AdurArt

Acrylic Paint Reviews

Acrylic Paint Reviews

Acrylics are fast-drying, adaptable, and perfect for artists who love experimenting. From thick impasto work to delicate glazes, they offer flexibility across styles and surfaces — ideal for beginners and mixed-media creators alike.

Each review looks at opacity, drying time, texture, and ease of cleanup — with Maya’s honest feedback from the viewpoint of an everyday painter.

Explore our artist’s acrylic reviews to find the right paints for your creative journey.

Table of Contents

Maya’s Review — Amateur / Hobby Artist

Product: Arteza Acrylic Paint Set (24 x 22ml Tubes)
Reviewer: Maya Brooks — Amateur Acrylic Artist
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary:
This Arteza acrylic set has become Maya’s go-to choice for affordable, vibrant colours. The texture is smooth, and it handles well on canvas, board, and paper — perfect for beginners exploring technique and colour mixing.

Maya’s Verdict:

“Bright, versatile, and beginner-friendly. This is the set that got me painting every week — and loving it.”

General Reviews:

Here’s a summary of the common points found in online reviews:

 

Pros (The Good)
  • Color Selection and Pigmentation: The set offers 24 vibrant colors. The paints are described as having rich, intense pigments for true shades.
  • Consistency and Texture: They have a creamy, smooth, or soft-body consistency, often compared to “runny toothpaste.” This makes them easy to spread, blend, and work with a palette knife.
  • Quantity and Value: The 22ml tubes provide a good amount of paint for the price, making it a great value for beginners or those who need a large range of practice colors without a high investment.
  • Safety: The paints are ACMI-certified non-toxic and safe for artists of all ages.
  • Convenience: The tubes have screw caps that are easy to open and squeeze, helping to prevent waste. They are also suitable for various non-porous surfaces like canvas, wood, paper, and ceramic.

 

Cons (Areas for Consideration)
  • Lightfastness (Permanence): This is the most frequently cited concern. Many of the colors are rated with a lower lightfastness (often ASTM III), meaning they may fade over time (estimated 15-50 years) when exposed to light. This makes them less suitable for professional artists who intend to sell work that needs to last for generations.
  • Drying Time: Some users find the paints dry quite quickly, which can be challenging for blending techniques. A quick-drying formula may require the use of a gel retarder or water spray if you prefer more working time.
  • Color Shift: Some reviewers note that the colors can dry to a slightly darker shade than they appear wet or on the tube swatch, with some colors showing a more noticeable difference.
  • Consistency Issues: In some cases (though less common in general positive reviews), users have reported slight clumping in the paint, which could be resolved with extra stirring or straining.

 

Who Are They Best For?
  • Beginner Artists: Excellent for learning to paint, practicing techniques, and experimenting with a wide color palette without a big financial commitment.
  • Students/Hobby Painters: Great for classroom projects, casual painting, and art journaling where longevity isn’t the primary concern.
  • Crafters: Good for use on various surfaces like wood or ceramic for craft projects.

 

Who Should Avoid Them?
  • Professional Artists: Artists intending to sell work for profit, especially pieces meant for long-term display, may want to invest in professional-grade acrylics with higher lightfastness ratings (ASTM I or II).
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Tom’s Review — Semi-Professional / Mixed-Media Artist

Product: Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic 6-Tube Set (59ml)
Reviewer: Tom Ellery — Semi-Professional Artist
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary:
Tom values control and texture in his work, and Liquitex Heavy Body acrylics deliver both. These rich, buttery paints have high pigment loads and can mimic oils for underpainting or impasto techniques.

Tom’s Verdict:

“Liquitex Heavy Body gives acrylics real presence — they handle beautifully for layered or textured paintings.”

General Reviews:

Here’s a breakdown of the key points from online reviews:

 

Pros

 

  • Consistency (Heavy Body): The paint is known for its thick, buttery consistency (high viscosity). This is ideal for impasto techniques, where you want to retain crisp brush strokes, knife marks, and texture, much like oil paint.
  • Pigmentation: It features a high concentration of artist-quality pigments, resulting in rich, brilliant, and saturated colors.
  • Lightfastness and Archival Quality: As a professional range, the pigments are extensively tested and rated for excellent lightfastness (ASTM I or II), meaning your work is designed to remain vibrant and true for 50+ years in gallery conditions.
  • Handling and Blending: The paint offers good surface drag, which provides excellent handling, blending characteristics, and an increased open-working time compared to many other acrylics, though they still dry relatively fast.
  • Finish: It dries to a flexible, non-yellowing, UV-resistant, and water-resistant satin finish.
  • Intermixable: The colors are fully intermixable with each other and with other Liquitex acrylic lines and mediums.
  • Versatility: Suitable for traditional techniques with brushes or palette knives, as well as mixed media, collage, and printmaking applications.

 

The 6-Tube Classics Set (59ml) typically includes:

 

  • Yellow Light Hansa
  • Naphthol Crimson
  • Ultramarine Blue Green Shade
  • Phthalocyanine Green Blue Shade
  • Mars Black
  • Titanium White

 

This is considered a versatile selection of primary and essential colors for mixing.

 

Potential Considerations

 

  • Cost: As a professional-grade paint, it is more expensive than student-grade alternatives like Liquitex Basics.
  • Opacity: While generally highly pigmented, the natural opacity of different pigments means some colors (especially certain yellows and transparent pigments) will require more layers to achieve full coverage compared to opaque colors like Titanium White.
  • Impasto Preference: Because of its thick nature, if you prefer a more fluid paint for smooth blending or fine detail work, you might need to thin the Heavy Body with water or a medium, or consider Liquitex Soft Body or Fluid Acrylics instead.

 

In summary:

The Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic 6-Tube Set is highly recommended for artists who prioritize texture, strong color, and archival permanence in their acrylic work. It is considered an excellent introduction to a top-tier professional acrylic line.

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Clara’s Review — Professional Painter Using Acrylics 

Product: Golden Artist Colors Heavy Body Acrylic Introductory Set (6 x 22ml)
Reviewer: Clara Wren — Professional Oil Painter
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Summary:
Clara occasionally uses acrylics for colour composition and study work. Golden’s Heavy Body range is her preferred choice for its pigment strength and near-oil-like handling.

Clara’s Verdict:

“Golden acrylics give me the depth I need for serious studies — professional performance in a fast-drying form.”

General Reviews:

Here is a summary of the online reviews and key features of this set:

 

Pros

 

  • Exceptional Consistency: The defining feature is its smooth, rich, buttery consistency (heavy body). It is ideal for impasto techniques, as it has the ability to “stand up” and retain sharp brushstrokes or palette knife marks.
  • High Pigment Load: Golden is famous for its high concentration of pure pigments in a 100% acrylic emulsion. This results in incredibly vibrant, rich, and saturated colors that require less paint to achieve full coverage and color saturation.
  • Purity: The paints contain no fillers, extenders, opacifiers, toners, or dyes. This means the color shift from wet to dry is minimal, and the paints are extremely clean for mixing.
  • Lightfastness and Archival Quality: As a professional line, all colors offer excellent or very good permanency and lightfastness, ensuring your artwork will endure without fading.
  • Thixotropic Nature: The paint has a unique property where it thins out as you mix or brush it (loses viscosity) and then thickens up again when it’s at rest, which can make it feel very fluid to work with while still retaining its structure when you want it to.
  • Mixing Versatility: The paints are completely compatible with the wide range of Golden mediums, gels, and other paint lines (Fluid, High Flow, etc.), allowing for endless texture and consistency variations.

 

Included Colors (Typical Set)

 

The 6-tube introductory set typically includes essential mixing colors:

  • Titanium White
  • Mars Black or Carbon Black
  • Naphthol Red Light
  • Benzimidazolone Yellow Medium
  • Ultramarine Blue
  • Permanent Green Light

 

Potential Considerations

 

  • Price: Golden is one of the premium brands on the market, so the cost is significantly higher than student-grade paints. However, artists often note that the high pigment concentration means you use less paint overall.
  • Sheen Variation: Because Golden adds no matting agents to unify the finish, the gloss of each color will naturally vary depending on the pigment’s characteristics—some will dry more matte, and others more glossy. An overall sheen can be achieved by varnishing the finished piece.
  • Drying Time: Standard Heavy Body Acrylics dry relatively fast, which is a common characteristic of acrylics. If you require a significantly longer working time for blending techniques, you might prefer Golden’s OPEN Acrylics (a separate line).

 

In summary:

This set is considered a worthwhile investment for serious artists seeking the highest quality acrylic paint for techniques requiring thick, structural applications and maximum color vibrancy. It’s a true professional-grade experience.

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

    1. Which acrylic paints are best for beginners?
      Student-grade sets like Liquitex Basics or Winsor & Newton Galeria are ideal — affordable, vibrant, and easy to blend.

 

    1. Difference between student and professional acrylics?
      Professional paints have higher pigment concentration, better lightfastness, and smoother application. Student sets are great for practice and experimentation.

 

    1. How many colours do I need?
      A 12–24 colour set is sufficient for most painting styles. Beginners can mix secondary and tertiary colours easily.

 

    1. Are acrylic paints permanent?
      Yes, acrylics dry to a waterproof, permanent finish. They remain water-soluble until fully dried.

 

    1. Which brushes are best?
      Synthetic brushes are preferred for acrylics, as they resist water damage and maintain shape. Round, flat, and filbert shapes are versatile.

 

    1. Can acrylics be mixed like oils?
      Yes, but they dry much faster than oils. Use slow-drying mediums if you need extended blending time.

 

    1. How do I store acrylic paints?
      Keep tubes sealed in a cool, dry place. Partially used paints can dry in the tube if not sealed properly.

 

    1. Do acrylic paints dry quickly?
      Yes, fast-drying is a feature of acrylics. You can slow drying using retarders or palette moisture tricks.

 

    1. Are there non-toxic options?
      Yes, many brands offer AP certified non-toxic acrylics suitable for students and children.

 

    1. How many acrylics should I buy for a home studio?
      Start with a basic 12–24 tube set, then expand with specialty colours as needed.