Painting

The techniques, and how they differ

Studios list all of these as “painting”. They are not the same evening.

Water-based, dries fast, mistakes can be painted straight over.

Good for Beginners and single-session classes. Almost every guided class uses acrylic for this reason.

Transparent, unforgiving, worked light-to-dark. You cannot easily cover a mistake.

Good for People who like precision and patience. Harder than it looks.

Slow-drying, blendable, the traditional fine-art medium.

Good for Multi-week courses. Rarely a good one-off, because it stays wet for days.

Drawing or painting from a live model, usually in timed poses.

Good for The fastest way to improve at drawing people. Nude models are standard and unremarkable.

What to wear

Acrylic and oil do not come out of clothes. Wear black or bring an apron.

What your hands do

Seated, calm, verbal instruction. The least physically demanding craft here.

Do you take something home

Yes. Canvases go home with you, wet. Acrylic is dry in an hour; oil is not.