Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Acrylic Paint shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Acrylic Paint offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Acrylic Paint at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Acrylic Paint? Wrong! If the Acrylic Paint is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Acrylic Paint then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Acrylic Paint? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Acrylic Paint and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Acrylic Paint wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Acrylic Paint then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Acrylic Paint site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Acrylic Paint, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Acrylic Paint, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
.
Acrylic paint is fast-drying paint containing pigment suspended in an Wiktionary:acrylic polymer
emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels, mediums, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a
watercolor painting or an
oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with the other media.
History
Acrylics were first made commercially available in the 1950s. These were mineral spirits-based paints called Magna_paintTerry Fenton, online essay about
Kenneth Noland, and acrylic paint, accessed April 30th, 2007 offered by Bocour Artist Colors. Water-based acrylic paints were subsequently sold as "latex" house paints, although acrylic dispersion uses no latex derived from a
Para rubber tree. Interior "latex" house paints tend to be a combination of
Binder (material) (sometimes acrylic,
vinyl, Polyvinyl acetate and others), filler (materials), pigment and
water. Exterior "latex" house paints may also be a "co-polymer" blend, but the very best exterior water-based paints are 100% acrylic. Soon after the water-based acrylic binders were introduced as house paints, artists (the first of whom were Mexican muralists) and companies alike began to explore the potential of the new binders. Water soluble artist quality acrylic paints became commercially available in the early 1960s, offered by Liquitex.
Techniques
Acrylic artist paints may be thinned with water and used as
wash (painting) in the manner of watercolor paints, but the washes are not re-hydratable once dry. For this reason, acrylics do not lend themselves to color lifting techniques as do
gum arabic based watercolor paints.
Acrylic paints can be used in high gloss or matte finishes. As with oils, pigment amounts and particle size can alter the paint sheen. Likewise, matting agents can be added to dull the finish. Topcoats or varnishes may also be applied to alter sheen.
When dry, acrylic paint is generally non-removable. Water or mild solvents do not re-solubilize it, although isopropyl alcohol can lift some fresh paint films off. Toluene and acetone can remove paint films, but they do not lift paint stains very well and are not selective. The use of a solvent to remove paint will result in removal of all of the paint layers, acrylic
gesso, etc.
Only a proper, artist-grade acrylic gesso should be used to prime canvas in preparation for painting with acrylic. Acrylic will not form a stable paint film if it has been thinned with too much water. However, the viscosity of acrylic can successfully be reduced by using suitable extenders that maintain the integrity of the paint film.
Painters and acrylic
Prior to the 20th century, artists mixed their own paints to increase the longevity of the artwork and achieve desired pigment load, viscosity, and to control the use of fillers, if any. While suitable mediums and raw pigments are available for the individual production of acrylic paint, due to the fast drying time, hand mixing may not be practical.
Acrylic painters modify the appearance, hardness, flexibility, texture, and other characteristics of the paint surface using acrylic mediums. Watercolor and oil painters also use various mediums, but the range of acrylic mediums is much greater. Acrylics have the ability to bond to many different surfaces, and mediums can be used to adjust their binding characteristics. They can also be used to build thick layers of paint: gel and molding paste mediums are sometimes used to create paintings with relief features that are literally sculptural.
Acrylic paints are the most commonly used in
surrealist techniques#Grattage.
Differences between acrylic and oil paint
The main difference between acrylics and oil paints is the inherent drying time. Oils allow for more time to blend colors and apply even glazes over underpaintings. This slow drying aspect of oil can be seen as an advantage for certain techniques, but in other regards it impedes the artist trying to work quickly. The fast evaporation of water from the acrylic paint film can be slowed with the use of retarders. Retarders are generally glycol or glycerine based additives. In the case of acrylic paints, the addition of a retarder slows the evaporation rate of the water, and allows for more water to be added and the paint workable, until the retarder has left the film and the paint layer is dry.
Oil paints tend to require the addition of a toxic solvent, such as mineral spirits or turpentine to thin the paints and clean up tools, though relatively recently water soluble oil paints have been developed for artist use. Secondly, oil paint films become increasing yellow and brittle, and will lose their flexibility in a few decades. Thirdly, the rules of "fat over lean" must be employed to ensure the paint films are durable.
Oil paint is able to absorb more pigment than acrylic because linseed oil has a smaller molecule than does acrylic. Oil has a different Refractive Index than Acrylic dispersions. This changes how light interacts with the paint films.
Due to acrylic's more flexible nature and more consistent drying time between colors, the painter does not have to follow the "fat over lean" rule of oil painting, where more medium must be applied to each layer to avoid cracking. While canvas needs to be properly primed and gessoed before painting with oil, acrylic can be safely applied to raw canvas. The rapid drying of the paint tends to discourage the blending of color and use of wet-in-wet technique unique to oil painting. While acrylic retarders can slow drying time to several hours, it remains a relatively fast-drying medium, and the addition of too much acrylic retarder can prevent the paint from ever drying properly.
Although the permanency of acrylics is sometimes debated by conservators, they appear more stable than oil paints. Whereas oil paints normally turn yellow as they age/dry(oxidize)—and require a removable protective layer of varnish—acrylic paints, at least in the 50 years since their invention, have not yellowed, cracked, or altered.
Some popular manufacturers of artist acrylics
Subsidiaries of
Col Art include Winsor & Newton (Finity, Galeria),
Liquitex, and Lefranc & Bourgeois acrylics. Daler-Rowney (Cryla and System 3 ) is another English manufacturer of acrylic paint.
In the United States, manufacturers of artist acrylic paints include
Golden Artist Colors, based in
New Berlin, New York, Liquitex, Nova Color Artists Acrylic Paint and
Daniel Smith Artists' Materials. These offer a full range of professional paints and mediums. M. Graham, based in Oregon, also produces a limited range of professional-quality acrylics.
See also
References
External links
- National Acrylic Painter's Association
- discussion of solvents for magna paint, accessed April 30, 2007
- Golden Paints
- Nova Color Artists Acrylic Paint
.
Acrylic paint is fast-drying
paint containing pigment suspended in an Wiktionary:acrylic polymer
emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels, mediums, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor painting or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with the other media.
History
Acrylics were first made commercially available in the 1950s. These were
mineral spirits-based paints called Magna_paintTerry Fenton, online essay about
Kenneth Noland, and acrylic paint, accessed April 30th, 2007 offered by Bocour Artist Colors. Water-based acrylic paints were subsequently sold as "latex" house paints, although acrylic dispersion uses no
latex derived from a Para rubber tree. Interior "latex" house paints tend to be a combination of Binder (material) (sometimes acrylic,
vinyl, Polyvinyl acetate and others),
filler (materials),
pigment and water. Exterior "latex" house paints may also be a "co-polymer" blend, but the very best exterior water-based paints are 100% acrylic. Soon after the water-based acrylic binders were introduced as house paints, artists (the first of whom were Mexican muralists) and companies alike began to explore the potential of the new binders. Water soluble artist quality acrylic paints became commercially available in the early 1960s, offered by
Liquitex.
Techniques
Acrylic artist paints may be thinned with water and used as wash (painting) in the manner of watercolor paints, but the washes are not re-hydratable once dry. For this reason, acrylics do not lend themselves to color lifting techniques as do gum arabic based watercolor paints.
Acrylic paints can be used in high gloss or matte finishes. As with oils, pigment amounts and particle size can alter the paint sheen. Likewise, matting agents can be added to dull the finish. Topcoats or varnishes may also be applied to alter sheen.
When dry, acrylic paint is generally non-removable. Water or mild solvents do not re-solubilize it, although isopropyl alcohol can lift some fresh paint films off. Toluene and acetone can remove paint films, but they do not lift paint stains very well and are not selective. The use of a solvent to remove paint will result in removal of all of the paint layers, acrylic gesso, etc.
Only a proper, artist-grade acrylic gesso should be used to prime canvas in preparation for painting with acrylic. Acrylic will not form a stable paint film if it has been thinned with too much water. However, the viscosity of acrylic can successfully be reduced by using suitable extenders that maintain the integrity of the paint film.
Painters and acrylic
Prior to the 20th century, artists mixed their own paints to increase the longevity of the artwork and achieve desired pigment load, viscosity, and to control the use of fillers, if any. While suitable mediums and raw pigments are available for the individual production of acrylic paint, due to the fast drying time, hand mixing may not be practical.
Acrylic painters modify the appearance, hardness, flexibility, texture, and other characteristics of the paint surface using acrylic mediums. Watercolor and oil painters also use various mediums, but the range of acrylic mediums is much greater. Acrylics have the ability to bond to many different surfaces, and mediums can be used to adjust their binding characteristics. They can also be used to build thick layers of paint: gel and molding paste mediums are sometimes used to create paintings with relief features that are literally sculptural.
Acrylic paints are the most commonly used in
surrealist techniques#Grattage.
Differences between acrylic and oil paint
The main difference between acrylics and oil paints is the inherent drying time. Oils allow for more time to blend colors and apply even glazes over underpaintings. This slow drying aspect of oil can be seen as an advantage for certain techniques, but in other regards it impedes the artist trying to work quickly. The fast evaporation of water from the acrylic paint film can be slowed with the use of retarders. Retarders are generally glycol or glycerine based additives. In the case of acrylic paints, the addition of a retarder slows the evaporation rate of the water, and allows for more water to be added and the paint workable, until the retarder has left the film and the paint layer is dry.
Oil paints tend to require the addition of a toxic solvent, such as mineral spirits or turpentine to thin the paints and clean up tools, though relatively recently water soluble oil paints have been developed for artist use. Secondly, oil paint films become increasing yellow and brittle, and will lose their flexibility in a few decades. Thirdly, the rules of "fat over lean" must be employed to ensure the paint films are durable.
Oil paint is able to absorb more pigment than acrylic because linseed oil has a smaller molecule than does acrylic. Oil has a different Refractive Index than Acrylic dispersions. This changes how light interacts with the paint films.
Due to acrylic's more flexible nature and more consistent drying time between colors, the painter does not have to follow the "fat over lean" rule of oil painting, where more medium must be applied to each layer to avoid cracking. While canvas needs to be properly primed and
gessoed before painting with oil, acrylic can be safely applied to raw canvas. The rapid drying of the paint tends to discourage the blending of color and use of wet-in-wet technique unique to oil painting. While acrylic retarders can slow drying time to several hours, it remains a relatively fast-drying medium, and the addition of too much acrylic retarder can prevent the paint from ever drying properly.
Although the permanency of acrylics is sometimes debated by conservators, they appear more stable than oil paints. Whereas oil paints normally turn yellow as they age/dry(oxidize)—and require a removable protective layer of varnish—acrylic paints, at least in the 50 years since their invention, have not yellowed, cracked, or altered.
Some popular manufacturers of artist acrylics
Subsidiaries of
Col Art include
Winsor & Newton (Finity, Galeria),
Liquitex, and Lefranc & Bourgeois acrylics. Daler-Rowney (Cryla and System 3 ) is another English manufacturer of acrylic paint.
In the United States, manufacturers of artist acrylic paints include Golden Artist Colors, based in New Berlin, New York, Liquitex,
Nova Color Artists Acrylic Paint and
Daniel Smith Artists' Materials. These offer a full range of professional paints and mediums. M. Graham, based in Oregon, also produces a limited range of professional-quality acrylics.
See also
References
External links
- National Acrylic Painter's Association
- discussion of solvents for magna paint, accessed April 30, 2007
- Golden Paints
- Nova Color Artists Acrylic Paint
