About acrylic paint
In the art world, acrylic paint is one of the most fun and rewarding things you can do. On the one hand, you can get many different effects and colorful paintings, without it having to be as complicated as, for example, painting with oil. But it all also depends on what expression you want to access and your way of painting. When it comes to model painting, I also prefer oil instead of acrylic. Acrylic paint is available in a variety of textures and it is a very permissive medium to work with, because I also work with watercolor paint, so I like extremely liquid acrylic paint. Acrylic paint does not require any additives, it can be painted directly with or diluted with water. As a beginner, however, it can feel difficult and daunting to buy your colors at home as there are an enormous number of brands and colors on store shelves to choose from. Here is a help for all of you so that you too can find out on the other side of the labyrinth and get started with your creation regardless of need and budget. What you will above all need to take into account in your search for colors is quality, price, color, drying time, brand, tube or can and viscosity.
Which brands?
My absolute favorite brand is Golden acrylic paint, High Flow which is a liquid acrylic paint with a very high intensity and lightfast pigments, it is almost like painting with liquid ink. These suit me well because I use a lot of water and strive for the colors to flow together and form something new and unpredictable. I have also been using Amsterdam and Daler Rowney’s acrylic paints for many years when I paint. It is not “fine colors” but it is good to start with at the beginning of a painting when I do not want to “waste” on my Golden super colors. It is good and liberating to be able to buy large tubes or cans and not feel ruined But there is really a difference in color and quality between different brands, start simple and buy one of each to know what suits your painting process best.
What quality?
Overall, there is talk of three different types of quality. In part, we have artist quality, Studio quality then also those who paint as a hobby. The qualities of the more professional artist are available with a variety of colors available. The pigmentation is of good concentration and the durability is high. If, on the other hand, you choose the slightly cheaper alternatives, you will get colors with a smaller color range, poorer pigmentation and which in addition may also have been mixed with fillers so that the color strength is even worse. However, the biggest difference between the different price ranges and qualities is how vivid they will be experienced. My Golden acrylic paints are of the highest quality, they contain no additives or fillers, only pure pigments mixed in acrylic emulsion. You can also buy acrylic emulsion to make your own acrylic paints or dilute the paint even thinner, unfortunately I have not tried this yet.
As a beginner, you usually start with a little more budget-friendly colors, however, you will not get the feeling of painting that the slightly more expensive colors can infuse. If you really want to invest and succeed, you should go up a few kroner. What you choose to paint on also matters, but it’s another blog post about canvas, wood and paper.
What Color?
There are an enormous number of different colors to buy at home. As a newcomer to acrylic painting, it is enough to start with around ten different shades. You can then mix these as you like instead of buying hundreds of different ones at home. I usually have a few shades and it usually happens that you find your color scale and stay about there. Trying to challenge me and try new colors but often fall back into the ordinary