10 Best Acrylic Paints in 2022
No matter what kind of artist you are, whether that’s in a professional capacity or simply a hobbyist, having good quality materials is vital. All artists can appreciate good quality acrylic paints. Having said that, the market for acrylic paints is perhaps one of the most complex. When shopping for the best acrylic paints, you are faced with a range of brands and options which can be overwhelming.
Having good quality and reliable acrylic paints can make such a difference to your artwork – no matter what grade you’re working at. There are many things that go into finding the best acrylic paints for your needs and many artists find the whole process difficult to maneuver. Luckily, we have done all of the hard work for you.
We have used customer reviews, video tutorials and brand notoriety to find the ten best acrylic paints in 2022.
Related review; Chalk Paint.
View the Best Acrylic Paints, Below.
- Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Tube
- Golden Fluid Acrylic
- MyArtscape Acrylic Paint Set
- ARTEZA Acrylic Paint
- Winsor & Newton 2190517 Galeria Acrylic Paint
- Golden Open Acrylic Landscape
- Matisse Structure Sampler Set of 12
- Chroma Atelier Interactive Acrylic 20-Tube
- Sennelier Abstract Innovative Heavy Body
- Chroma Atelier Interactive Acrylic 7-Tube
1. Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Tube
Read Customer Reviews →This acrylic paint set has an extensive range of colors, making it ideal for so many different artists either professional or hobbyist. Each acrylic paint tube has a good pigment load and provides shades that are smooth and creamy, which are easy to control on canvas or paper.
These acrylic paints are safe to use and have been approved for educational use.These paints are heavy duty acrylic paints which contain permanent artists pigments that will not fade over time. They can be used for a range of art styles, including canvas work, collage, and printworks. These acrylic paints are great value and high quality.
These acrylic paints are high-quality and heavy duty making them suitable for a range of art styles.
Check Price on Amazon ➞2. Golden Fluid Acrylic
Read Customer Reviews →The Golden Fluid Acrylic paints are viscous and have a high tinting strength, offering durability and flexibility on a variety of surfaces. These paints are ideal for mixing, tinting, and shading due to their thin consistency. They are also suitable for spraying or brushing, making them versatile.
This acrylic paint set contains ten of the most popular and most used shades and would be suitable for budding artists who want to try something new. They provide a solid color pigment and coverage on a range of surfaces. These acrylic paints are a great starter kit as they are easy to use and control.
These acrylic paints are versatile, durable and offer a solid coverage on a range of surfaces.
Check Price on Amazon ➞3. MyArtscape Acrylic Paint Set
Read Customer Reviews →These are professional grade acrylic paints that have a heavy body consistency and are richly pigmented. They are silky-smooth and glide onto canvases, paper, and other surfaces effortlessly. This makes these acrylic paints easy to control and offers artists the chance to focus on the finer details.
The acrylic paints in this set are vivid and will not fade, making them suitable for so many different art projects. Although they are professional grade, this acrylic paint set would be ideal for hobbyists as all necessary colors are included. These paints can be bought with confidence as they come with a one-year replacement guarantee.
These acrylic paints are high-quality and vivid meaning they will not fade over time.
Check Price on Amazon ➞4. ARTEZA Acrylic Paint
Read Customer Reviews →The ARTEZA Acrylic Paint is an extensive set that offers all of the colors you could ever need. Whether you are a seasoned artist or a budding hobbyist, these acrylic paints will get your imagination running wild with their great color range. The paints are smooth and highly pigmented to provide true, consistent shades on canvas, paper, wood, and other surfaces.
The colors will not fade over time and are ACMI-certified safe, providing great peace of mind. As they are safe to use, these acrylic paints can be used by children, teenagers and adults alike. The acrylic paints arrive in a sturdy storage box which is very convenient.
This acrylic paint set is extensive, high-quality and convenient as they come in a storage box.
Check Price on Amazon ➞5. Winsor & Newton 2190517 Galeria Acrylic Paint
Read Customer Reviews →These acrylic paints are high quality and offer professional results on a variety of different surfaces and materials. They are ideal for artists of any grade who want good quality color at an affordable price. This set offers a wide spectrum of pigments, all of which provide strength, opacity, and strong brush stroke retention.
These acrylic brushes are smooth and have a satin finish which is easy to control. The buttery consistency provides quick and easy coverage, making them suitable for a range of artists and grades. As they provide a satin finish, these acrylic paints offer an excellent depth of color.
These acrylic paints are easy to use, have a buttery consistency and offer high color retention.
Check Price on Amazon ➞6. Golden Open Acrylic Landscape
Read Customer Reviews →If you are a landscape artist, then this set of acrylic paints is a must-buy. They provide an earthy palette that can produce a wide variety of hues, tints, and shade. These acrylic paints are versatile and flexible while providing a relaxed working property. This working property makes these paints suitable for blending, shading, softening and glazing as well as other fine detail work.
This set contains all of the essential shades required to paint great high-quality landscapes of any kind. They are professional standard paints that allow artists to get creative with their style and practice. The acrylic paints offer good pigments and are slow drying.
These acrylic paints offer a wide variety of shades, are high-quality and offer flexibility
Check Price on Amazon ➞7. Matisse Structure Sampler Set of 12
Read Customer Reviews →The Matisse Structure Sampler Set of 12 are the heavy body and high viscosity acrylic paints that are brilliantly pigmented with no masking agents. These paints are ideal for large scale paints, backgrounds, and Impasto painting techniques. They are professional grade and are best suited to experienced artists as they provide thick and textured applications.
These acrylic paints apply easily with a brush or palette knives and can be used straight from the tube. With these paints, you can achieve brilliant effects and really get creative with your art style. The colors are beautifully rich, highly pigmented and creamy in consistency.
These acrylic paints are professional standard and provide a beautifully rich pigment.
Check Price on Amazon ➞8. Chroma Atelier Interactive Acrylic 20-Tube
Read Customer Reviews →With these acrylic paints, artists have total control over the drying time as they can remain workable when moist. The creamy, impasto colors are some of the highest quality pigments and can be used in a variety of different ways. These acrylic paints can be used at full strength, diluted with water or with Atelier mediums depending on your needs.
These acrylic paints can be used on canvas, canvas board, paper or linen and are suitable for experienced artists. The colors are buttery and creamy in consistency to provide a velvety, satin finish. This consistency makes it easy to control and versatile.
These high-quality acrylic paints are controllable, provide versatile use and are flexible.
Check Price on Amazon ➞9. Sennelier Abstract Innovative Heavy Body
Read Customer Reviews →The Sennelier Abstract Innovative Heavy Body acrylic paint set includes five highly pigmented paints that come in innovative pouches. This means that you can make the most out these paints and get every last drop. These acrylic paints are fine quality and heavy bodied to provide excellent pigmentation.
These acrylic paints are economical and are contained in extra-sturdy, transportable squeeze pouches. These pouches have a transparent window to provide accurate color reference and paint levels. This acrylic paint set contains the essential primary colors making them suitable for a range of different projects. These paints can be mixed to create a range of different shades and are easily controlled.
These innovative acrylic paint pouches are ideal for transport and are very versatile.
Check Price on Amazon ➞10. Chroma Atelier Interactive Acrylic 7-Tube
Read Customer Reviews →These acrylic paints can be easily controlled and offer artists plenty of opportunities to change their mind. The drying time can be extended, and dry colors can be brought back to life when wet. The colors of these acrylic paints are smooth and buttery, providing a satin finish.
The color payoff and pigmentation of these acrylic paints are impressive and can be used for a variety of different art projects. This is an affordable paint set that can be used by novice and experienced artists alike. They are rich, smooth and easily controlled acrylic paints that can be used on various different surfaces or materials.
These acrylic paints are versatile as they have a controllable drying time and can be brought back to life once dried.
Check Price on Amazon ➞Acrylic Paints Buyer’s Guide
Artists of any grade and ability can benefit from high-quality acrylic paints. These kind of paints are versatile, flexible and suitable for a range of different projects. Due to how popular and versatile they are, the market for acrylic paints is complex and can be confusing to artists. This is especially the case if you are a beginner to the whole scene.
Using acrylic paints can make a huge difference in your art and will allow you to experiment with different styles. Acrylic paints are available for everyone, and they can be used in all capacities. This is why finding the best acrylic paints for your needs can be quite difficult, as there is so much to choose from. In order to find the best acrylic paints, there are some things you need to consider from yourself and the product.
Quality And Ability
It is likely that the acrylic paints you are looking into are graded in two ways; professional (also known as artist grade) or student. Most paints throughout this review are professional grade. Acrylic paints such as the MyArtscape Acrylic Paint Set are professional grade.
Professional grade acrylic paints are considered to be a superior product due to the fact that they offer more colors and a high quality of pigmentation. This kind of acrylic paints are more saturated and are likely to look better when applied.
Professional grade acrylic paints are best suited to experienced artists, for example, those working on commissioned work. These kind of paints are more expensive but can last a lifetime if looked after correctly.
If you are a beginner to painting, want to try something new or are working with children then student grade acrylic paints are what you need. Acrylic paints such as Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Tubehave been approved for educational use, which means that they are safe and suitable for children to use.
This kind of acrylic paints can still offer vibrant pigments and good consistency, but they are cheaper and better suited to casual use. These kind of paints are likely to come in large sets with a range of colors, such as the ARTEZA Acrylic Paint which are ACMI-approved and comes with 60 colors. This is a great opportunity for you to experiment with your style and develop a technique with acrylic paints.
In order to find the best acrylic paints for your needs, you should consider the kind of art you do and your ability. If you are a hobbyist who simply wants to experiment with acrylic paints, then you should consider student grade paints. These are best suited to this level, as they are more affordable and have a better color range.
Lightfastness or Permanence
Lightfastness in art refers to how much the color will fade over time when exposed to light. The permanence of painting refers to long periods of time, meaning it is something that not every artist who is shopping for acrylic paints needs to consider. Acrylic paints, in general, have a higher permanence than other medias, meaning it is likely that any grade can last for years.
If you are working on a professional standard art piece, such as commissioned work for a client, then the permanence of the acrylic paints will be important for you. Paints such as the Matisse Structure Sampler Set of 12 are professional grade and are heavy duty, which means that they will not fade over time and have a high permanence.
There are different ways that you can determine the lightfastness of acrylic paint. Although manufacturers will have their own unique ways of explaining this figure, it is common for acrylic paints to be rated AA, A and so on. In the case of lightfastness, AA is the highest rating, and this is something you should look for if you are working on professional art.
Viscosity
Viscosity is the term that refers to the thickness of the acrylic paint. Considering acrylic paint can be used for a variety of different purposes, the consistency is something that needs to be considered. Depending on where you are using the acrylic paint, such as on a canvas or other material, the viscosity is likely to differ.
Paints with the most viscosity are called fluid acrylic paints. Paints such as the Golden Fluid Acrylic paint set are thin in consistency and can be used for staining, airbrushing and other art forms on different materials. Heavy duty paints, like the Sennelier Abstract Innovative Heavy Body, are similar in flow to oil paints. This means they are thick, will not drip and can be used with brushes or craft knives.
Hue, Pigment and Color Range
Perhaps the most fun part of finding the best acrylic paints is choosing the color. The kind of colors you need and how pigmented they are will differ depending on your style and what project you are working on. If you are a hobbyist artist or a beginner to acrylic paints, then it is recommended that you start with the basics.
Paints sets such as the Sennelier Abstract Innovative Heavy Body are ideal for beginners to acrylic paints as they are primary colors. This particular product has five colors that can be mixed together to create a range of shades.
Alternatively, as a beginner, you could use a bigger set that has all of your basics covered without mixing your own palette. The Winsor & Newton 2190517 Galeria Acrylic Paint contains ten universal colors that can be used for a range of different projects.
If you are an experienced artist, then you already know what kind of colors you need. Depending on your style, you can purchase specific acrylic paints for your work. The Golden Open Acrylic Landscape is a specialized set of eight earthy tones that can be used for a range of landscape art.
How to get Acrylic Paint out of Clothes?
No matter your grade, age or ability it is likely that you will have to deal with acrylic paint stains at some point. As acrylic paints are thick in consistency, they can stain easily and getting them out is sometimes tricky. It is easier to remove acrylic paint from your clothes when it is wet, as this requires flushing under cold water and stain remover.
However, it is likely that you will only notice acrylic paint on your clothes after you have finished working which means it has had time to dry. Dried acrylic paint can be removed from clothes by using some form of alcohol-based product to break down the bonds.
Any product like nail varnish remover, rubbing alcohol or even some hairsprays can be used to rub away at the stain and make it lift. After the stain has been lifted manually, wash the clothes in the washing machine with a stain removing detergent.
How to thin Acrylic Paint?
Some painting techniques work better with thinner paint consistency. Acrylic paint is typically quite a thick product, but it can easily be thinned down to be used in multiple projects. Acrylic paint can be thinned down with water. Most manufacturers of this media recommend mixing your paint with a maximum dilution of 25% with water.
How to use Acrylic Paint?
Acrylic paints are some of the most versatile paints, and they can be used for a range of different art forms or projects. These type of paints are also fairly easy to use, and many artists are quite quick to learn the necessary techniques. Here are some important techniques to remember when painting with acrylics:
- Use small amounts at one time, as acrylic paints can dry quite quickly and result in waste
- Blot your brushes regularly to remove color and moisture
- Blend colors quickly as acrylic paints dry fast and you need time to get the perfect shade for your project
As with every art media, learning how to use acrylic paints can take time. The more you practice with acrylic paints, the better you will get over time. The most important thing to remember is the thick consistency of acrylic paints, how fast they can dry and how versatile they are.
Final Thoughts
Acrylic paints are some of the best available. Many artists, whether experienced or hobbyist, enjoy the versatility and flexibility that these paints provide. Acrylic paints can be used for a variety of different projects and are suitable to use on canvas, paper, wood and sometimes even glass.
To find the best acrylic paints for your needs, you should consider your experience and ability. Acrylic paints are graded as either professional or student, which is a good way to determine what kind you need, as well as considering the shades and consistency.
Did You Know?
Acrylic paints are graded either professional or student, which determines their hue and consistency.
Expert Tip
Acrylic paints can be easily thinned down using water so they can be used for a variety of different projects.