Alright folks, grab some coffee cause I actually tried both styles side-by-side last weekend. Total mess but learned a ton. Here’s how it went down:
Getting Stuff Ready
First I dragged my old easel outta the garage – dusty as heck. Grabbed two small canvas boards I bought cheap years ago. Dug through my acrylic paints: squeezed out boring colors like raw umber, burnt sienna, and ultra blue for the realism one. Then grabbed all the bright stuff – cadmium yellow, quinacridone magenta – for the impressionism attempt.
Attempting Realism First
Set up a simple still life with an apple, coffee mug, and my grandma’s vase. Took me forever just sketching outlines with pencil. Swear I spent 20 minutes just trying to get the mug handle right. Started painting slow as molasses – mixing tiny bits of paint, trying to match colors exactly. Blended shadows like crazy with my filbert brush. Took three hours just for that apple! Looked stiff like a photo but zero personality. Felt like doing taxes.
Switching to Impressionism
Okay wiped my hands clean. Second canvas – totally flipped my brain. Said "screw details, just vibes". Loaded a fat round brush with straight up lemon yellow for highlights. Didn’t mix thoroughly so paints looked all chunky and textured. Made quick stabbing strokes for petals on imaginary flowers. Slapped teal blue next to orange streaks for contrast. Didn’t even clean brushes properly between colors. Done in like 40 minutes – looked like a toddler took it, but wow it had mood.
Side by Side Disaster
Leaned both canvases against the wall. Laughed my head off. Realism version: technically "correct" but dead inside. Impressionism one: total hot mess but somehow alive. My partner walked in said "Why’s the flower painting melting?" Exactly! That’s the difference – one tells you what stuff is, the other makes you feel something.
Why do I know this crap? Because the impressionism attempt dripped all over my favorite tablecloth. Wife’s still mad. Realism just ain’t worth the headache for vibes.
