Would you like to try your hand at abstract painting, and acrylic paint in particular? Great! That’s a good thing! You run into your local art supply store and find yourself faced with a mountain of tubes of paint of various brands and prices!
I know it’s frustrating at first, and you usually find yourself at a loss when faced with so many choices!
Don’t panic! I’ll show you the different types of acrylic paint, and by the end of this article you’ll know all about them!
What is acrylic paint? How is it done?
Acrylic paint is a simple composition of pigments and binders. Mixing the two creates the viscous paint in your tubes that you use directly in your paintings. Acrylic paint can be mixed with water to obtain different effects.
In fact, it’s easy to create your own acrylic paint by purchasing pigments and a binder. Then simply mix them together to obtain your acrylic paint.
The different types of acrylic paint
What defines the different types of paint is the difference in quantity and quality of the pigments used.
And this is also due to the quality and finesse of the grinding performed on the pigments to make the acrylic paint.
Classification of acrylic paints
Study/school paintings
These are entry-level paints. They are easily recognized by their low prices. It’s the ideal type of paint for getting started.
Advantages :
- The cheapest on the market
Disadvantage :
- Low pigmentation
- Low-quality pigment
- Paint may fade with age and light
How to recognize it :
- In the first-price and beginner departments
- The price is the same for all shades in the same range
- Tube generally made of plastic
Fine acrylic paint
Widely used by beginners and some professionals. Fine acrylic paint is offered by a large number of brands at all price levels.
Advantages :
- Good value for money
- Offered by many brands
- Plenty of choice
Disadvantages :
- Lower pigmentation than extra-fine paint
- Paint may sometimes be slightly altered by ageing and light
How to recognize it :
- Easy to find as many brands offer it
- The price is the same for all shades in the same range
- Tube generally made of plastic
Acrylic paint Extra-fine
Highly concentrated in pigment, extra-fine paint is the top-of-the-range acrylic paint. These are classified in different “series” (generally from 1 to 6) and at different costs.
The extra-fine paint provides an excellent rendering with powerful, saturated hues. It ages very well over time and will enable you to produce high-quality paintings.
Advantages :
- Top-of-the-range paint
- High-quality, concentrated pigments
- Offered by many brands
Disadvantages :
- Expensive paint
- Paint may sometimes be slightly altered by ageing and light
- Prices vary and can rise rapidly depending on the series.
How to recognize it :
- Easy to find as many brands offer it
- Tube generally made of aluminum, not plastic
- Features “Extra-fine” and “Series” labels
My advice:
If you’re a beginner, keep things simple and don’t bother with extra-fine paints.
You’re in a learning and experimentation phase, and prefer low-cost paints such as fine acrylics.
What about you?
What do you think? Do you think it’s absolutely essential to work with extra-fine paint, or do you find that fine paint does the job just fine? I invite you to leave a comment below.
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