The Best Acrylic Paints of 2023

Acrylic paints are a versatile and popular medium for artists of all skill levels. With so many options on the market, it can be difficult to know which brands and products are worth investing in. That's why we've compiled this list of the best acrylic paints of 2023. We've evaluated a wide range of options based on factors such as pigmentation, consistency, and drying time, to bring you the top choices for your next painting project. Whether you're a professional artist or a hobbyist, these paints are sure to impress.

What is Acrylic Paint?

Acrylic paint is a popular medium for art and design that typically yields vivid, bold results. It is a fast-drying, water-based paint that is easy to manipulate. Acrylic paint comes in a variety of forms, from traditional tubes to sprays, and produces an opaqueness that makes it ideal for brightening up dull surfaces and highlighting textures. Whether you have experience painting with acrylics or are just getting started, there are plenty of options available to help you get your desired results!

What are the characteristics of Acrylic Paint?

Acrylic paint is a fast-drying, water-based paint that is made from pigments suspended in a polymer emulsion. Some of the characteristics of acrylic paint include:

• Fast-drying: Acrylic paint dries much faster than oil paint, typically within 15-30 minutes. This allows for multiple layers to be applied in a shorter amount of time
• Water-soluble: Acrylic paint can be thinned with water and cleaned up with soap and water, making it easy to use and clean
• Versatile: Acrylic paint can be used on a variety of surfaces, including canvas, paper, and wood. It can also be used in conjunction with other mediums, such as pastels and charcoal
• Lightfastness: Acrylic paint is known for its lightfastness, meaning that it won't fade or yellow over time when exposed to light
• Water-resistant: Once dry, acrylic paint is water-resistant, allowing the artist to paint over it without smudging or removing the previous layers
• Matte finish: Most acrylic paints dry to a matte finish, which can be easily changed by adding a glossy medium or varnish
• Viscosity: Acrylic paint is thicker than watercolour, but thinner than oil paint, which allows for a variety of brushstrokes and techniques

Top 10 Best Acrylic Paints for Artists in 2023

MATISSE STRUCTURE ACRYLIC PAINTS

Product Description

Matisse Structure Acrylic Paints are crafted from premium-grade pigments and ingredients, guaranteeing vibrant colour intensity with long lasting results. They provide the perfect medium for all painting projects to bring your creative vision to life!

With the Matisse Structure Acrylic Paint range, you can rest assured that your artwork will be sure to stand the test of time. The paints boast a remarkable lightfastness rating and their archival quality means they'll stay vibrant for generations - ideal if you want to leave behind an enduring legacy!

Create stunning, brush-stroked masterpieces or use a palette knife for texture and textured effects - either way your artistry will be unparalleled!

Choose from four convenient sizes of Matisse Structure Acrylic Paints – 75ml, 250ml, 500ml and 1 Litre. These paints let you express yourself like never before in an array of vibrant colours!

Benefits

• Vibrant, intense colours that can be diluted for a variety of textures and effects
• Light-fast, water resistant and durable, with no cracking or fading over time
• Quick drying formula ideal for layering and fine details

Specifications

• Quality: Great quality of pigments & ingredients, long lasting
• Tube Size: 75ml, 250ml, 500ml & 1L
• Colours in Set or Range: Choose from 100+ colours

WINSOR & NEWTON PROFESSIONAL ACRYLIC PAINTS

Product Description

An artist's work comes to life with Winsor & Newton Professional Acrylic Paints: produced with pigments of the highest quality. When applied from tube to canvas, a brilliance and clarity is revealed that captures every hue in its purest form – creating beautiful works painting after painting. With superior handling capabilities, colours that boast strong saturation, and maximum pigment content – you are ensured endless possibilities for mixable tones that are perfect for any masterpiece!

Winsor & Newton Professional Acrylic Paints are available in 60ml & 200ml tubes.

Benefits

• High quality pigments, providing superb results
• Unsurpassed colour-mixing capabilities

Specifications

• Quality: Professional quality, providing superb results
• Tube Size: 60ml, 200ml
• Colours in Set or Range: Choose from 80+ colours

LIQUITEX HEAVY BODY ARTIST ACRYLIC PAINTS

Product Description

Liquitex Artist Acrylic Paints are the perfect choice for professional artists and creative hobbyists. Boasting an ultra-smooth, creamy consistency that's easy to work with and glides effortlessly on any surface, these acrylics bring superior colour coverage along with long-lasting flexibility. Get ready to create art that stands the test of time!

Liquitex Artist Acrylic Paints provide an outstanding palette of colours for creating amazing artwork. Their high-pigment content makes them perfect for traditional art, but also renders these paints ideal to use in the more unique artistic mediums like mixed media and printmaking. Each colour is richly pigmented; they blend easily with other shades and can last forever once applied on a surface - just what any artist desires!

Liquitex Heavy Body Artist Acrylic Paints are available in 59ml, 138ml, 473ml and 946ml sizes.

Features

• Water soluble while wet, water resistant & flexible when dry
• Non-yellowing & UV resistant
• Satin finish

Specifications

• Quality: Professional quality acrylics
• Tube Size: Available in 59ml, 138ml, 473ml & 946ml sizes
• Colours in Set or Range: Choose over 100+ colours

MATISSE FLOW ACRYLIC PAINTS

Product Description

Matisse Flow Acrylic Paint is the perfect choice for any artistic undertaking, from painting large murals to embellishing theatrical backdrops with vibrant geometrics or photorealistic details. Its easy-to-use formula ensures a smooth application and vivid results.

Packed with professional-grade properties, Matisse Flow Acrylic Paint offers an incomparable thin viscosity that yields a gorgeous flow and delicate low sheen finish.

Matisse Flow Acrylic Paints are available in 75ml, 500ml and 1 Litre sizes.

Features

• Thinner viscosity, giving a fine flow and resulting in a low sheen finish
• Highly suited to mural work, acrylic canvas painting, theatre backdrops and more

Specifications

• Quality: High quality paint with thin viscosity
• Tube Size: Available in 75ml, 500ml & 1L sizes
• Colours: Choose from over 90+ colours

JO SONJA'S ARTISTS' ACRYLIC PAINTS

Product Description

Jo Sonja's Artists' Acrylic Paints offer a unique combination of colourful opacity and luxurious velvet matte finish, for an effect reminiscent of traditional gouache. The paints are made from only the finest quality pure pigments to ensure that each masterpiece will remain vibrant even through time -- never cracking or chipping when cured!

Jo Sonja's Artists' Acrylic Paints are the perfect choice for any artist, as they can be used on an array of surfaces to create vibrant and dynamic works. Whether you're working with paper, papier mache, card or fabric; tin or tile; canvas, wood terracotta and even glass - these paints will add a unique flair to your artwork!

Jo Sonja's Acrylic Paints are also the perfect medium for any artist looking to make a statement. With an extensive range of 80 colours and in convenient sizes from 75ml and 250ml bottles to large 1 Litre tubs, you can explore endless possibilities and unleash your creativity with colour!

Specifications

• Quality: Great quality & made from pure pigments
• Tube size: Available in 75ml, 250ml & 1L sizes
• Colours: Choose from 80 colours

Benefits

• Derived from a flow formula offering the opacity of colour combined with a velvet matte finish
• Will not crack and chip when cured
• Suitable for all surfaces including paper, papier mache, card, canvas & much more

ATELIER INTERACTIVE ACRYLIC PAINTS

Product Description

Atelier Interactive Acrylic Paints provide a luxurious painting experience and superior results. With an unparalleled consistency, brushability, colour load and luscious matte or satin finish that dries quickly - these paints are the perfect choice for any artist looking to create stunning works of art.

Atelier Interactive Acrylic Paints present an innovative take on a painting essential - bridging the gap between traditional acrylic paint and modern technology. Artists can customise their works from start to finish by controlling drying times, as well as later being able to reactivate dried-out pigments for further layers. Delivering ultimate control with ease of use!
Atelier Interactive Acrylics come in three convenient sizes – 80ml, 250ml and 1 Litre. Perfect for professionals looking to make a bigger impact with their artwork or those just starting out on their creative journey!

Features

• Acrylic paint that offers exceptional consistency, brushability and colour load
• Smooth and buttery consistency
• Dries to a matte or satin finish
• Allows unique control over the drying process

Specifications

• Quality: Professional quality acrylic paint
• Tube size: Available in 80ml, 250ml & 1L sizes
• Colours: Choose from 80+ colours

PEBEO STUDIO ACRYLIC PAINTS

Product Description

Pebeo Studio Acrylic Paints offer an exciting journey of vibrant colour: with each brush stroke, intense pigments produce a luxurious satin finish guaranteed to bring life and lustre to any masterpiece.

Create a truly unique look with this extensive line-up of eye-catching hues, including many varying shades and finishes. From creamy opaques to light transparencies - they can help you realise any design dreams!

With its easy to mix properties and ability to be used on a variety of surfaces, acrylic paint is the perfect choice for artists looking to create truly unique works. From canvas to wood or metal - this versatile medium allows for greater creativity and stunning colour combinations.

Get started today painting with Pebeo Acrylic Paints for amazing results every time!

Features

• Consistent, thick paint formulated with bright rich pigments
• Dries with a satin finish
• Can be mixed together to create a wider colour palette
• Suitable for use on canvas, metal & wood

Specifications

• Quality: Thick, high quality paint with bright pigments
• Tube size: Available in 100ml sizes
• Colours: Choose from 60+ colours

LIQUITEX BASICS ACRYLIC PAINTS

Product Description

Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paints 118ml offer artists a versatile option for all their painting needs. This medium viscosity paint is lightfast and contains artist-quality pigments, making it ideal for underpainting or sketching masterpieces! Enjoy vibrant colours made with quality pigments that won't fade over time.

Get inspired and unleash your creativity with the advanced acrylic paint formula! Boasting an impressive array of 72 colours, this versatile product can be used across a range of surfaces to create lasting works of art. Not only is it highly flexible, non-yellowing and UV resistant for extended vibrancy, but its satin finish makes it easy to blend into any composition. Plus you'll appreciate its durability - top off by the convenient flip top cap that helps provide seamless access when painting!

With Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paints, you can explore vibrant colours and create stunning art safely. These paints are 118ml in size and meet all AP standards for educational use - perfect for creative learning!

Benefits

• Rich, intense pigments for vibrant colour and coverage.
• Fast-drying water-soluble formula with a high degree of lightfastness.
• Includes 6 essential colours for mixing, combining and blending any hue.

Specifications

• Quality: professional quality.
• Tube size: 118ml tube size
• Colours:6 essential colours in the set: Titanium White, Mars Black, Brilliant Yellow Lemon,Napthol Red Light, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Green (Blue Shade)

GLOBAL COLOURS PROFESSIONAL HIGH FLOW ACRYLIC PAINTS

Product Description

Artist quality and brilliantly vibrant, Global Colours Professional High Flow Acrylic Paints provide an unparalleled level of versatility. This low viscosity paint boasts permanent pigmentation that is fast-drying and water resistant once set - essential for all types of creative endeavours!

Global Colours Professional High Flow Acrylic Paints opens up a world of creative possibilities, with no fillers or extenders directly inside. Its self-levelling properties give you the perfect pigment for any project!

Global Colours' versatile Acrylic Range is now certified archival-grade, ensuring that any artwork created with these materials will remain vibrant and lasting for generations.

This versatile paint is perfect for unleashing your creativity - from graceful pouring effects to detailed paintings and intricate airbrush designs. It's suitable for a vast array of artistic applications, including liquid art, drawing, staining, inking and mixed media work!

Benefits

• Highly versatile, permanent, fast-drying paint and water resistant when dry
• Compatible with the rest of Global Colours acrylic paints range
• Usable for a range of applications including pouring, liquid art, painting, drawing and more

Specifications

• Quality: Professional quality and intensely pigmented
• Tube size: Available in 250ml size
• Colours: Choose from 25+ colours

REEVES ACRYLIC PAINTS

Product Description

Reeves Acrylic Paint is a veritable powerhouse of artistic potential. The intense pigments bring your projects to life with vivid hues that won't fade over time, and it's water-based for easy clean-up after you've finished crafting an eye-catching masterpiece! Plus, its flexibility when dry allows artists free rein in expressing their creativity however they desire.

Reeves Acrylic Paint is an excellent way to add textured effects and a touch of metallic shimmer to your masterpieces. The versatility makes it perfect for creating on diverse surfaces such as canvas, paper, wood and glass. Mix the four precious metals - Gold, Silver Bronze & Copper – with other standard colours in order to unleash dazzling metallic colour combinations!

Reeves Acrylic Paints come in a range of sizes to suit every project - from smaller 75ml tubes ideal for small jobs, up to 200 ml and 400ml larger options perfect for bigger artworks. And if you're looking for the highest quality white paint available, choose 500 ml size!

Benefits

• Excellent coverage and lightfastness
• Easily cleaned up with water and flexible when dry
• Great for textured effects and can be thinned with water for watercolour effects
• Suitable to be used on paper, canvas, glass and wood

Specifications

• Quality: Highly pigmented with vibrant colours
• Tube Size: Available in 75ml, 200ml, 400ml and 500ml sizes
• Colours: Choose from 40+ colours

Why paint with acrylics?

Acrylic paints offer several advantages for artists, which is why many choose to use them over other mediums. Some of the reasons why artists choose acrylic paints include:

• Fast-drying time: Acrylic paint dries much faster than oil paint, allowing for multiple layers to be applied in a shorter amount of time. This allows artists to work quickly and make changes to their work without waiting for the paint to dry
• Versatility: Acrylic paint can be used on a variety of surfaces, including canvas, paper, and wood. It can also be used in conjunction with other mediums, such as pastels and charcoal
• Water-soluble: Acrylic paint can be thinned with water and cleaned up with soap and water, making it easy to use and clean
• Lightfastness: Acrylic paint is known for its lightfastness, meaning that it won't fade or yellow over time when exposed to light
• Water-resistant: Once dry, acrylic paint is water-resistant, allowing the artist to paint over it without smudging or removing the previous layers
• Matte finish: Most acrylic paints dry to a matte finish, which can be easily changed by adding a glossy medium or varnish
• Viscosity: Acrylic paint is thicker than watercolour, but thinner than oil paint, which allows for a variety of brushstrokes and techniques
• Cost-effective: Acrylic paint is typically less expensive than oil paint, making it a more cost-effective option for artists
• Safe and easy to use: Acrylic paints are non-toxic and do not require solvents for cleaning up, making it a safer option for artists and students

What are the main features of acrylic paints?

When choosing acrylic paints, there are a few factors to consider to ensure that you are getting the best quality product for your needs. Some things to consider when choosing acrylic paints include:

• Pigmentation: Pigmentation refers to the intensity and purity of the colour. The higher the pigmentation, the more vibrant and true-to-colour the paint will be. Look for paints that are labelled as "high-pigment" or "artist-grade"
• Consistency: Acrylic paint should have a smooth, creamy consistency that is easy to work with. Avoid paints that are too thick or too watery, as they can be difficult to apply and may not provide the desired results
• Drying time: Acrylic paint dries quickly, but some brands may dry faster than others. Consider how quickly you need the paint to dry and choose a brand that meets your needs
• Lightfastness: As mentioned before, acrylic paint is known for its lightfastness, which means that it won't fade or yellow over time when exposed to light. However, some brands may be better than others in this regard. Look for paints that are labelled as "lightfast" or "archival quality"
• Range of colours: Some acrylic paint manufacturers have a wider range of colours than others. If you are looking for a specific colour, you may want to consider choosing a brand that has a wider range of colour options
• Transparency: Choose the paint that has the transparency level you need for your artwork
• By considering these factors, you'll be able to choose the best acrylic paints for your needs and create beautiful artwork

Frequently Asked Questions

What surfaces can I use acrylic paints on?

Acrylic paints are highly versatile and can be used on a wide range of surfaces. You can use them on canvas, paper, wood, metal, fabric, and much more. They adhere well to most non-porous surfaces so you won’t have to worry about the paint peeling or flaking off over time. However, it is important to make sure that the surface is clean and free of dirt before applying paint. Additionally, some surfaces may require a primer or gesso before painting in order to ensure that the colours will show up properly and remain vibrant when dry. Experimenting with different papers and substrates can also yield interesting results!

Can I use acrylic paints with other mediums?

Yes, you can mix acrylic paints with other mediums such as oils or markers. This is a great way to add depth and texture to your artwork. Be sure to allow each layer of paint to dry before adding another one; this will ensure that the colours don’t run together and create a muddy mess. Additionally, some mediums may require different types of surfaces in order for them to adhere properly, so be sure to do your research beforehand. With a bit of experimentation, you can find new and exciting ways to incorporate different elements into your work!

Can I dilute acrylic paints?

Yes, you can dilute acrylic paints by adding water in small increments until you achieve the desired consistency. This makes them incredibly versatile and easy to use for artists of all levels. However, keep in mind that adding too much water will cause the paint to thin out and lose its opacity. It is also important to note that acrylics dry quickly so it is best to work in small batches and add more water as needed. With a bit of practice, you’ll soon find the perfect balance between diluting your paints and keeping their vibrancy intact!

Are acrylic paints permanent?

Yes, acrylic paints are generally permanent when dried but may be susceptible to fading over time if exposed to excessive sunlight or moisture. They also maintain their colour intensity upon drying, making them great for artwork that won't be exposed to excessive light or moisture. Additionally, you can use a fixative spray on your artwork after it is complete in order to help protect the colours from fading over time. With proper care and attention, your acrylic paintings will last for years to come!

Are there different types of acrylic paints?

Yes, there are several types of acrylic paints available on the market today. Each type has its own specific characteristics that make it better suited for certain projects than others. For instance, high viscosity acrylics are thicker and more opaque than low viscosity ones; this makes them great for painting thick layers of paint without sacrificing opacity. Opaque colours are completely covered when applied and therefore remain at their brightest hue even when mixed with other colours. Transparent colours, on the other hand, mix better with other paint colours and are great for creating subtle layers of colour in your artwork. Lastly, you can also find metallic and iridescent acrylics that create stunning shimmery effects when used properly. With so many options available, you’re sure to find the perfect type of paint for your project!

Different types of acrylic paints also cater towards specific acrylic painting techniques that intermediate or expert painters might use. Find out more in our Ultimate Guide to Acrylic Painting Techniques here. 

What other tips should I know about using acrylic paints?

It is important to work quickly when using acrylics as they dry quickly and may become difficult to manipulate once dry. Additionally, it is a good idea to invest in quality brushes and canvases that will make painting easier and more enjoyable overall. Finally, be sure to experiment with different techniques and colours in order to find the best way to express yourself through your artwork. With a bit of practice and patience, you can create stunning works of art that will be admired for years to come!

In conclusion, acrylic paints are a favoured medium among artists due to their versatility, fast-drying time, and water-soluble properties. With so many options on the market, it can be difficult to know which brands and products are worth investing in. We've compiled a list of the best acrylic paints of 2023, taking into consideration factors such as pigmentation, consistency, drying time, lightfastness, and brand reputation. Whether you're a professional artist or a hobbyist, the acrylic paints on this list are sure to impress and help you achieve your artistic vision. Remember to consider your specific needs and preferences when choosing your acrylic paint!