Used mainly in decorative painting techniques, acrylic paints refer to fast drying, water soluble paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion. What makes acrylic paint so great is the fact that it can be applied using several techniques such as;
a. The dry brush technique which refers to applying the paint straight from the tube to your surface.
b. Washing which involves diluting your acrylic paint with some water.
c. Stippling which encompasses using small dots to create shapes and lines.
d. Splattering where you use a fairly wet brush and splash/flick the paint onto the surface.
e. Knifing a technique similar to frosting a cake where you use a palette knife to apply the paint onto the surface.
f. Dabbing where a towel or sponge is used to create texture.
g. And finally detailing which involves using small brushes to paint realistic and intricate details on your artwork.
Regardless of the technique that you use, choosing acrylic paint is not easy especially when you come across confusing terms such as high flow, heavy body and many more. To help ease the process we have come up with a detailed list of some of the best acrylic paints you can find in the market.
1. Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint
Intro
If you’re searching for a versatile paint, the Liquitex BASICS makes for a great choice as it can be used for mixed media, traditional painting, and impasto. The set contains 48 different vibrant and intense colors with a decent pigment load. The paints are great for building texture on surfaces, but they are not as heavy bodied as the Liquitex Professional acrylic paints.
Nonetheless, the acrylic paints are capable of holding their soft peaks and retaining soft brush strokes. If you wish to purchase these paints you can opt for the whole set of 48 tubes or you can buy them individually. This makes it easy to restock quickly should you run out of a color that you like.
Pros
- The paint is very affordable as it is reasonably priced.
- If you are a student who opts for this acrylic paint, you get a wide color selection.
- You can mix them with other Liquitex Professional Acrylic Paint Colors and Mediums
Cons
- Painting large pieces using the Liquitex acrylic paint can be a pain due to the paint quantity. Uses cadmium pigment which can be toxic for painters.
2. Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Paint
Intro
Characteristic of Winston and Newton, the Galeria acrylic paint has the perfect in between grading for acrylic paints. Even though it is a beginner grade acrylic paint, the Galeria paint can be also be used by professionals as it offers a nice creamy consistency almost like oil paint. This acrylic paint delivers quality performance affordably. The pigments are vibrant, and it has excellent lightfastness and permanence rating. The paint is versatile thus can be applied to a variety of surfaces, and it can be used solely or mixed with other Acrylic mediums and gels. You also have 57 color options to choose from which is a rather broad color range
Pros
- You can buy the paints in any of the four available sizes as well as you could opt to purchase individual tubes or the entire set.
- The 57-color range makes it one of the broadest color range available in the market. It is moderately priced making it attainable for most artists.
Cons
- Not all the colors are available in all the sizes.
3. Grumbacher Academy Acrylic Paint
Intro
Flowy medium body, vibrant professional grade color pigment, and superior tinting strength are some of the characteristics that capture the Grumbacher Acrylic paints. These acrylic paints have been in existence since my school days, and they make for great student grade acrylic paints. When using the Grumbacher paints, artists have a wide array of colors to choose from and can also select the amount of paint that they want since the paint tubes are available in four different sizes. The durability and lightfastness of the paint is great
Pros
- The Grumbacher acrylic paints also have metallic and iridescent colors that you can also purchase.
- It is affordable and priced within reason.
- It is ideal for beginners.
Cons
The Grumbacher acrylic paints are only available in student grade so should you want to upgrade your paint to the professional grade level you will have to choose a different brand of paint.
4. Castle Art Supplies Acrylic Paint Set
Intro
An acrylic paint that delivers outstanding results, the castle art supplies acrylic paint set is a budget set which gives you bang for buck. Given the paint’s consistency, good quality and vibrant pigment it is almost impossible to know that this acrylic paint falls under the budget category paints. If you are looking to cut cost related corners smartly, then this is the ideal paint for you.
Pros
- It is perfect for decorative painting as it adheres to surfaces nicely.
- With 48 colors included in the set, you get value for your money.
- It is affordable
- It does not dry out quickly.
Cons
- These acrylic paints from castle art supplies cannot be purchased singly so if one of your tubes runs out, you cannot replace it unless you replace the entire set.
- The 22ml sized containers offer less product when compared to other brands.
5. ARTEZA Acrylic Paint Set
Intro
Featuring a smooth, highly pigmented color that produces true, consistent shades, the ARTEZA acrylic paint set is an excellent option for literally anyone including kids. This is because the pain in non-toxic and has up to 60 exciting color shades that will spark your creative juices.
Pros
- You have a money back guarantee with these acrylic paints.
- Despite the vast color selection, the paint set is very affordable and inexpensive.
- Both beginners and professionals can use it.
- It does not fade quickly.
Cons
- You cannot purchase the paints individually which means replacing the colors can be extremely difficult because it’s unlikely that you’ll find a color that matches the depleted one.
- The paints are limited small and medium-sized paintings.
Conclusion
Lightfastness, viscosity, hue, permanence, and quality are the most important things to consider when choosing your acrylic paint. The selection of paints listed above have put all these things into consideration and should be a great starting point for you to purchase your acrylic paints. Also, remember that most acrylic paints do not have tools included in their packages; therefore, you have to purchase your own.