High-Quality Pigments in the Best Acrylic Paints
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Golden Heavy Body Acrylic Paint -
Crafts4All Acrylic Paint Set -
ARTEZA Acrylic Paint -
Liquitex Acrylic Paint -
M. Graham Acrylic Paint -
Winsor & Newton Acrylic Paint -
Chroma Atelier Interactive Acrylic Paint -
Buyer's Guide
While watercolor and oil paints have been around for hundreds of years, acrylic paint is a fairly recent invention. The first blend was created in the 1940s, combining the thicker feel of oil paints with a water-based formula. Since then, a wide number of brands have been created, but the best acrylic paints are the professional or artist level paints. Each of the brands here was selected based on their quality as a professional level acrylic paint, lightfast ratings, and a wide selection of colors.
Some of these brands also offer student-level paints. Student-level paints can be a good choice for anyone on a strict budget, but they generally have less pigment and lower quality materials; the professional or artists’ paint is the best choice whenever possible. Check out these list of the best acrylic paints in 2022.
Best Acrylic Paints of 2022 Reviewed in Detail
Golden Heavy Body Acrylic Paint - Best Overall
While Golden has created other lines of acrylic paint in recent years, the Heavy Body Acrylic Colors is their original formula and remains a popular paint among professional and amateur artists. The paint is very smooth, thicker than most acrylic paints, and has intense pigment saturation. This thicker paint is a great choice for impasto or other techniques relying on heavy paint, but Golden also sells Fluid Acrylic paint featuring a more liquid formula.
The Heavy Body Acrylic Colors comes in a wide array of almost 90 standard colors, as well as an extra assortment of grays, iridescent and fluorescent colors. The fluorescent pigments are not lightfast and are not recommended for archival-quality painting but most other colors have excellent lightfast ratings. This paint is one of the cheaper brands available, costing significantly less than similar top-quality paints.
Crafts4All Acrylic Paint Set - Runner Up
These acrylic paints have been specially designed to produce maximum brilliance and color clarity and a homogeneous mixture that makes mixing a breeze. Acrylic paints may be used on a variety of surfaces, like canvas, timber, porcelain, paper, glass, and more. These paints are not abstract; they leave a lasting imprint! This acrylic paint set for kids and adults uses a non-toxic composition to create vibrant, long-lasting colors that dry quickly. For a wide range of tints and hues, this craft paint has a quality consistency that is ideal for mixing, layering, and creating texture. This kit is ideal for painting pumpkins or a trick-or-treating basket for your youngster! While making and painting, use water-based, non-toxic paints to ensure your children's safety. Messes may be cleaned up with soap and water.
ARTEZA Acrylic Paint - Honorable Mention
You’ll be inspired by the bright yellows, cool blues & crimson reds of this Arteza set, whether you're a professional or beginner painter. The smooth, highly pigmented colors in this premium acrylic paint kit produce true and consistent tones. These colors won't fade on canvas. The paint is ACMI-certified, meaning they are safe and nontoxic, as evaluated by medical experts. This paint is perfect for kids, teens, and creative adults. Arteza Acrylic Colors are designed and created by real-life artists. Painting is a way to express the human experience, and Arteza offers much more than mere pigment, but a tool for human expression.
Liquitex Acrylic Paint - Best for Beginners
Liquitex Acrylic Paints, an original brand of acrylics, are one of the best bargain brands of acrylic paint available to artists. Compared with other brands they are fairly inexpensive but offer high-quality paint with a creamy texture and clean, vibrant colors. Most brands offer both heavy body paint and soft body paint, but Liquitex comes in a broad range of styles from extra-thick Super Heavy Body paint to an ink made ideal for airbrushing or watercolor-style painting techniques. The number of colors varies depending on the style but both the Soft Body and the Heavy Body paints are available in over 80 colors.
M. Graham Acrylic Paint - Contender
Considered by many to be the best acrylic paint available, M. Graham Acrylic Paint has an outstanding reputation for quality and intense color. This acrylic paint is creamy with strong colors and a slightly thicker consistency. The paint is one of the most expensive brands available, but this is because M. Graham avoids using fillers or artificial thickeners other brands use to cut costs.
The paint is made in the U.S. and produced in small batches to ensure consistency and quality. M. Graham offers dozens of colors with excellent lightfast ratings and high levels of pigmentation. Like other acrylic paints, this type will dry fairly quickly, but it has a slightly longer working time, staying moist for up to half an hour after application.
Winsor & Newton Acrylic Paint - Consider
A high-quality brand, Winsor & Newton Professional Acrylics offer artists clean, brilliant colors and a soft, creamy texture. There are about 80 colors available with a wide range of tones and several gold blends. Many of the colors are made with a single pigment, allowing artists to blend their own colors freely, without worrying about the paint muddying.
The paint is fairly expensive but the brand also promises color-fast paint which retains its original hue after drying without fading or changing. The paint has an estimated working time of 20-30 minutes, allowing artists slightly more time before the paint dries.
Chroma Atelier Interactive Acrylic Paint - Also Consider
While most acrylic paints begins drying once they’re squeezed out of a tube or applied to a painting, Chroma Atelier Interactive Acrylics are formulated to allow artists to moisten the paint. This allows artists to work slower or longer, by letting them to mist the paint or applying water with a brush to keep the paint workable. Once the artist is finished and stops adding water, though, the paint dries the same as other brands. The paint runs about mid-range on price and comes in 75 colors for a great selection of hues and tones. It’s also available in tubes or jars for artists who prefer either version.
Buyer's Guide
Avid painters can vouch that acrylic paint can be used to create mesmerizing artwork that impresses even the toughest of critics. This fast-drying pigment is undeniably a staple in any artist’s arsenal. Needless to say, there is a treasure trove of variety when it comes to this category and professional painters don’t just buy the first acrylic paint brand they see! Every stroke on canvas matters and the wrong brand can look ‘off’, ultimately, compromising the aesthetic of your paintings.
Regardless, being careful while choosing acrylic paint shouldn’t just be reserved for experts. If you’re a budding artist without much experience, this buying guide can help you make the right decision.
Why should you use the best acrylic paint available on the market?
Little do most people know that there are plenty of valid reasons why you should choose acrylic paint over other varieties. Not all paints are made alike, some are simply superior to others. Naturally, you need something that accurately reflects your amazing skills on canvas. While your artistic vision can be brought to life with oils as well, acrylics just bring that extra wow factor you shouldn’t miss out
They aren’t hazardous
If you’ve ever read the label on oil paints, you already know that they’re riddled with toxic chemicals no human should be exposed to in cramped spaces. This is another reason why artists prefer painting in nature even when the latter is the last thing they’re replicating. It isn’t just about the scenery, it’s about staying safe.
They’re easy to use
Whether you’re an amateur or an expert painter, acrylic paints will never give you a headache like their oil-based counterpart. That’s because acrylics don’t require additional mixing materials and hence, your budget for supplies doesn’t have to be extravagant at all!
Layering doesn’t take too long
An amazing masterpiece requires multiple strokes on top of each other. It is with this dedicated layering technique that you can create a truly eye-catchy painting. And acrylic paints pave the way for quick layering that doesn’t disappoint.
They’re surface friendly
Who says that you can only paint on canvas? That’s one of the most basic ways to showcase your skills! Artists don’t need to be put into a box where their creativity is limited to just a few surfaces. The best acrylic paint varieties allow you to color over practically anything! This is a far stretch from oil paints as they’re not suitable for a lot of surfaces.
Things to consider before buying the best acrylic paints
Now that you know why you should buy acrylic paint, you’re probably thinking about what to buy. There are a plethora of options out there and not all of them are worth your money. Just like anything else, going wrong with acrylic paint isn’t that difficult. This is especially true for newbies who don’t have enough experience to differentiate between the best and the worst. However, since you’re eager to make the right choice, be sure to pay attention to these.
Consistency
While most acrylics are thick and easy to glide, there can be slight variances in the consistency which can make a noticeable difference. If you’re someone who prefers a lighter texture, the best acrylic paint for you will come in a jar. Typically, acrylic paint comes in two standard varieties, one in a tube and the other in a jar. The latter includes more quantity of lighter consistency paint. On the other hand, tubes have a thicker product. If you’re willing to spend a few extra bucks, buy a jar. It will last longer and you’ll probably find it easy to use the paint.
Time to dry
Some of the best quality acrylic paints can dry incredibly quickly ridding an artist of the hassle of slow-drying oil paints. However, nobody wants clumps of hard paint on their brush as soon as it's exposed to air. If you like to take your time with layering and don’t care much for the paint drying fast, buy varieties that have retardants in them. These are specially formulated acrylics that stay wet to touch longer than usual.
Colors
While this might sound like a no-brainer, choosing the right colors is a very important part of your overall decision. This is automatically determined by your experience as a painter. If you’re new to the scene, start with a set of basic colors. Remember, you can always mix them to create unique hues. As a professional artist, you already know how color coding in the acrylic world works so you can buy the shades you like. Regardless, there’s no point in buying a set with painfully similar hues. Now, that’s just money down the drain.
Quality
Quality, colors, and prices are all interconnected. Your quest to find the best acrylic paint can be simplified by a single metric. There are two primary quality standards, one dedicated to artists and the other to students. The latter is used to label products that are specifically curated for amateur artists. Naturally, the student variety is cheaper, with less pigment and also fewer color variations. At the same time, the artist’s quality has more of everything!
FAQs
How do I alter the consistency of acrylic paint?
Everybody’s definition of the best acrylic paint is different. However, if you’re stuck with a variety that’s too thick for your liking, the easiest way to change that is by mixing it with some water.
My acrylic paint dries almost instantly, what do I do?
A better idea to solve this problem would be to buy slow-drying paint with retardants. Regardless, you can always make do with what you have by keeping a spray bottle close by. Every time you feel that the paint is drying too fast, simply spritz some water on the canvas and you’ll be good to go.
Can I buy acrylic paint online?
Yes, absolutely. Simply head over to Amazon and you’ll have hundreds of brand choices to choose from.
What is the best acrylic paint brand for amateur artists?
There is no one answer to this question as there are multiple student quality varieties in the market. A great idea would be to look for the highest user-generated reviews to make your selection.
