Tips for getting the best acrylic paint

best acrylic paint brands
Image courtesy Steve McClanahan via Flickr. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

About two years ago, I gave away all my paint supplies. It was a box full of professional quality acrylic and oil paint, along with brushes.

Before I gave them away, I had not painted on a canvas in a long time and did not think I ever would. I knew the woman I gave them to would use them.

Just recently, I started drawing again and wanted to paint again. Now I am in the market for the best acrylic paint again.

Good acrylic paint reviews

SaleBestseller No. 1
Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Paint, 10 x 60ml (2--oz) Tube Paint Set
  • High quality Acrylic which delivers professional results
  • Ideal for artists who want good quality color at an affordable price
  • These acrylics can be used on a variety of surfaces and can be used directly from the tube, diluted, or mixed with other Acrylic mediums and gels
SaleBestseller No. 2
Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint, 250ml (8.5-oz) Tube, Titanium White
  • Thick, creamy with satin finish; Good pigment load
  • Retains peaks and brush strokes; Ideal for learning color theory and color mixing
  • Includes 8.45-ounce / 250 millilitre tube of acrylic paint
  • Intermixable with Liquitex Professional Acrylic Paint Colors and Mediums.
  • Conforms to ASTM D4236; Safe for educational use
SaleBestseller No. 3
Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylic Paint, Classic 6 x 59ml (2-oz) Set
  • Basic palette for the student, beginner, or professional.
  • Set includes six 2-oz tubes of Liquitex Heavy Body acrylic paint
  • Colors include Cadmium Yellow Medium Hue, Naphthol Crimson, Ultramarine Blue (Green Shade), Phthalocyanine Green (Blue Shade), Mars Black and Titanium White
SaleBestseller No. 4
Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Color, 200ml (6.75-oz) Tube, Titanium White
  • Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Colours are strong and vibrant with good covering power and a smooth, satin finish.
  • Series: 1/Color Code: 644
  • Permanence Rating: AA - Extremely Permanent
  • Transparency / Opacity: O
  • Lightfastness Rating: ASTM I - Excellent
Bestseller No. 5
Artecho Professional Acrylic Paint Set, 24 Basic Colors Tubes (60ml / 2.02oz) Art Craft Paints for Canvas, Rock, Wood, Fabric, Art Supplies
  • Acrylic Paint Set Contains 24 Vibrant Colors: This set comes with 24 vibrant colors by 2.02 Ounce/60ml tube with flip top in convenient
  • Great Lightfastness and Gloss Finish: these acrylics will glide smoothly onto canvas, paper, wood, ceramic, etc. and fast dry to a glossy finish
  • High Quality Pigments: the creamy consistency and high pigments offer great covering power for large areas and fine details. Conforms to ASTM D-4236 and EN71. Acid-free, non-toxic and suitable for adults
  • Great Mixability: the clarity and brilliance allow for superb color mixing to provide a bigger color palette of shades and tones
  • Versatile for most art and art techniques and suitable for most painting surfaces including Canvas, Paper, Wood, Fabric, Leather, Cardboard, MDF and Crafts
Bestseller No. 6
MEEDEN Professional Acrylic Paint Set - Artist Grade Acrylic Paint Tubes - Heavy Body Acrylic Paints for Adults - Art Supplies for Canvas Painting - 2 oz*9 Tubes
  • ARTIST-GRADE PIGMENTS: Designed for artists, this set of acrylic paint from MEEDEN is your first choice to create excellent artwork. High-quality raw materials and multi-step grinding provide perfect texture and surface affinity, offering a fantastic experience.
  • RICH & VIVID PIGMENTS: Quality materials have stable consistency, accurate coverage, and proper hues, as each color exact are. The MEEDEN heavy-body acrylic paints are updated for a better "standing" effect - you could easily create 3D textures with them.
  • NON-TOXIC STATEMENT: MEEDEN acrylic colors are certified to AP, CE, and ASTM D-4236 standards and comply with solvent & acid-free, harmless elements and 100% environmental principles. From art watchers to seasoned artists and toddlers to the elderly, the set will suit them just fine.
  • UNIQUE AND CREATIVE GIFTS: It's not just pigment but a complete set of the basic color system you can gift. Canvas paintings, handcrafts colorings, home decorating, all artistic things will be a cinch. Your close artists gonna love it!
  • MEEDEN for ULTIMATE SATISFACTION: MEEDEN is more like a family with hundreds of members wholly dedicated to helping you succeed in your artistic endeavors through high-quality, unique art supplies. And like a family, we stick together, and if anything goes south, you can always rely on MEEDEN, through thick and thin - give us a little sign - a mail, a call, or a message.
Bestseller No. 7
Nicpro 18 Colors Large Acrylic Paint Set, 8.45 fl oz./ 250 ml Artist Painting Supplies Bulk Non-Toxic For Multi Surface Canvas, Wood, Fabric, Leather, Cardboard, Paper, Crafts, Hobby with Color Wheel
  • 18 Rich Colors - Including 18 colors acrylic paint (8.45 fl oz/250ml each tube),totally satisfying different needs of painting and coloring, large volume to save money.
  • Premium Quality-These Rich, Vivid Pigments features smooth, highly pigmented color to produce true, consistent shades and creamy texture.
  • Fast Drying - Allows you to layer paint quickly without muddying your colors, the colors won’t fade over time.
  • Safe to Use - NON-TOXIC art paint strictly complies with quality standards, safe for creative adults, teens and kids.You can remove wet paint with warm water and soap. Feel free to contact us if you are not satisfied with this product, we are happy to arrange you replacement or full refund .
  • Wide Application - Ideal For most surfaces including wood,glass, stretched canvas, card, plastic,craft foam,ceramic,decorative wallpaper, terracotta, blackboard easel, paper, chalk board and more,with the art sponge and knife in this set ,you can create more painting effects. It also comes with a color wheel to help organize colors, making selection and combination easier.

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Back to the drawing board

I know most of the stuff I gave away was the Liquitex brand.

But, I don’t recall little about variations in a paint lightfastness, for instance. I thought I would re-learn the technical aspects and write about it as a getting started again exercise.

Note: Art supply brands and materials like paint are highly subjective.

There are a few factors to consider before making a purchase, though. Let’s take a look.

Quality

Paint quality is usually divided between student and professional (artist) quality.

Student quality paints are less expensive than artist quality, may have lower amounts of pigment (more filler), and may be less vibrant.

Artist quality will cost more, may have more amounts of pigment (less filler), and may be more vibrant.

The higher quality acrylic paints may be easier to layer and there will be more colors available.

Generally, student paints work well for hobbyists or new painters and experimenting with new styles and techniques.

Generally, if you are selling paintings, giving them as gifts or planning on keeping them a long while, artistic quality paints are the way to go.

Color

The amount of colors available is staggering — for professional and student quality paints!

When I started painting in school, I remember using one of the pre-made student sets, which saved a few bucks and kept color choices to a minimum.

Lightfastness

Lightfastness is the paint pigment’s ability to resist fading as it is exposed to light.

The American Society of Testing and Materials set standards for paint color’s lightfastness.

The ASTM ratings go from I to V, which is the lowest.

A I rating indicates that it has excellent lightfastness. A II rating indicates a very good lightfastness.

“Only Lightfastness Ratings of I and II are good enough for artists’ materials,” according to a ASTM document.

Unless you are experimenting and don’t care if the artwork last, a I or II is the safest bet.

Viscosity

Viscosity is the thickness or consistency of the paint, which can be purchased in low or high viscosities.

A low viscosity paint — also known as a soft body paint — does not have a thick consistency. It is slightly “runny” and used for detail work, for instance.

A high viscosity paint — aka a heavy body paint — has a thick consistency. It can be used to show brush strokes, for instance.

There are mediums acrylic paint can be mixed with, as well. They can change the consistency even more to your liking.

Find the best acrylic paint in 2023 on Amazon.

Originally posted 2023-01-06 01:37:31.