As an artist, you’ve probably been asking yourself about the hardest painting style ever discovered and used by most artists from old-time to this generation. Most spectators going to various art exhibits will marvel at every painting’s beauty and uniqueness in the room. 

Whether you’re a newcomer or an experienced painter, what is the hardest painting style you have ever tried or encountered? How can you improve your skills and be comfortable with this technique? What inspires you to work out your skills when working with the hardest painting style? 

What Is The Hardest Painting In The World?

A prevalent question that every artist may have asked is, “what’s the hardest painting style you have ever worked with?” Most newcomers to the world of the painting may want to know what it is and try to avoid it until they are comfortable working on it later on. Some start with the hardest painting style thinking it will help them improve their painting skills.

The truth is, this question is even harder to answer than it seems. For most artists and non-painters, but has a special connection with arts, hyper-realism and realism will always come first in mind. The reason? People believe that this technique requires artists to create an artwork that looks exactly like the image they are trying to work on like a real photo that you have transferred on a canvas, using your favorite painting medium and your skilled hands.

What Is The Hardest Painting In The World?

A prevalent question that every artist may have asked is, “what’s the hardest painting style you have ever worked with?” Most newcomers to the world of painting may want to know what it is and try to avoid it until they are comfortable working on it later on. Some start with the hardest painting style thinking it will help them improve their painting skills. 

The truth is, this question is even harder to answer than it seems. For most artists and non-painters, but has a special connection with arts, hyper-realism and realism will always come first in mind. The reason? People believe that this technique requires artists to create an artwork that looks exactly like the image they are trying to work on like a real photo that you have transferred on a canvas, using your favorite painting medium and your skilled hands. 

The truth is, all painting techniques and styles are hard, especially if you are starting and you have zero experience on how your paint will react to the support, of how your paintbrush strokes will look like when your acrylics are all dried up. Suppose your watercolor is transparent or opaque enough to achieve your desired results. 

It can be a tough and silly question for everyone. At the same time, a great topic for an artistic discussion. One thing is for sure, and harder, is that as a newcomer, you will have to explore and learn new things step by step until you get familiar with that hardest painting style on your to-achieve list. I am not confident to say that realism or hyper-realism, or surrealism is the hardest. 

Maybe it’s hard for me but not for someone out there. I can only say the hardest painting style until I have tried working on every technique and painting media out there. I’m about to discuss the different techniques and painting styles that garner more points when it comes to “hardest” and how we can turn them around and make them sound easier. Perhaps, I can try, right? 

7 Top-Rated Hardest Painting Style You Should Try

While painting style variances are available for every artist to work on and improve their skills, some are specifically classified as challenging. If you’ve been working on various styles and become more comfortable with them, then it’s time for you to move forward and challenge yourself. 

Below are the painting styles which most artists consider as the hardest to work on or require adequate focus to ensure you’ll have stunning results. Keep in mind that all painting styles can be challenging. Assuming you’ve been working with various styles, some techniques can be perfected by one artist, while it can be a major challenge for one. 

Every artist has their unique preference, and it’s vital to identify your strengths and weaknesses to help you improve them moving forward. 

Surrealism

Assuming you want to improve your painting skills and work on various techniques, surrealism is a must-try painting style. This style allows you to create a theme with unique visuals and interpretations based on the artist’s perspective. 

It allows you to challenge your creativity when it comes to conventional and unbound wisdom. When it comes to surrealism, the rules create characterized technical proficiency to challenge your mental state upon gazing at the artwork.

Realism

Realism is one of the painting styles that most artists consider challenging. It requires great detail and accuracy with the subject you are trying to portray. The true challenge with working on this painting style is how you can hit the highest level to paint the surface with a refined appearance accurately. 

If you’ll check history, you’ll notice that John Singer Sargent has been working with a realism style with most of his portrait painting. Equally, his landscape paintings are also accurately stunning and are refined with the right details. 

Many artists draw inspiration from Sargent’s portraits and artworks when it comes to realism. What is exceptionally stunning is that most paintings, be it landscape or portrait, are incredibly accurate and realistic. This allows you to notice visible broken colors and brush strokes on the support’s surface. 

With the painterly effect, the paintings appear more natural and accurate to every spectator looking at his paintings. Aside from Sargent, another artist worth noting for the realism style is Sir Richard Schmid. Being one of the most talented painters of this generation, you can easily notice this with all his artworks.

Hyper-Realism

When it comes to the wow factor, hyper-realism is a painting style that is worth trying. This style allows an artist to create an artwork that is almost similar to photography effects. Like you are looking at a similar picture, but the difference is that artists use paintbrushes, palette knives, and painting mediums to create the picture. 

It’s a famous painting style for this generation, and there are plenty of artists working on how to master this painting technique. Most of the time, hyper-realism artworks garner tons of praises from both spectators and artists alike. 

While some will work for hours trying to achieve the perfect pigments and perspective of a painting, some are not as patient and skilled as others. Several artists would create hyper-realism paintings for their personal purpose, while others may prefer to go their way and include their style in the painting surface.

Regardless of how you want your paintings to look like, similar to a photograph or not, it’s how you’ll be most comfortable to work that matters. 

You can work to improve your painting skills and master various styles. What essential is that you are having fun, expressing yourself, and learning new skills moving forward. As long as you can capture the basic colors, composition, and values without getting stressed out is the most important part. 

What’s important is that you can showcase the scene you have in mind and not replicate a particular scene from a photo to the canvas. Either way, you work as you please and get inspired by what matters most for you. 

Impressionism

Impressionism is one of the artist-favorite painting styles as it does not require tedious details to your artwork. It’s the slow progress of capturing the vital scenes and not to be accurate with details. 

For most artists, impressionism can be hard and easy. If you focus on precise detail, you’ll end up confused and create a tight painting. If you work on little details, then the artwork will verge and lead to an incomplete abstract. 

Working with impressionism allows you to create stunning hues and value, showcasing an outstanding harmony. This is one of the strengths of the impressionism painting style. Some may say that the weak part of this style can lead to a sloppy technique. 

For a community working with photo-realism and hyper-realism, the impressionism technique has been challenging and critical. This has affected the approach of impressionism with artists that are more familiar with realistic styles and techniques. 

If you like the challenge, you’ll appreciate the beauty beyond impressionism style. A well-versed impressionist can use straightforward painting techniques that allow you to provide form hints and movement that harmoniously present on your painting surface. 

What’s essential about impressionism is you’ll leave the message with how the viewer will feel when looking at your masterpiece. 

For instance, if you’ll create a seascape, most artists will build exactly how the seascape looks. This includes working with your dark contours, bright highlights which hit the water tops, and snaking foam lines on top of the surface. 

With impressionism, you’ll build the emotions and feelings in that particular scene. You won’t have to worry about the precise details or achieve an accurate portrayal or details of this scene. While it can be challenging, it somehow allows you to move out of your comfort zone. 

Frequently, you’ll have a mess-up color on your canvas with little to no harmony. However, with practice and getting familiar with the technique, you can easily achieve the perfect form and overall emotions with subtle hints you’ve left behind. 

Looking intently at your artwork, you may think that it’s far from what you are trying to aim for. However, if you’ll try to move out and see the overall artwork, less the accurate details, you’ll know what the message it’s trying to convey. 

Naturalism

When it comes to painting styles and techniques, naturalism is one to try. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced artist, naturalism allows you to create a natural depiction and representation of nature and sometimes people. 

Most people often confused realism with naturalism. This true-to-life painting style focuses on observable facts and social realities instead of aesthetics and ideals. When compared to realism, naturalism has twofold factors. 

For instance, realism is all about focusing on the process and the procedure. It focuses on what you are painting instead of how you should paint it (naturalism). 

To give you a quick detail, naturalism is more of how you will be painting your artwork and not on who or what you will be working with. 

Human Figure

When it comes to painting human figures or figurative painting, it’s an imprecise substitute. For newcomers to this painting style, it’s a human depiction in a more informal scene that does not emphasize the face. 

Most artists strive to work on human figures and inspire them to create more of this painting style. What’s interesting about this painting style is how diverse the genre is. With that, the challenge exists when it comes to painting human figures with depth and power.

There is a profound way to understand the process of human figure painting. Like any artists, you’ll want to be an expert in creating human figures through its compelling nature. 

Abstract

Abstract painting is another challenging style that you can try working with. Since this painting medium does not have a particular rule to follow, it can be easy and challenging at the same time. 

Topics for most artists working with abstraction can cause heated debate as there are always questions raised with this painting style. The thing is, art is not meant to question an artist’s pers[ective when creating artworks like an abstract painting.

Art is a form of freedom to express yourself, and the inspiration behind it must never be hard or pleasing to the audience. It’s how people will understand your artwork and not for you to understand. The abstract can be tricky but fulfilling at the same time. 

Abstract painting is defined based on how you felt when you look at the artwork. Most abstract painters can freely express themselves with artwork that doesn’t have a clear definition or exact rules. 

Technically, an abstract can be hard and challenging, but it’s about how you feel upon looking at the artwork. For most, it can be tough and provoking. At worst, this style can be a simple design on the painting surface sold at an exorbitant price tag. 

What Is The Most Difficult Painting Medium?

While there are plenty of painting styles to learn, understanding which type of painting medium is hard will improve your skills. The hardest to work on will be watercolours between acrylics, oil paints, watercolor, and pastels. 

However, this still varies with the artist’s style, preference, and painting requirements. Maybe you won’t agree with me about that part. Assuming you’ve already worked with various mediums and you’ve been introduced to watercolors since your younger years, someone will surely agree with me when it comes to its delicate characteristics. 

While oil paints offer sophistication, acrylic allows you to explore and have a permanent surface; pastel has limited essentials to help you start painting, watercolors are different. There is beauty with watercolors that you can never achieve with any painting mediums. 

I’ll breakdown the four reasons why I have said that: 

• Once you lose the white on watercolors, it’ll be hard to retrieve, and you cannot have it anymore. 

Watercolors white happen to be your supp

ort or paper. Once you have lost this part, you cannot retrieve it back or lift the paper’s colours. Unlike other painting mediums, this white is as delicate as ever, and you must work with it carefully. 

Several artists can lift non-staining colors pretty well. While there are plenty of techniques to help you save the white on your paper, you never achieve the perfect white from your paper from before. This is particularly crucial if you’ll highlight or create a lighter tone.

Working with gouache and including them on your painting surface is another option. This is effective if you can plan which part needs to be highlighted or requires lights ahead of time.

• You cannot fully control watercolors. 

Watercolors have their ways, and you can’t easily manipulate them on how you want them to be. Since there is more water, it requires time and patience to work on them. Otherwise, you’ll be frustrated with them, especially if they will not work as you want them to be. 

Depending on the painting technique or style you are working with, the materials you are using and the type of pigment you have, things can be complex and inevitable.

• Several techniques require you to work with speed.

Working with various techniques from other painting mediums can be done with watercolors. However, you need to modify your time as speed is needed to achieve stunning effects. For instance, since oil paints don’t dry fast, working with the wet-on-wet technique can help you manipulate your painting surface and blending colors. 

However, with watercolors, if you’ll use the wet-on-wet technique, you have to work faster. Working with higher quality materials like watercolor papers can help you achieve the perfect results to achieve a better requirement. A high-quality watercolor paper won’t buckle as it can accommodate more water on the surface. 

Though great quality paper, that doesn’t mean you’ll be procrastinating for a long time with hard or soft edges. You will still need to work on watercolors fast. 

• You can easily overworked watercolors in seconds. 

Watercolors can be overworked in less time. When you think of adding a new layer or modifying your surface’s tone, you may lose it’s transparency easily. This can also result in a muddy effect on your painting surface. 

You may also lose the hard edges you’re trying to retain with watercolors and mess everything up. It’s essential to learn when to stop working with your artwork, even if you have lots of fun. 

One skill worth noting and practicing is learning not to overworked your painting surface. While working on various techniques, most artists don’t notice that they are already working with the artworks. 

Which is Easier To Paint: Acrylics or Watercolors?

Among all painting mediums, watercolor and acrylic are the two most favorites to work on with new and advanced artists. Acrylics are straightforward compared to watercolors. Acrylics are forgiving when you make mistakes. 

Acrylics have basic elements; you can learn to work on them effectively. However, acrylics require only water to mix them up and start painting. 

Since watercolors are the hardest painting medium, it comes with plenty of elements to understand and effectively handle this painting medium. Watercolors are not as forgiving when it comes to mistakes compared to acrylics. 

Before we talk about watercolors and acrylic differences and which one is better to use when painting, let’s talk about their common features. 

• Watercolors and acrylics are both water-soluble. 

Here’s a quick overview of the difference between acrylics and watercolors: 

Ingredients

• Acrylic and watercolors are made with either synthetic or natural ingredients. Most watercolors are made with natural ingredients though there are a few made with a synthetic binder. 
• Watercolors are made of pigments and a binder like synthetic glycol or natural gum arabic. 
• Acrylics are made from pigments, binders, and acrylic resin. These are all artificial materials. 

Types

• Acrylics come in jars, bottles, and tubes.
• Watercolors often are made with pans and tubes. 
• Acrylics come in various types: fluid, long-lasting, slow-drying, re-workable, and thick/heavy-body acrylic paints. 

Support

• Watercolors can only be used and painted on paper. 
• It’s ideal and highly recommended to use watercolor paper when painting with this medium. 
• Watercolors vary with thickness, form, rough, smooth, cold-pressed or hot-pressed.
• Acrylics are multipurpose and allows you to work on various surfaces, including canvas, wood, paper, watercolor paper, and more. 

Style And Paint

• Acrylics enable simulation with watercolors.
• You can use watercolors with impasto techniques or get impasto acrylic paint.
• Watercolors cannot be used to simulate acrylics. 
• You can use impasto gel to work on them on this technique and recommend using tube watercolors. 

Dark-To-Light/Light-To-Dark

• With acrylics, you’ll need to start working with dark colors going to lighter tones.
• Watercolors require you to begin working with light colors, going to darker tones. 
• Acrylics, when dry, becomes darker.
• Watercolors dry with lighter shades. That means if you apply light watercolor, when it’s dry, it’ll be almost invisible to see. 

Opaque and Transparent

• Watercolors vary from semi-transparent, transparent, and opaque.
• Watercolors are meant to be transparent.
• Acrylics are brighter compared to watercolors.
• Acrylics are designed to be a solely transparent painting medium. 

Difference When Using White

• When working with acrylics, most artists used Titanium white to add to the painting surface.
• White acrylic paint is added to highlight slightly change, and lighten the colors.
• When working with watercolors, white is the paper itself. 
• When you add white to watercolors, it becomes opaque.
• You lift colors or protect the paper from achieving a white space with watercolors.
• With watercolors, you can scratch the surface to reveal the color. 
• You can opt to use gouache with watercolors. 

Priming Canvas or Paper:

• With watercolors, you don’t prime the paper or surface to seal your paint. 
• For acrylics, you mostly prime the canvas or buy an already pre-primed surface. 

Price

Most painting mediums, not just acrylics and watercolor, are that the price varies with the manufacturer, types of paint, pigments, quality, quantity, and the likes. You may want to consider various factors to determine which one is more affordable and which one will cost you more. 

You can work on paint sets with primary colors, which allows you to mix colors and create new ones. What affects your painting experience’s overall cost are several essentials like high-quality paint brushes, natural bristles, and synthetic ones. 

Permanence/Fading Colors

Various elements affect the color permanence of your painting. Whether you are working with watercolors or acrylics, once your artwork is exposed to humidity, temperature, light, and the quality of paint used, this can affect the surface of your painting. 

Furthermore, acrylics last longer compared to watercolors. If you work with artist-grade acrylics, the painting can last for years, even centuries. On the contrary, a premium-quality watercolor can last for up to 100 years when taken care of. 

What Is The Easiest Painting Medium?

Whether beginner or advanced painter, everyone will surely agree that acrylics are, by far if not, the easiest painting medium to use. Due to its popularity, acrylics are the friendliest painting medium to work on. 

• Acrylics are easy to use and very easy to work on
• It requires fewer materials 
• It is less intrusive on your senses compared to another painting medium
• Acrylics are quick to dry compared to another painting medium

Basic Painting Essentials To Buy

The materials that you will need varies with what painting medium you’ll be using. For instance, if you are working with pastels: you will need high-quality paper and your chosen type of pastel (soft, hard, oil, or pencil). If you’ll be using watercolors, that also varies with the type and style of painting you’ll be working with.

Assuming you’ll be working with acrylics, you can gather the following basic materials for painting: 

• Acrylic paints of your choice
• Painting support: e.i paper, canvas, or wood
• Sets of paintbrush
• Paper towels or rags
• Palette to mix your colors
• Palette knife
• Varnish (optional)
• Jar of water
• Soap to clean the mess

Which Is The Best Painting Type?

Every painting medium comes with variance for the artist’s unique requirements. For instance, if you’ll use acrylic paints, they are ideal if you want to finish an artwork fast. 

While acrylics are water-soluble, they offer a permanent surface once they dried up. They are cost-effective, non-toxic, and quick-drying. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced artist, acrylics are crowd-favorite and go-to when selecting a good painting medium. 

What Is The Most Popular Painting Medium?

When it comes to versatility and perhaps popularity, oil paints hold the record as the most popular painting medium. Oil paints use colors or pigments that are mixed with linseed oil as a binder. The linseed oil works as the paints vehicle together with the turpentine or mineral spirits. 

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Final Word

Working with the hardest painting style can help you move out of your comfort zone and improve your painting skills. While there are several techniques and painting styles out there, the truth is, the hardest one is the one that you fear the most. You are the one that limits your capabilities, and embracing this, will help you work out your skills and learn a new style moving forward. Which painting style do you struggle with the most? Let us know in the comment box!