Watercolor or oil? A short guide to choosing a palette
Our lead painter Amelia walks through when a watercolor palette makes sense, and when nothing but oil will do.
The short answer
Oil for portraits and heirloom pieces; watercolor for landscapes, travel scenes and lighter, more contemporary work. But the rules are soft, and the right palette depends as much on the room the painting will live in as on the subject itself.
When oil wins
Oil paint holds edges and shadow gradations better than any other medium. If the finished painting will hang somewhere formal — a mantelpiece, a hallway, a client’s office — oil almost always reads more permanent.
When watercolor wins
Watercolor has an airy, temporary quality that suits landscapes, cityscapes and paintings destined for a lighter, brighter room. Skin tones can be beautiful in watercolor too, but they take a defter hand.
What to send us
If you’re not sure, just tell us the room. A photograph of the wall where the painting will live is often more useful than an art-historical brief.