
So glad to hear that you ENJOY drawing and painting, Brian!
I just wrote about 'Why I Like to Paint' on my new blog
http://artwithaloha.wordpress.comLike you, I enjoy art! I like what you're doing- giving acrylics a try! I don't use extenders and find that the biggest difference in painting with acrylics is that it forces you to paint faster and you can't 'play' with your paint like oils with blending colors into one another, taking your time, etc.
I mainly like to use acrylics for their faster drying time. But truth be told I paint using the same techniques as oil: prepare ground, underpainting, layering paint, work dark to light, etc. I go with acrylics when I have a deadline to finish a painting. I often cannot tell what was done in acrylic and oil apart.
With acrylics though, I paint with 3 brushes: 1 to paint in dominant hand' and in other hand a dry brush for lifting off paint, and 2nd brush to dampen with a mixture of medium and water for blending in paint. This allows me to work faster and 'think on my feet'. Good success to you with your class! ~Liz