There are so many brands, colors, and varieties of acrylic paint on the market that choosing one can be overwhelming…but you don’t have to worry. You can find acrylic paint on this page. You can also find more info on painting with acrylics on my painting with acrylics page. Pick your paint based on your style and your painting technique. I can help you pick a good one, but I recommend just getting some paint.
Because gouache paint come in so many brands, colors, and varieties, it’s easy to get overwhelmed… but don’t worry. You can find acrylic paints on this page. More info about acrylic painting can be found on my acrylic painting page. Choose a paint that matches your style and your painting style. I can help, but I recommend just getting started. If you’re just getting started with acrylics, look at quality, color, permanence, viscosity, tubes or jars, drying times, and brand.
Excellence standards
It’s no wonder artists’ acrylics come in so many colors because they’re made with finely ground pigments. Students’ acrylics have finely ground pigments too, but there aren’t as many colors and the pigment levels are lower. It’s low hazard acrylic with finely ground pigments in a variety of colors.
It’s more than just how artists make their colors to blend and layer. If you’re on a budget and a beginner, you can use students’ paint, but if you want to make artwork you’ll cherish (especially if you’re selling it), you’ll want to use artists’ paint. Earth colors and intense colors can also be done with students’ paints. Some artists also use students’ colors as underpaintings and professional paint as topcoats.
What color is it?
This 10 color acrylic paint set lets beginners get started quickly and save a lot of money. Painters can mix the colors as needed and create other colors as needed. You don’t have to worry too much about materials when picking artists’ quality paints. Colors based on earth are the least expensive, but colors based on cadmium are four times more expensive. Some colors are more expensive than others (but they’re still cheaper than oil paints). Look for “hue” after the pigment name to identify these products. Some brands substitute synthetic pigments for earth-based colors, but they’re less durable and less vibrant. Using regular paint pigments, I create luminescent effects. Some pigments aren’t permanent, but earth-based colors are the cheapest. Cadmium-based colors are four times more expensive. Fluorescent and irridescent paints, including fluorescent and irridescent pigments, can emit a wide range of colors.
In order to succeed, continuity is essential
According to the American Society for Testing and Materials (formerly ASTM International), fugitive paints fade when exposed to sunlight. Acrylic colors are more permanent than regular paints.
In a 20-year simulation, Testing and Materials tests paints for lightfastness.
The viscosity of liquids
Acrylic with a heavy body has a thick, buttery texture like oil paint, maintaining brush strokes and assisting in color mixing. This thinness allows for detail, staining, watercoloring, and dry brushing (though the pigment concentration remains the same). If you’re just getting started with acrylics, you can mix acrylic mediums into the paint to make it the exact consistency you want. Depending on your painting style, you can choose from a wide range of acrylic mediums. It is not uncommon for artists to use multiple types of acrylics in a painting. Acrylic medium or water can be used to thin these acrylics if needed.
Containers and tubes
Because tubes are smaller, easier to transport, and can hold more paint in a jar, heavy body acrylics are more affordable than jars. When purchasing your first acrylic paint, you should buy two-ounce tubes, since a little goes a long way. Fluid acrylic paint comes in bottles with screw tops or drippers so it’s easier to apply. Paint from tubes flattens out on a palette, while paint from jars is thicker, but still paste-like.
It’s time to dry
Using acrylic paints that stay moist for a long period of time or using acrylic paints that dry quickly can prolong the drying time of acrylic paints. Artists who like oil paint usually use acrylic paint because it dries quickly.
If the acrylic paint you use does not dry immediately, you can use retarding mediums or interactive/open acrylics, which have a retardant that makes it dry after a week. These are new types of acrylic paints with a retardant that makes them dry after a Make sure it’s the same brand and binder as your oil paint.
