Top 10 Best Acrylic Paints in the Philippines 2021 (Liquitex, Faber-Castell, and More)

Often times, when people shop for acrylic paints, they just look at the price and the color that they need, and nothing follows. With the growing number of brands in the market, acrylic paints must be of high-quality at a reasonable price. Here are other important things to note before purchasing acrylic paints.

Picking the type of acrylic paint that will fit to your art style. It all depends on the pigment and thickness of paint.

Consistency refers to the thickness of paint in proportion with water while viscosity refers to the resistance of paint to spreading. They both affect the drying time and the quality of artworks. Acrylic ink is both low in consistency and viscosity. 

It has a liquid formulation that flows similarly to watercolors when painting on a canvas and it has a soft, glossy effect.There are two kinds of acrylic ink - pigment-based and dye-based. The former is more lightfast, retaining its color opaqueness as compared to the latter. 

This paint suits well with airbrush, paint marker, ink or dip pen, rubber stamp, fabric paint, and tint. It also works well for artwork details like drips and splash effects.

Soft body, also known as liquid paint, has a consistency similar to yogurt - not too thick and not too heavy, has low texture, and is not viscous enough to hold brush strokes. But, it won't lose its pigment density or opacity when applied. It can cover up previously painted layers such as alterations or mistakes and can produce glaze effects.

The heavy body acrylic has the thickest consistency and is the most viscous among the three paints. In contrast to the soft body, it holds peaks and brush strokes and creates more texture similar to oil paints - ideal for rough canvases and artistic style in the likes of Vincent Van Gogh. For a lighter consistency, add water to thin down the paint.

Craft acrylic has a cream-like consistency and is the most common, easy to find, and the cheapest acrylic paint. It is mainly for painting basic crafts and applicable to any surface. This paint is a starter pack for the people who are just venturing out on acrylic painting or in need of paint for simple school projects.

It is affordable and comes in various color selections. However, the pigment is not too vivid because it contains a lot of fillers - mixing it with other colors might be hard, and you might end up buying another paint.

Unlike craft paints, student-grade acrylic paint is manufactured by brands that create artist-quality paints. It is created to be used in fine arts instead of craft projects. It is also more expensive than craft paint because it has higher quality. Investing in this will surely improve and develop your paint skills.

With this, you can experiment on mixing colors until you are satisfied because it contains more pigmentation. Its consistency is not too thick and it has a smooth texture. You might even develop and identify your art style.

For an upgrade, artist quality acrylic paint is the next step to professional painting. It has high quality paints with vivid color sets yet are still easy to use. It mixes well with other pigments and has a smoother texture and better coverage. This type might be pricey but worth the penny because it offers plenty of vibrant colors.

Back in grade school, we learned about creating new colors by mixing up primary colors. This technique is essential to painters as it is more cost-efficient. Painting does not require a lot of individual paints - six to ten pigments are enough to mix for producing new colors.

The recommended startup color set contains Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Phthalo Green, Phthalo Blue, Dioxin Purple, Burnt Sienna, and Ivory. If you know how to mix colors well, you can buy individual paints in large volumes depending on what color you are aiming for.

Acrylic paints vary in sizes and packaging. The smallest size measure two fluid ounces is perfect for those who are exploring different brands or doing one-time small projects.

If you need more paint, buy acrylic paints in bottle jars because they secure the liquid more and usually have drippers for easy palette application. On the other hand, buy the tube ones if you only need less paint.

The lightfastness of the acrylic paint is very important, especially to painters who sell their artworks. Lightfast refers to how the color's intensity maintains or changes over time, especially when exposed to any kind of light and humidity.

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Permanence Standard determines the lightfastness of paint. Expressed in Roman numerals, ATSM I means excellent lightfastness, ATSM II means very good, and ATSM III means fair or non-permanent.This information is usually found at the bottom or back of the package.

However, not all manufacturers of acrylic paint use the ASTM standard but instead, they use the Typical Manufacturer Standard where ** or AA means it has extremely permanent colors, * or A means that has durable colors, ** or B means it has moderately durable colors, and * or C means that the colors are more likely easy to fade.

The Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. is the approving agency that art products are non-toxic and safe to use even for kids. The ACMI seal indicates that the product has been evaluated by medical experts and will help you identify which product contains poisonous ingredients or substances that may cause fatal health issues. 

Keep in mind to check the label - not only the specifications but also the health cautions. Even though they are water-based, non-toxic, and have a mild odor, inhalation, or skin contact may lead to breathing problems, irritations, or allergies. Acrylic paints do not expire, but when the lids are not closed properly, they may dry out.

Buying an acrylic paint might be hard, especially for beginners. We applied the important things to consider from our buying guide and came up with these recommendations. 

Painting with acrylics might be tricky, especially if you're a beginner. No matter how difficult it is, don't let your guard down and let this video from Jennifer Funnell Visual Arts enhance your acrylic painting skills. Follow these top 10 acrylic painting tips to lead your way on painting like a pro.

Tips:

• Use high-quality and best brands of acrylic paints for a better art performance
• Apply a wash to set a middle ground value for your acrylic painting
• Know your brushes - brushes have different types and each comes in their own function
• Try mixing colors with a pallete knife for easy, smooth mixing, and cleaning
• Change out your water often to avoid muddy painting
• Use mediums to change the properties of your acrylic paint - take the guts to change its properties according to your needs
• Start with a limited palette to learn how to mix your own colors
• When mixing colors, start from light going to dark slowly for more control
• Darken your colors with complements instead of black - a different way to darken colors
• Wet paint on wet paint vs. wet paint on pry paint - wet paint on wet paint is going to blend while wet paint on dry paint is going to show more of a crisp edge.

Level up your creativity with more paint and drawing tools by checking out our other articles.

Painting is one of the ways to express ourselves as humans, and visual arts like acrylic paints are our colorful helpers to show creativity. Exploring and trying different acrylic paints might be challenging, especially for beginners. 

With all the considerations to think about before purchasing one, the best factors are your passion, talent, and artistic style, so make sure to follow them to make the right choices.

Author: Roel Pillas Malubay

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