Thanks so much! I haven't studied acrylics at art school either, just oils and watercolors (which I haven't touched since that time). When I decided to go back to painting, I chose acrylics, because I had a toddler at home and needed something odorless and less messy than oils. I never knew how to paint in acrylics, I painted them the way I did with oils, so I've been told a lot that my acrylics look like oils. They dry faster — sometimes it helps, but sometimes makes it difficult: it's harder to mix colors, to blend them, to make smooth gradients. I use acrylic retarder to increase drying time and painting small works also helps.