Many painters opt for acrylic colours as they are a good choice for creating the best paintings. Acrylics are water-based paints that link pigments with acrylic polymers. They dry faster than oil paints and do not require solvents, making them a useful solution that is quick to set up and simple to use. They’re also quite adaptable, giving fantastic results on various surfaces. Moreover, they are appropriate for artworks of any size. The best acrylic paints allow you to paint precise details on smaller pieces. At the same time, many ranges offer standard colours in larger tubes, making them suitable for larger pieces.
But which should you pick? That’s where this guide comes in, with our recommendations for the best acrylic paints for painters of all levels, from beginners to pros. Acrylics are available in various forms, the most prevalent of which are heavy body, soft body, which is runnier, and acrylic ink. This list will discuss the best heavy-body acrylic paints because these thicker paints fit most applications.
How to Choose the Best Acrylic colours?
The first step in determining the best acrylic colours for you is to determine whether you want professional or student paints. When dried, the latter contains less pigment and has a more plastic-like surface. They help in sketching and are less expensive for large projects that require a lot of paint.
Professional paints are more affluent in pigment and contain additional chemicals to increase uniformity and surface quality. Better-grade paints typically cover a surface more thoroughly, but inferior-quality paints may be too see-through.
Another essential feature to look for is a colour shift, or how much the paint changes colour as it dries. Meanwhile, some acrylic paints have a longer working time – the amount of time it takes for the paint to dry – than others, making colour blending and mixing easier but slowing down layered methods. Consider what you need your paint for and select the best option.
List of 7 Best Acrylic colours
01. Golden Professional Acrylics
Golden’s Professional Acrylics line is our top pick for the best acrylic colour. This is an excellent acrylic with a lot of substance and vivid pigmentation. There is also a wide range of colours to choose from. It’s incredibly thick and holds brushstrokes well, but we find it simple to mix and dilute simultaneously. It is also available in large quantities, making it an excellent choice for large projects.
02. Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylics
The professional line from Liquitex includes a relatively thick and versatile acrylic paint. It has a buttery feel that spreads quickly and covers effectively without leaving any streaks.
We discovered that these acrylics dry quickly, which is ideal for anyone who prefers a more layered painting approach. They need to retain brushstrokes more quickly, making them ideal for layered approaches. An acrylic medium is recommended for impasto techniques.
03. Winsor and Newton Professional Acrylics
Winsor and Newton’s professional line features a high-quality acrylic colour that performs consistently. It has a consistent consistency that mixes easily without clumping or unevenness. We discovered virtually little colour shift when the paint dried. All of this makes the paint easy to deal with.
These paints are highly pigmented and significantly brighter than any student quality range, with vibrant colours even when diluted. This collection is also appropriate for those who prefer a smooth application over apparent brushstrokes.
04. Daler Rowney System 3 Acrylics
System 3 by Daler Rowney is a high-quality student-level series. It has a reasonably thick and smooth consistency that holds brushstrokes surprisingly well, though sometimes it is the most opaque. Except for the fluorescent colours, these paints use moderately lightfast pigments that are clearly labelled, and works created with them should last for a long time.
System 3 acrylic paint is the best acrylic paint for student grades and is inexpensive for large projects without sacrificing quality.
05. Pebeo Studio Acrylics
Pebeo’s studio acrylic offers notably richer colour and better opacity than most student acrylic ranges, and it dries with less variation. The paint is a tad fluid, which makes it challenging to hold brushstrokes. It mixes and dilutes better than student paints; thinning it out with water revealed that it diluted quickly and evenly.
06. Winsor and Newton Galleria Acrylics
The Galleria collection by Winsor and Newton is intended for students and beginners. The paint is thicker for cheaper paint, has a good consistency, and retains brushstrokes reasonably well. When dry, it also has a fairly consistent surface finish.
07. Amsterdam Standard Series Acrylics
Amsterdam acrylics have a great student-level range and are the best acrylic colour for students who want various colours. The kits are good value and offer a significant number of colours for the price – and if you buy individual tubes, this range has more colours than most student paints.
The colours seem excellent out of the tube and lay down smoothly on paper. However, they tend to dry slower. Otherwise, these acrylics are reasonably pigmented for the price and provide adequate coverage.
Conclusion
So here are the top 7 recommended acrylic colours you can use to make acrylic paintings on canvas. Acrylic paints that are water-based offer various advantages. As previously said, they are quick and straightforward to set up and use and do not require solvents. They’re also quite adaptable, with a wide range of applications.
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