How do I mix paint colours?
How Are Acrylic Mediums Made
What is a paint medium? And what does it do? An acrylic painting medium is a substance that is added to acrylic paint to change one or more of its properties. Mediums adjust how acrylic paint performs, feels and looks. They can be used to prepare your canvas, change texture, adjust flow, alter the working properties of your paint, or protect your final painting.
Acrylic mediums are in essence, colorless paints. Made from a water-based acrylic polymer binder, without the pigment we add to make paint. Like our paints, they come in a variety of textures and consistencies that can be combined with your paint to switch up the results you get.
How do the team make a new medium? The process starts by selecting the right acrylic binder for the purpose. The binder for our gels, fluids and color is the same, but will be different to gesso or an effects medium. Next in the acrylic medium recipe, we look at consistency. We pick the correct rheological additive for a gel, and levelling agent to make the right flow for the different fluid mediums. Compatibility testing on the finished formula is vital. All Liquitex products work together seamlessly across families and categories – Pro and Basics. Having the same binder helps us here. For mediums – like Pouring Medium – where the base is different, we do a full compatibility testing in the lab before releasing to the world.
Choosing the Right Medium
How do you decide between a gel or fluid paint medium for acrylic? Essentially, a gel will thicken color and a fluid will thin it. Both gels and fluids will extend the volume of your color – essentially giving you more paint – as you are adding more to it. The Liquitex pro mediums range has something for almost every artistic need. We’ve recently expanded the collection to give different finishes in fluids – so now you can choose matte, satin or high gloss finish for your color. Every medium gives you a unique result – changing transparency, surface shine, thickness depending on what result you are after. Have a look at the individual descriptions for more detail.
Some acrylic mediums look opaque because of the water content within the emulsion. Others include matting agents that make them appear milky, while other mediums are formulated with a clear resin, giving them greater clarity both wet and dry.
Because they include acrylic resin, mediums maintain or add to the stability of the acrylic paint film and can be used in any amount you want. But in the Liquitex Professional mediums family, there’s also a special category of professional additives. These are chemically different than the rest. Additives are used to adjust the chemistry of acrylic paints. Unlike all other mediums additives, they don’t include a significant proportion of acrylic resin. That means that additives should be used only in the amount you need to achieve the desired effect; adding too much can affect the stability of the paint film. Liquitex additives can be used to adjust the flow or drying time of your color. Each is unique so read the instructions before use.
You can use acrylic paint on metal, although it works best when the metal has been primed. A primer like the Jo Sonja 250ml – All Purpose Sealer or the Matisse 250ml- Clear Sealer are great options.
Can you use acrylic paint on fabric?
You can use acrylic paint on fabric, although it will often dry quite stiff. To enhance the workability of acrylic paint on fabric and reduce stiffness, use a fabric medium like this one by Liquitex
What colours should I get?
When starting out in acrylic painting, a good selection of colours is Cadmium Red, Phthalo Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Titanium White, Mars Black, Burnt Umber, Phthalo Green, Orange and Purple. You can also get a great variety of curated sets depending on the aesthetic you are hoping to achieve.
For a more comprehensive guide on choosing your paint colours, click here
What brushes should I use for acrylic painting?
Acrylic paint is best used with synthetic brushes rather than natural animal hair brushes. Taklon brushes in a variety of sizes are great for acrylic painting.
What brush should I use for details?
To create small details, use a liner brush. Liner brushes feature long, thin bristles, and enable you to control the placement of details and emphasize lines and highlights.
How do I clean my brushes?
Never leave your brushes sitting in water and this can loosen the glue holding the bristles in the ferrule. To clean your brushes, use a brush cleaner and water. After cleaning, be sure to also dry your brushes with a paper towel or cloth.
What type of paintbrush should I get?
- Flat brushes feature a flat ferrule with a square end.
- Bright style brushes feature a flat ferrule with a square end. It has a shorter hair longer than the flat style and is great for making distinct definite marks.
- Filbert style brushes feature a flat ferrule with rounded hair end. This is a versatile brush style that gives a softer finish than the flats or bright.
- Round style brushes feature a round ferrule with round pointed hair. A very popular brush (as are the filberts) with tonal painters.
- Fan-shaped brushes are great for adding highlights in grass and foliage. They are also good for blending.
- Liner brush styles are fantastic for small details and are characterized by their long, thin bristles.
- Large brushes are great for large, expressive, abstract expressionist style works.
How do I give acrylic paints a gloss finish?
To give your acrylic painting a gloss finish, mix Gloss medium with your paint. Once dried, protect your work with a gloss varnish such as the Krylon Spray – Kamar Varnish Spray and Micador Spray 450g – Gloss Picture Varnish or the Liquitex Gloss Varnish.
How do I give acrylic paints a matte finish?
How do I store my finished acrylic painting?
Once your work has been varnished and is ready to be displayed, you should hang your work in a climate-controlled, dry room away from natural lighting where possible. If you have created your piece on canvas, avoid leaning it on an angle, as this can lead to warping of the canvas.
Where can I find painting inspiration?
There are so many places to find inspiration for your acrylic painting. If you’re feeling creative block and need some inspo, check out our Instagram , Pinterest and TikTok for more.
Don’t forget to show us your acrylic painting creation by tagging us on Instagram @artshedonline for your chance to be featured! Got questions? Send us an email at [email protected] and our friendly team of artists will do their best to assist you. Happy creating!
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