & Newton, and Daler-Rowney. If you are not sure where to start, come in and we will help you put together the right kit.
Craft and Canvas | 3 Carlton Street, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8ER | craftandcanvas.co.uk