Acrylic

Choose from 4 main brands

• Rembrandt - Artist quality
• Van Gogh - High Quality
• Amsterdam - Artist Quality & High Quality
• Art Creation - Beginner /Entry Level

Acrylic is a water based paint and is made of a polymer plastic that was developed in the 50s. However, it is only now really becoming popular amongst artists. The drying time does vary depending on the brand and quality of the acrylic, as well as the overall thickness of the paint and the ambient temperature. However on average a half hour or so is a good rule of thumb.

You can use a drying retarder if you need more time to work with the paint. Acrylics are exceptionally good for outdoor painting if you wanted to go paint landscapes for the day on location. In this environment you truly benefit from the fast drying time of acrylic paint. If you do do this, it is always a good idea to bring plenty of water for any special effects you may want in your painting, as well as cleaning up afterwards.

A good quality acrylic is a heavy bodied paint that will leave clear brush strokes. The colour will change as it dries, but the change is usually uniform regardless of the colour you are using. The main difference is that once dry, acrylic has a matt finish, and does not look wet any more. If you want a glossy finish it is best to spray with a glossy varnish, or mix in with a glossy medium or gel as you are painting.

There are so many ways to create different effects while painting with acrylic and what is more so exciting is that you are not restricted to using only paint brushes, you can use the variety of shaped palette knives also. You can also use acrylic gels to create textures with the paint where you can create the most smoothest paint line to the thickest of paint marks.

Acrylic is one of the easiest and less messy types of painting methods to start off with if new to painting and, I would encourage you to use colours that you like and purchase 3 types of brushes of various sizes and maybe one palette knife just to get you started. Or have a look at our beginner range of acrylic sets made under the Art Creation brand.