Tempera Paint vs Acrylic: Which Paint Medium Is Right for You?

Tempera Paint and Acrylic Paint are popular among artists and hobbyists, each offering distinct characteristics and advantages.

Tempera, a traditional water-based medium, historically employed egg yolks as binders, while modern versions may utilize synthetic alternatives.

Known for its quick drying time and transparency, tempera paint is often favored for its ease of use, particularly in educational settings.

On the other hand, Acrylic Paint, formulated with acrylic polymer emulsion, provides artists with a versatile and durable medium that can be applied to various surfaces.

With a broader color spectrum, longer drying time, and greater flexibility, acrylic paint offers artists enhanced creative possibilities.

Tempera Paint vs Acrylic: What Are the 20 Key Differences?

Tempera and acrylic paint are popular among artists, offering unique characteristics and advantages.

Here’s a comparison of tempera paint versus acrylic paint:

1. Composition

• Tempera Paint: Traditionally, tempera paint is water-based and uses natural binders like eggs or egg yolks mixed with pigment. Modern tempera paints may also use synthetic binders like calcium carbonate or starch.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint is also water-based but employs an acrylic polymer emulsion as a binder, giving it a more flexible and durable finish than tempera.

2. Drying Time

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint dries relatively quickly, usually within 5 to 10 minutes, making it suitable for fast-paced projects.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint has a slightly longer drying time, typically touch-dry in 10 to 30 minutes, and fully cured in 12 to 24 hours, depending on factors like humidity and thickness of application.

3. Opacity

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint tends to be more transparent when applied thinly.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint offers various levels of opacity, including translucent, semi-opaque, and opaque, providing artists with greater versatility in achieving desired effects.

4. Color Mixing

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint is suitable for basic color mixing but may not blend as seamlessly as acrylics.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint has excellent color mixing capabilities, allowing for smooth blends and creating a wide range of colors and shades.

5. Surface Preparation

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint typically requires minimal surface preparation and adheres well to surfaces like paper, cardboard, or wood.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint may require the application of a primer or gesso to prepare surfaces like canvas or wood for optimal adhesion and longevity.

6. Price

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint is often more affordable, making it a popular choice for students, schools, and beginner artists.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint can vary in price depending on the quality and brand, with professional-grade acrylics being more expensive than student-grade options.

7. Durability

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint, while quick-drying, may not be as durable or resistant to moisture and aging as acrylic paint.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint is known for its durability and water resistance once fully cured, making it suitable for indoor and outdoor use.

8. Painting Surfaces

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint works well on various surfaces, including paper, cardboard, wood, and plaster.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint is versatile and can be used on surfaces such as canvas, paper, wood, fabric, metal, and more.

9. Flexibility

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint tends to dry to a brittle finish, which may crack over time, especially on flexible surfaces like canvas.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint dries to a flexible and resilient finish, making it less prone to cracking or flaking, even on flexible surfaces.

10. Layering and Build-up

• Tempera Paint: Due to its quick-drying nature, tempera paint may not allow for extensive layering or thick application without cracking.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint allows for layering and building up of paint without compromising adhesion or causing cracking, making it suitable for creating texture and depth in artwork.

11. Mixing with Other Media

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint may not mix well with other media, particularly oil-based, due to its water-based nature.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint can be easily mixed with other acrylic mediums, as well as with various media such as pastels, inks, and even oil paints, allowing for versatile mixed media applications.

12. Clean-up

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint can be easily cleaned with water, making it convenient for artists, students, and classrooms.
• Acrylic Paint: While acrylic paint is water-based, once dry, it forms a waterproof film that requires solvents or acrylic paint removers for cleanup, which can be less convenient than tempera paint.

13. Transparency and Glazing

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint maintains its transparency even when layered, making it suitable for glazing techniques to achieve subtle color shifts.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint can be thinned with water or acrylic mediums to create transparent glazes. However, it may not retain the same level of transparency as tempera paint when layered.

14. Retouching and Alterations

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint may be more challenging to retouch or alter once dry due to its quick drying and less forgiving nature.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint allows for more effortless retouching and alterations even after drying, as it can be reactivated with water or acrylic mediums, allowing for corrections and adjustments.

15. Longevity and Lightfastness

• Tempera Paint: Traditional tempera paints have been known for their longevity and lightfastness, mainly when used on properly prepared surfaces.
• Acrylic Paint: High-quality acrylic paints also offer excellent lightfastness and durability, ensuring the longevity of artwork when correctly cared for and stored.

16. Toxicity and Safety

• Tempera Paint: Traditional tempera paint, made with egg yolks, is non-toxic and safe for use, making it suitable for children and educational settings.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint, while generally non-toxic when dry, may contain chemicals that can be harmful if ingested or inhaled during use, requiring caution and proper ventilation, especially in enclosed spaces.

17. Resistance to Fading

• Tempera Paint: Traditional tempera paint may fade, especially when exposed to direct sunlight or environmental pollutants.
• Acrylic Paint: High-quality acrylic paints are known for their excellent resistance to fading and yellowing, ensuring the longevity of artworks even under prolonged exposure to light.

18. Texture and Finish

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint tends to dry to a matte finish with a smooth texture, which may limit the range of surface effects and textures achievable.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint offers a variety of finishes, including matte, satin, and gloss, and can be manipulated to create a wide range of textures and surface effects, enhancing the visual appeal of artworks.

19. Versatility in Techniques

• Tempera Paint: While tempera paint is suitable for traditional brushwork and flat applications, its quick-drying nature may limit its versatility in impasto or wet-on-wet blending techniques.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint is highly versatile and can be applied using various techniques, including impasto, glazing, pouring, and mixed media applications, allowing artists to explore and experiment with different artistic styles and expressions.

20. Availability and Range of Colors

• Tempera Paint: Tempera paint is available in a wide range of colors but may not offer the same extensive color palette or specialty formulations (such as metallic or fluorescent colors) as acrylic paint.
• Acrylic Paint: Acrylic paint comes in an extensive range of colors, including specialty formulations, and is widely available in art stores and online, providing artists with a vast selection to choose from for their creative projects.

FAQs

Is Tempera Paint better than Acrylic?

The superiority between tempera paint and acrylic depends on factors like drying time, durability, versatility, and desired artistic effects.

Can I mix Tempera Paint and Acrylic Paint?

Mixing Tempera Paint with Acrylic Paint is not recommended due to their different compositions and drying properties, which may result in undesirable effects on the final artwork.

Are Tempera Paint and Acrylic Paint both suitable for outdoor use?

While Acrylic Paint forms a durable, waterproof film once dry, making it suitable for outdoor applications, Tempera Paint may not withstand prolonged exposure to moisture and weathering as effectively.

Can I use Tempera Paint and Acrylic Paint interchangeably on the same surface?

It’s possible to use both paints on the same surface, but keep in mind that their properties differ, so it’s essential to consider factors like drying time, adhesion, and compatibility with other layers.

Are Tempera Paint and Acrylic Paint non-toxic?

Traditional Tempera Paint made with egg yolks is generally considered non-toxic. Still, some Acrylic Paints may contain chemicals that can be harmful if ingested or inhaled, so always check the product label for safety information.

To Recap

Tempera Paint and Acrylic Paint offer unique qualities catering to diverse artistic needs.

Tempera’s quick drying time and transparency make it ideal for educational projects and quick sketches. Acrylic Paint’s versatility, durability, and broader color range appeal to professional artists seeking vibrant, long-lasting results across various surfaces.

While Tempera may excel in immediate applications, Acrylic Paint’s flexibility and resilience provide artists with greater scope for experimentation and expression over time.

Ultimately, the choice between these two mediums hinges on individual preferences, project requirements, and the desired aesthetic outcomes, allowing artists to explore and leverage the distinct attributes of each painting to fulfill their artistic vision.