". . . a brush with nature"

Quite some time ago I wrote a series of articles on acrylic paints and working with them. Today I would like to revisit the topic because I have continued to paint with acrylics through the subsequent years and I feel that my tastes have become more refined in many ways. Although I still am not locked into only one particular brand, I confess that I, like many other artists, am an “art supply junkie”. What that means is that I have tried a LOT of different brands of paints and surfaces . . . How else do we learn, right? Anyway, through much experimentation and trial and error I have found that there are a couple of brands that have become my own personal favorites. I have also eliminated some entirely because they just did not work for me and the style of painting I prefer to create. So, here we go with Confessions of an Acrylic Painter.

As I mentioned in an earlier article, acrylics are a wonderfully versatile medium that can be used in a manner much like watercolor or applied more thickly to achieve a painting that rivals the look of an oil painting. That is what I like to achieve in my own work. Because of this I prefer to use only professional grade acrylic paints and especially love the heavy body ones. Two personal favorites are Golden Heavy Body Acrylics and Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylics (not to be confused with Liquitex Basics, which is a student grade acrylic paint). These brands are moderately prices in the scheme of things, easy to find, have a good selection to choose from and I have used these two brands together quite successfully. I do prefer some colors in one brand over the other, but that is something each particular artist must discover for themselves as they continue to work in the medium.

"Coyote Winter" acrylic 11" x 14"

I have also discovered that the “open acrylics” are not for me. Although a too quick drying time can often be a challenge with acrylic paints the open ones seemed to over correct the problem for me. This is only my personal opinion based on the style in which I choose to work. They became much too loose and runny for my taste. I use a sta-wet palette in my own studio which seems to work with my paints to my satisfaction. Upon reflection I suspect that the combination of the open acrylics with my sta-wet palette choice may have been why I was not happy with that particular type of paint. I am pleased to report that I passed my open acrylics along to another artist who tried them with much greater success.

A smooth painting surface is still my first choice. When painting on canvas I prefer a portrait grade, but a more recent favorite has become the Jack Richeson Toned Gessoed Hardboard Panels. This is a professional acrylic surface that is extremely smooth, archival and acid free. They are available in umber or grey and a variety of sizes. Not solely for acrylic painting, these panels can also be used for oil painting, alkyds, casein, etc. Since these panels are flat and rigid I have found them easy to store and great ship.  

If you would like to find out more about acrylics please check out this informative article that addresses the pros and cons of most major brands of acrylic paints. Choosing the Acrylic Paint that Works Best for You