• If you're short of time or patience, then you could skip reading the details and go straight to my Acrylics Shopping List where I recommend specific products.
Acrylics are water-based paints, which means they can be mixed with water to thin them down and you clean your brushes with water. They’re made from pigment mixed with acrylic resin and emulsion. Acrylics are very fast drying and can be used in thin, watery glazes or impasto.
How do I know acrylic paints are the right choice for me?
Only you can decide what’s right for you and for your lifestyle. For me, the attractions are how quickly acrylics dry and that I don’t have to use any solvents, just water.
- For a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of acrylics as opposed to oils, watercolors, and pastels, see Q&A: How to Decide What Paint to Use.
- For opinions from artists who’ve decided to use acrylic paints rather than oil, read Should I Use Acrylics or Oil Paint?
What brand of acrylic paint should I buy?
Any of the major brands will do. Many make acrylic paints in a fluid or liquid version as well as with a paste- or butter-like consistency. Artists will have their own preferred brand based on things such as the colors available and the consistency of the paint. You should be able to check the of lightfastness of the pigment on the tube by, for example, an ASTM rating (American Society for Testing and Materials).
My favorite brand of acrylic paint is Golden, because of their magnificent colors, followed by Liquitex because the consistency is great to use with a palette knife and they come in plastic tubes which are incredibly robust. But I have a lot of Winsor & Newton because they’re what my local art store stocks.
When I travel I look out for unusual or useful colors (such as Golden’s range of neutral grays) or bargain buys. Some people insist that you shouldn’t mix brands of acrylics, but the research I’ve done on the issue hasn’t raised any problems with doing so.
Read More: Acrylic Painting Basics
No comments:
Post a Comment