Generally, it is not a good idea to mix oil paints and acrylic paints together on your palette before applying them to the canvas. If you want to paint one first and then the other, it is okay to paint oils over acrylics, but never paint acrylics over oils.

Pointillism (/ˈpwæ̃tɪlɪzəm/, also US: /ˈpwɑːn-ˌ ˈpɔɪn-/) is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism.

Disadvantages: acrylic paints can contain toxins within their pigments, just like some oil paints do. Additional toxins can be found in acrylics that use ‘retarder’ to slow down the drying time.

Mixing two media such as acrylic and oil paint is like mixing water with oil; acrylic paints are water based and oil paints contain oil. Consequently, when mixing the two media, the oil separates from the acrylic colors because oil is less dense than water. The oil also dries slower than the acrylic paints.

Painting with oils over acrylics is acceptable if the acrylics have had a chance to dry. You can even mix linseed oil into the oil paints. When you switch to the oils, you have to finish with oils. You don’t want to paint over oils with acrylics.

As you paint, keep a misting bottle of water nearby to help keep paint on your palette moist. If you find your paint is too thick, you can thin acrylic paint with either water or acrylic medium. Using a palette knife is usually the easiest way to mix acrylic paints.

We recommend using a minimum of 1 part GOLDEN Medium to 10 parts water to thin acrylics above a 1:20 ratio, or whenever more durability is needed.

Keep your brushes in the water while you’re painting so that the paint doesn’t dry in them. Use a container with a shallow layer of water to keep the brushes wet without soaking the handles (which will cause the lacquer to peel off) and another container to clean the brushes between colors.

Rubbing alcohol and mineral spirits can also be used to thin acrylic paints enough to remove the paint from objects such as paint brushes. Mineral spirits can also be used on acrylic paints that are not water based, in these situations mineral spirits are the only thing that thin the paint.

There are two choices for thinning acrylic paint: water or acrylic medium. Water breaks down the binder in acrylic, thinning the paint so that it looks like watercolor and allows it to sink into the surface, resulting in a matte finish.