This Acrylic Paint Guide aims to give a broad overview of some useful and interesting information about working in this medium.
Contents
What Makes Acrylic Paint So Special?
What is the Difference Between all the Different Types of Acrylic Paint Available?
Is it Worth Paying More for Professional Grade Paints?
What is the History of Acrylic Paint?
What Are Acrylic Mediums and How Do You Use Them?
How Do You Varnish an Acrylic Painting?
What Makes Acrylic Paint So Special?
For reliability and versatility, it’s hard to beat acrylic. No other kind of paint offers as much variety of texture or room for customisation – there’s a formula for every application, and no end to the mediums available. Bright, consistent and smooth, it’s the colour of choice for artists such as Lichtenstein and Hockney, and should be considered by any artist wanting to produce equally vibrant work. It’s great for mixed media artists, with a water-mixable formula that adheres to many surfaces and creates a stable ground for almost all wet and dry media. Plus, with no solvents required for painting or clean-up, it’s a convenient choice for those painting at home.
What Is the Difference Between All the Different Types of Acrylic Paint Available?
The thickness of acrylic is often referred to as ‘body’. Professional and artist grade paints often come in several different formulas with different applications. Consistency is no indication of quality – the difference arises from the formulation of the binder, not the amount of pigment in the paint. The type of acrylic paint that’s best for you will be determined by the techniques and surfaces you plan on using.
Heavy Body Paints, as the name suggests, are the thickest and heaviest of the lot – they’re also the most popular. With a texture similar to soft butter, they’re the closest to oil paints in handling and retain brush marks and gestures well. They also hold their own on rougher canvases.
Soft Body Paints are smoother, resembling yoghurt in consistency. This makes them ideal for mixing with mediums, while retaining enough thickness to paint smoothly and responsively on their own.
Fluid Paints have a texture like double cream. Supplied in a bottle, they are perfect for smooth brushing or staining effects and are great for glazes and finely detailed work.
Acrylic Ink is the most fluid of the acrylic paints. It is made of super fine pigments suspended in a state of the art acrylic emulsion that is as fluid as water. Acrylic Ink is intensely coloured and dries with a soft gloss finish. It can be applied using airbrush, pen or brush. This is the consistency of acrylic used to fill empty marker pens. Airbrush Acrylics are very similar to Acrylic ink, but are less likely to clog or impair the flow within airbrush equipment.
Open Paints are formulated to dry very slowly, making it easy to paint wet-into-wet and blend colour on the surface of your painting. They’re a great solution for painters who want to incorporate techniques usually only possible with oils.
Interactive Acrylics are a regular fast drying artist quality acrylic, however, within the range is a truly unique ‘unlocking formula’, a liquid that re-wets dried interactive acrylic and slows drying if a few drops are added to the paint while still wet. When work is completely finished the Fast Medium/Fixer will seal the layer of paint – once this is done the paint is no longer unlockable.
Acrylic Gouache is creamy with a velvety matt finish. The paint levels brush marks and is particularly popular among illustrators. If you’re looking to paint blocks of flat colour then gouache might be worth a try. Most acrylic gouache isn’t rewettable once it’s dry (although the Lascaux acrylic gouache is rewettable if you let the water sit for a little while). Not to be confused with regular gouache, which is easily rewettable, watersoluble and is essentially an opaque watercolour.
Acrylic Markers are bright, bold, acrylic paint marker pens, perfect for those wishing to combine painting and drawing techniques. Acrylic markers are designed to be high covering, fast drying, water and abrasion proof. They’ll make their mark even on already brightly coloured or painted surfaces and will adhere to most surfaces, from metal to paper.
Acrylic Spray Paint allows you to apply thin layers of bold colour onto a multitude of surfaces. Some acrylic sprays contain solvent – for these it is advisable to wear a fume mask or spray in well ventilated spaces. Some other sprays are water based and do not emit heady fumes, so are safe to use indoors. The low pressure handling system offered by some of the ranges allows you to control your applications of colour more carefully – it’s possible to draw fine lines as well as broad splodges of colour with the right amount of pressure. Exciting to use on their own or alongside other acrylics such as markers and regular paint.
All brands and formulas are intermixable, so if something unusual catches your eye there’s nothing stopping you giving it a try!
Is it Worth Paying More for Professional Grade Paints?
The great thing about all the different types of acrylic paint available is that you can mix heavy body with soft body paint to create a consistency that falls between the two, or Open Acrylic with something faster drying to create a paint that dries just a little slower than regular acrylic. You are in full control of the sheen, drying times and fluidity of your paint, and then when you start to think about adding mediums into the mix you’ll realise that the possibilities are almost limitless.
Paints are graded according to their quality:
Professional are the best quality grade. Characterised by the use of the highest quality pigments and resins, tubes will contain less binder than in other grades. This makes for bright, clean colour with characteristics defined by the pigments used – qualities such as texture, drying times, opacity and staining capacity vary from colour to colour. For experienced painters or limited palettes they’re an exciting experience, but for those new to painting the variations in handling can prove challenging.
Artist Grade often use the same pigments as professional paints, but in more affordable proportions. This is normally achieved by increasing the amount of binder in each colour, which makes for good quality paints whose properties are more uniform from colour to colour than is true in professional paints. The characteristics of the pigments in each paint are muted a little (factors such as transparency, natural sheen, drying times, staining capacity etc) as the greater amounts of other ingredients (fillers and binders) mask them.
Student Grade have the lowest pigment to binder ratio, and a uniformity of fluidity and gloss within each range. Fillers and mediums are used to extend the pigments and add bulk, which means student equivalents of professional colours often display increased transparency or lower saturation. Opaque colours often appear chalkier than higher grade equivalents because of the fillers that are added. However, if you’re sticking to a budget, you can still make some great work with student paints.
Within higher grade ranges of paint there are usually a number of price bands (known as ‘series’) that reflect the cost of manufacture (some pigments are more expensive than others). The lower grade ranges of paint tends to have fewer price bands.
What is the History of Acrylic Paint?
The acrylic paint story dates back to 1934 when the chemical Company BASF in Germany developed the first usable acrylic dispersion (a formula of acrylic resin, pigment particles and water). Combining the qualities of both oil and watercolour, the discovery of how to make a rich paint that could be thinned with water was a groundbreaking advancement in the world of fine art materials. Between 1946-1949, American Paint-maker Sam Golden (who 30 years later would become the founder of Golden Artist Paints) and his uncle the artist Leonard Bocour developed ‘Magna Paints’. These were Mineral Spirit Acrylic paints; pigment ground into acrylic resin that is diluted in solvent. So while the binder is acrylic based the paints still require thinning in solvent (just as with Mineral Spirit Acrylic Varnish). MSA paint possesses impressive vibrancy and a much glossier finish to modern acrylic paints, and when they were first made were popular among artists such as Morris Louis, Barnett Newman and Roy Lichtenstein.
In 1953 Otto Rohm of the German Chemical Company Rohm and Haas developed an acrylic resin especially well suited to paint manufacture. The amalgamation of compounds including acrylic and methacrylic acids ensured a number of beneficial characteristics, such as better staining protection, greater water resistance when dry, better adhesion to surfaces, better resistance to cracking and blistering in abrasive weather conditions as well as resistance to yellowing when exposed to sunlight. Later in the same year the production of 2 brand new acrylic paint ranges began; In Mexico Jose L. Gutierrez began producing ‘Politec Artist Acrylics’ while in the United States Henry Levinson of the Permanent Pigments Co. started the manufacture of Liquitex paints – these are the very first 2 ranges of acrylic emulsion artists paints to have come into existence!
At the very beginning these water-based acrylic paints were sold as latex house paints, but very soon afterwards artists and fine art paint-makers wanted in on the act and began to explore the potential of acrylic binders and their most attractive feature -that they could be formulated to pretty much any degree of viscosity.
How are Acrylic Paints Made?
Pigments are less dense than water, and if you try to mix them together it doesn’t usually work; the pigment sits on the surface of the water and can stick together in lumps. In order to begin the process of making acrylic paint an acrylic dispersant is added and the mixture is blended together – the even consistency means the colour is uniform and more vibrant. Once the mix is perfectly blended the following additives are added to the paint:
Initiators to initiate the polymerisation process (the joining together of all the acrylic particles in the paint to make a continuous film – in other words, the drying process), even at room temperature.
Buffers such as ammonia which help to maintain a pH balance of between 8-10 which is essential for the stability of the paint (and therefore its long term durability).
Surfactants and protective colloids provide long term particle stabilisation and particle formation (these help with the drying process).
Defoamers counterbalance the foaming properties of the surfactants.
Preservatives to protect against the growth of microorganisms (necessary for long term durability of the paint).
Thickeners and rheology modifiers are added to achieve the desired thickness and flow properties.
Stabilisers to prevent the freezing of a waterborne paint; if paint froze its dispersion would be impaired and the structure of the paint damaged.
How Do Acrylic Paints Dry?
Acrylic emulsions are made from all the ingredients listed above, blended with pigment and water. During the drying process, the water evaporates and as it does so the spherical polymer particles are drawn closer together. Eventually, the particles meld together to form a honeycomb structure. A coalescing solvent additive ensure that the polymer particles remain malleable during and after the drying process, which makes the best possible compaction of particles possible even after all the water has evaporated. Once all the water has evaporated and the film feels solid and dry it is said to be ‘continuous’, however when looked at under a microscope it is likely to still possess some porosity. Porosity increases when paint dries in very cold conditions as the slower rate of drying and the deficit of energy prevents the particles from drawing sufficiently close to one another. Another cause of a greater degree of porosity is if foaming occurs in the paint. Pores will often trap conservation cleaning agents which may cause long term damage to a painting over time. A layer of varnish can help prevent these issues from occurring.
What Are Acrylic Mediums and How Do You Use Them?
While you’re trying out your new colours, it’s good to be aware of the mediums that are available to you. A medium is something added to a paint to change its properties – to thicken or thin it, to change the rate it dries at, to add texture, and plenty more besides. If your paint isn’t behaving quite as you want it to there’ll be a medium out there to help.
Altering body is normally done with gels, pastes, flow enhancers or fluid mediums. If you just need to thin your paint a little you can use water, but if you use too much it may break down the structure of your paint too much making it brittle when dry. Drastic changes of consistency are best achieved with flow enhancers or fluid mediums, which maintain the paint’s ability to form a sturdy film when drying. Gels and pastes increase the body of paint in slightly different ways – pastes tend to add bulk and are often opaque, whereas gels are viscous and clear. Regular gel is the same consistency as heavy body acrylic paint and will extend colour without thinning the body while heavy gel and extra heavy gel will add bulk.
Altering drying time is a handy trick to be aware of, particularly if you’re just starting out and aren’t so confident with your mark making. Adding a little retarder to your paint will give you more time to work with it, increasing what is called its ‘open’ time. Golden Open Acrylics are designed to be workable for longer without adding retarder (and it has a consistency that falls somewhere between heavy body and fluid paints).
Altering the texture of your paint can really spark creativity – from a stringy gel and expressive drips to a sandy grit that’ll let you use pastels on top of your work, there’s no end to the textures possible with acrylic paint. Available in wet or dry formats, there are simply too many options available to mention them all here!
For an in-depth look at acrylic mediums, read our comparison of Golden’s extensive range of acrylic mediums and additives.
How Do You Varnish an Acrylic Painting?
Many painters see varnishing their work as part of the painting process, rather than just the ‘finishing touch’. Varnishes are available in gloss, matt and satin (satin can also be made by mixing gloss and matt varnishes).
What Varnish Can I Use?
Varnish will protect your painting as well as unify the sheen. All fine art varnishes are suitable for varnishing your acrylic painting. Acrylic varnishes are made of polymer resins dissolved in acrylic emulsion and are the fastest drying of the lot. Solvent-based varnishes are slow drying and made of natural resins dissolved in solvent – the matt versions have an added matting agent. Mineral Spirit Acrylic varnish is made from synthetic resins dissolved in mineral spirit. The synthetic resin used in MSA varnish has been specially developed to ensure that it does not yellow over time – something that natural resins like dammar can be prone to do.
How Should I Varnish My Acrylic Painting?
A much more informative resumé of things to keep in mind when varnishing an acrylic painting can be found in our Varnishing Acrylic Paintings post, however below is a brief summary:
Your painting needs to be clean and completely dry before you varnish it. An isolation coat made of 2 parts soft gel and one part water will allow you to remove and reapply layers of varnish in the future without damaging the painting. Keep the work in a dust-free environment; you may want to wipe it with a damp clean rag and allow it to dry just before you varnish to get rid of any possible dust or dirt on the surface. Use a clean soft varnishing brush and apply your varnish in thin even layers. It’s worth adopting a technique to ensure that you don’t go over already varnished areas (raking light can help you see where is shiny and where isn’t). Once the varnish has reached the ‘tacky’ stage of the drying process you’ll be able to lean your painting against a wall, painting side inwards, to prevent dust settling on the wet varnish, without the varnish from running (so long as it’s been applied thinly). Once the layer has dried you’ll be able to apply another layer. As ever, several thin even layers always produces better results than one thick layer.
Further Reading
Read our comprehensive Guide to Acrylic Painting
The Four Viscosities of Acrylic Paint
Painting with Acrylic on Top of Gold Leaf
Acrylic Painting Surfaces for Experimentation
Shop Acrylic Colour at jacksonsart.com
Shop Acrylic Mediums at jacksonsart.com
Shop Acrylic Varnishes at jacksonsart.com
Shop Acrylic Painting Brushes at jacksonsart.com
You need an isolation layer between the painting and the varnish, this consists of
2 parts soft gel gloss mixed with 1 part of water.
Thanks Vanessa, that’s a good point. I will add a note about isolation layers in the text.
Best wishes
Lisa
What is the soft gel gloss that you use for an
isolation layer?
https://www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q=acrylic+soft+gel+gloss – take a look at this link – I’m referring to any of the acrylic soft gel gloss mediums listed at the top of the results. These are acrylic polymer based mediums that can be added to acrylic paint to extend colour and maintain a consistency that is not too stiff, but still has some body to it. It is also recommended for use as an isolation coat prior to varnishing acrylic paintings. Hope this helps!
I have read that acrylics should not be diluted with plenty of
water which will affect the adhesive quality of the paint – but
that it is good practice to use a matt or gloss medium Do
you agree ?
Yes I do agree – the mediums are made using the same (or similar) polymer emulsion that is used as the binder in acrylic paint. Just adding water to paint is diluting it, adding medium is extending it, and therefore ensuring the adhesive qualities of the paint is maintained.
Lisa, is there one brand you prefer
to use over others? I have some heavy
body Liquitex and some Duro paints. I
am interested in trying some others.
Hi Carrie, thanks for getting in touch. I have heard great things about both of those brands. The stand out brands in acrylic paint are Golden, Liquitex and AV. All worth a try!
Should you re-paint the gesso layer onto your canvas, in
some info sources they suggest doing so.
Hi Diana
Painters add more primer to an already prepared stretched canvas for two main reasons: to seal the canvas better or to change the characteristics of the surface (absorbency, tooth, etc.).
The quality of ready-stretched canvases varies. A high-quality canvas should have two or three sprayed-on layers of primer. This should be fine as a standard surface for acrylic paint. If you are using oil paint you may wish the canvas to be better protected from the corroding effects of the oil, so some artists paint on another layer of primer to seal it better.
But you may also want to add another coat of primer because you wish a different type of surface to paint on, cheaper canvases are sometimes plastic-like. If you add your own layer of primer you can control the absorbency and tooth.
I hope that helps.
What’s the best way to paint large
block/flat colours for background?
Would mediums help?
hi Alishah
When painting large block/flat colours the key is to eradicate brush-marks and keep the colours as clean as possible. Use separate clean brushes for each colour. Use fluid acrylics to get a flat application. If you only have heavy body acrylic then you can thin it out with a fluid medium, but this will increase the transparency of your colour, so you need to ask yourself if this is an issue, i.e. if you want to cover up something else already underneath. If you’d like your flat applications of colour to have a matte finish you might consider working with acrylic gouache.
Hope this helps
Lisa
Hi Lisa I am also trying to achieve a
very flat – matt / satin result as I paint
solid blocks in quite large sizes (up to
2mt x 2mt). I haven’t tried gouache as
it’s very expensive and it comes in tiny
tubes.. What do you advice for large
size flat colour painting? Thank you so
much!
Hi Jako,
My suggestion would be Flashe paints – they dry matt and would be less expensive than gouache.
https://www.jacksonsart.com/lefranc-bourgeois-flashe-vinyl-acrylic-paint/
Many thanks
Lisa
Are acrylics toxic free to use on
children’s toys
Hi Valerie
Not all of them – you would need to look for paints that are classified ‘AP – non toxic’ to be absolutely sure. The higher quality paints may contain toxic pigments. An example of a range that is free from toxic pigments is Jackson’s Studio Acrylic – https://www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q=non+toxic+acrylic+paint
Many thanks
Lisa
So if my thought process is correct, the
more i wait between the layers the less
they will adhere to themselves because
they will becme less porous? Is there a
way to make the surface more porous?
Im thinking about adding a little of
modeling paste to the paint as its very
porous and paint adheres to it nicely if i
decide to glaze on top of it.
Hi Vendy,
No, a dry layer of acrylic paint will still possess a degree of porosity, and subsequent layers of acrylic paint will adhere. If in the unlikely event there is a problem with paint adhering to a dry layer of acrylic paint, you could lightly sand the surface of it, or as you suggest, use modeling paste.
Apologies for any confusion.
Many thanks
Lisa
Hi Lisa. Whats the difference between
Jackson’s Studio Acrylics and your Artists
one’s. I’ve just bought some Artist colour and
just wonder if I could get the same paint in
the bottles. Thanks Michael
Hi Michael,
Artist paints are a higher grade than Student paints. The colours will appear brighter, and the characteristics of the pigments will be more apparent with each individual paint. This means the fluidity may alter slightly from colour to colour, as well as the transparency or opacity of the colour, as well as the staining capacity. This is because there is a greater proportion of pigment in every tube. Student paints are less intense but also more uniform with regards their characteristics. They are easier to use for less experienced painters, and because they are less expensive are ideal for larger works, including murals.
Hope this answers your question, but do let me know if you have further questions.
Many thanks
Lisa
Very interesting article. Although I am confused at one part where it says “Later in the same year the production of 2 brand new acrylic paint ranges began; In Mexico Jose L. Gutierrez began producing ‘Politec Artist Acrylics’ while in America Henry Levinson of the Permanent Pigments Co. started the manufacture of Liquitex paints”, Now I know that Mexico is in America ( North America) but the article does not mention which is the other American country that started manufacturing Liquitex.
My apologies Ivan, I should have stated I was referring to The United States of America and have now corrected the text.
Many thanks
Hi Lisa Takahashi,
Since yesterday, I can’t stop reading
about differents acrylics, my purpose
is to find something to be able to
produce painting in the spirit of David
hockney or Edward hopper. I want
some bright colors, some kind of flat
design, but I could also being
interested by adding texture. I want to
make a transition from digital that I
found to much flat. Also I would like
to be able to do some dripping like
the toothbrush gestures… Don’t know
where to start, you can check my
previous work on Instagram
@bouchilamontagne any help will be
greatly appreciated. It’s very hard to
know where to start. Maybe a
Amsterdam expert, sennelier
extrafine, golden, maimeri or liquitex?
Sennelier look like a good
compromise quality price set as I’m
living in Paris. I prefer to having
bigger contents for not being afraid to
use it, something like 60ml at least
should be fine… I would love to mix
brand and choosing my own colors
and palettes but it’s not an easy thing
for starting… But I’m OK to pay for
quality painting I think it’s important
for improving myself…
Hello,
Thanks for your comment. I can suggest Sennelier Abstract Acrylic – https://www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q=sennelier+abstract+acrylic or Ara Acrylic – https://www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q=ara+acrylic , or our own Studio acrylic for good quality, high quantity acrylic paint – https://www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q=jacksons+studio+acrylic.
One of the great things about painting with acrylic is the amount of mediums there are that you can add to the paint to change how it behaves, and how it looks. This set by Golden is a nice way of exploring some of the options – https://www.jacksonsart.com/golden-gel-paste-intro-set-of-6x60ml
All the best
Lisa
This is a terrific resource and will be very
helpful. Also some new colours I haven’t trie.
I think you have a chart for mixing blacks –
the first one? I can’t find them now. please
advise where the charts are
Hi Ann
Thanks you so much!
My colleague Evie wrote this article about black pigments – https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2020/11/27/exploring-the-differences-between-black-pigments/
There are also colour mixing articles here:
Yellows – https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2020/06/29/five-yellows-and-how-you-can-use-them/
Blues – https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2020/07/13/eight-blues-and-how-to-use-them/
Reds – https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2020/12/18/eight-reds-and-how-to-use-them/
Hope you enjoy reading these.
Many thanks
Lisa
Is there a reason that you completely
disregarded the entire classification of
acrylic used in airbrushing–which offers
an even more expansive range of
applications in concert with those you
have mentioned? Are you at least aware of
the advances being made in this area?
What are you thoughts on this?
Thanks for your comment, a valid point. At the time of writing we intended for this guide to be written for those who tend to apply acrylic paint with a brush or palette knife – because airbrush is a very different process it deserves it’s own article. It’s in the pipeline!
Many thanks
Lisa
I feel extremely cheerful to have seen your
post. I found the most beautiful and
fascinating one. I am really extremely glad to
visit your post.
thank you so much!
Best wishes
Lisa
A great article, interesting and illuminating,
nany thanks
Thanks Jane for reading.
Hey Lisa,
great introduction. I’m looking to mix my
own acrylic paint. I don’t want to go down
to the root of all the additives – despite
them being valuable – beyond pigment,
water and matte medium, what would you
suggest i could use use as a dispersant.
Many many thanks, g
HI Gary
Thanks for your question. Pigment, water and Matt Medium would work fine, as would any of the other acrylic mediums (satin or gloss). You will need to decide how fluid you would like the paint, and remember that thinning out with too much water may impair the adhesive qualities of the resulting paint – so use plenty of medium where you can!
Best wishes
Lisa
Acrylic paints are just love to use and the
guidance matters. I’m loving this
That’s great, thank you!
Hi i’m looking for a medium that applies easily and leaves no brush strokes for clean solid blocks of colour. Is acrylic the best for that? should I go for soft body or fluid? I’m concerned that fluid will leave brush strokes through it to the gesso if that makes sense? another question, is there a gesso or base coat that would suit what I’m doing? I’m thinking some kind of hardboard as opposed to canvas. Many thanks for any help!
Hi Chris,
You can use acrylic for clean solid blocks of colour. Have you considered using a stencil and acrylic spray paint? That would leave a really smooth finish without any brush marks.
Stencils can be cut from these materials: https://www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q=stencil+film
Acrylic spray paint can be found here: https://www.jacksonsart.com/colour/acrylic/acrylic-spray-paint
If you want to apply the paint with a brush, acrylic inks will certainly not leave brush marks if you apply evenly: https://www.jacksonsart.com/colour/acrylic/acrylic-ink
Fluid acrylic can also be used for solid blocks of even colour, and if you add levelling gel it will enhance the uniformity further – https://www.jacksonsart.com/golden-self-leveling-clear-gel-236ml
Hope this helps!
Many thanks
Lisa
It’s great that you are sharing useful
information. I enjoy reading your blog.
David, author, and owner of the blog
https://artpick.org/
Thanks David!
thanks a lot! for this article I have searched
many articles but your article is the best and
very helpful for understanding this topic.
really great article.
Thanks so much!
Hi Lisa
It would be really useful to have your
thoughts on cleaning up after using acrylics.
I spend too much time trying to resolve this
issue in avoiding washing into the drain. I
wipe up as much as possible with paper
towels including brush water and leave these
to dry, which takes a long time in the winter
months.
Hi Jeremy
If you keep a large bucket for the dregs from your brush washing water bucket, leaving it uncovered somewhere out of the way – you can pour off the clear water regularly as it settles and keep adding your paint water to it. Eventually you end up with a lump of sludge you can let dry and send to the landfill, which is much more equipped to deal with filtering than the waste water system.
Very informative
AMAZING POST
Thanks for letting us know, we’re glad you enjoyed it!