Types of Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint is a fine medium for any artist to use no matter their experience level. Acrylics are fast-drying and can be purchased relatively cheap making them ideal for beginners or those wishing to experiment. High-end acrylics are a beautiful paint for experienced artists, also. There are three main types of acrylic paints and also several additives that can be used to alter them. Experiment with both kinds to determine what is right for you.

Standard acrylic paint is thick and smooth, similar in consistency to oil paint. Winsor and Newton makes a quality line of acrylic paints as does Liquitex and Golden Artist Colors. There are many variations of standard paints. Golden Artist Colors makes several lines of heavy body acrylics and Winsor and Newton makes a line of heavy body and medium body paints for example.

Thin acrylic has a looser consistency than the standard and can be poured faster than standard acrylics. Thin acrylics are not used as often as standard acrylics but can be convenient when spreading a large flat area of paint. Golden's Fluid Acrylic Color Lines are just one example.

Polyvinyl Acetate Colors also referred to as Vinyl Acrylics dry very quickly and thin layers can sometimes be peeled away after application. Polyvinyl acetate is a substance also commonly used in glue. These are often used for school projects or in elementary classrooms. They are not recommended for fine art or working on your masterpiece but they are fun for kids and group projects.

Glaze and varnish can also be added to acrylic paint for various affects. Glaze can be mixed with an acrylic color to thin it out and increase its transparency when one wishes to paint small, thin layers. Glaze can also extend the drying time. Varnish can be used to protect your acrylic paintings. Either gloss or matt varnish can be used over the surface of the painting.