That splish-splash-splatter and there you have it- an acrylic painting masterpiece. Well, that magic lies with professional artists, but it can be yours- just spend some time with your art. To top it up, consume acrylic painting ideas and inspiration like oxygen.
Hold up! Get off your surfboard. This handbook runs the whole nine yards and serves everything you need to know about painting with acrylics. To make the deal sweeter, we bring you artwork by budding artists, authentic information on the topic and handy hacks for working with acrylic paints.
Save your time. Learn this in as little as 1 minute.
We’ve got 500+ bite-sized content to help you learn the smarter way.
Download the app
It's FREE
First, what exactly are acrylic paints?
What are Acrylic Paints?
Image credit: eugenegarts
Are you absolutely sure about using acrylic paints for your next project? What makes you sure acrylics are better than oils, watercolours, or gouache? If you aren’t sure, here is an intro to what acrylic paint is and what makes it unique.
As an artist, you have tons of different options to choose from- other mediums, colours, techniques, canvasses, approaches, style, etc. It is only logical to begin with the fundamentals in such a diverse market.
Acrylic paints are opaque, water-based, dilutable colours. They have a thick consistency that can be thinned by dissolving in water. The polymer binders in these colours have a thick consistency, enhance vibrancy, fast-drying nature, and improve colour-layer efficiency.
Compared to other mediums, acrylic paints dry quicker, are non-toxic, have less odour, are inexpensive, and are much brighter due to their high-quality pigment. Thus, working with acrylics is fun because you can easily:
- layer colour one on top of the other
- have a more luminous, more vibrant finish
- paint better with fast-drying colours
- cherish your art because of their water-resistant quality
Compared to gouache or watercolour, acrylic paints give a good texture and dimension. Because it dries so beautifully, all acrylic painting ideas come to life more in a much-defined and textured fashion. However, they tend to dry a darker hue with a more glossy finish.
This showdown of acrylics vs gouache vs watercolour makes the comparison clearer, making it easier for you to understand.
If you are a beginner, working with acrylic paint is beneficial. Let us explain better why acrylic paint is a newbie painter's bestie.
Is acrylic paint easier for beginners?
Yes, acrylic paint is easy for beginners because:
- It's inexpensive.
- It's easily soluble in water.
- It dries fast.
- It's versatile
- It's easy to correct.
If you are unhappy with what you have painted, you can let it dry and work on it again. This is because acrylic paints have a plastic polymer composition. So any paint devoid of oil or wax is convenient to paint over.
Moreover, acrylic paint is usable without solvents. This is also why it can be cleaned easily using only soap and water. For any beginner, it's the best type of paint to test their artistic side, allow mistakes, and not regret the "spilt milk".
So, how do you begin?
You begin with knowing the essentials for acrylic painting.
Acrylic Painting Essentials
Image credit: AmeTist Artz
If you have made up your mind to paint with acrylics, here are the absolute essentials you ought to gather:
- Acrylic paints and brushes
- A paint palette
- Blending knife
- Canvas (optional)
- Easel
- Water
After you learn and move ahead from learning beginner-level acrylic painting, it is time to tap into diverse acrylic painting techniques. With each different technique, a distinct supply comes to use. For example, a paper towel for dabbing and a sponge for sponging. Ergo, apart from the essentials of acrylic painting, you may need additional supplies too.
You would have noticed that we have mentioned that it is optional for you to use a canvas as a base for acrylic painting. This is so because you can use paint with acrylics on endless surfaces. These include wood, glass, fabrics, metal, paper, cardboard, silk, etc.
Let us begin with the basics.
Acrylic Paints and Brushes
Image credit: LeonoraGalerie
Are you going for supplies shopping? Don’t let the many options boggle you. Because paints and brushes are quintessential, here is what you will look at.
You may choose from either student-grade acrylic paint or professional-grade acrylics. As per your creative calling and intensity of use, you can pick up a 24 or 36-piece paint set. For your reference, here are top brands you can trust:
- Blick Studio Acrylic Paint
- Arteza Acrylic Paint
- M. Graham Artists' Acrylics
- Golden Heavy Body Artist Acrylics
If you are just starting, you may stick to a student-grade acrylic paint set because it is comparatively cheaper. Just a heads out, you can pick out individual tubes of colours (black or white) you think you may need more.
Don’t overthink about which acrylic brush to buy. Just put these basics in your cart:
- Flat acrylic brush
- Round acrylic brush
- Liner acrylic brush
- Fan acrylic brush
- Angled acrylic brush
Apart from this, working with acrylics can be a bit messy (especially if you use the splash technique for acrylic abstract painting). For these times, keep a paper towel, duster, gloves, soap and water handy.
Acrylic Painting Ideas for Beginners
Artists who paint with acrylics create the most diverse artwork. This is why acrylic paint medium, although relatively modern (developed in the 1940s), is the most versatile and highly utilised.
But, as a beginner, finding a style can be daunting. To speed up the process, look up acrylic painting ideas and inspiration. Because we know that inspiration is everywhere, we have taken the liberty to bring all of it to your screen. Browse through these fabulous artworks by acrylic artists.
Image credit: Pamela Marie T
Image credit: Pamela Marie T
Image credit: art9sense
Image credit: art9sense
Image credit: art9sense
Image credit: eugenegarts
If you wish to take some more inspiration and ideas to draw, signup for our 15 minutes micro courses at KoolStories. Upskill yourself without investing hours in online learning. Connect with experts with our one-on-one sessions feature. Join the Kool community today!
){kind=link}