13 Best Acrylic Paints for Beginners & Professionals | Reviewed

And then you’ll have to judge whether or not it’s the right one for you! 

If you are not in the mood to create an excel sheet and compare all the different brands and varieties, then you’ve come to the right place. 

We have done the hard work for you! We have tried and tested several brands of acrylic paints and have brought the best ones on this list. 

Here are the 13 Best Acrylic Paints for Beginners and Professionals! 

If you are looking for the best cheap acrylic paints that do not sacrifice quality, you can find them here.

Best Acrylic Paints and Paint Colors

 

Whether you're a beginner or a professional artist, there's something on this list for everyone. So without further ado, here's the list of the 13 best acrylic paints to inspire your next masterpiece.

1. Utrecht Artists' Acrylic Paint Colors - Best Overall Performance

Utrecht is a famous company in the art community as the maker of some of the best gear for professional artists. They have been serving for the past 50 years or more and now are part of another globally renowned company, Blick. This product, in particular, is one of the best acrylic paints and professionals’ favorite.

Experience

The colors are of top-notch quality. They are amazingly vibrant and the paint has a very high pigment count. And the saturation of individual colors is as expected.

Of course, the lightfastness and permeance of each color vary from each other but the quality is uber with no doubt.

They also mix evenly and accurately. The colors, truly, are artists’ grade colors.

The colors can be bought individually or as a set of 65, and are available in 3 sizes of tubes - 2, 5, and 16 oz.

They are quite expensive but the performance and quality make it totally worth the price.

2. Blick Artists' Acrylic Paints - Widest Color Selection

Blick is a world-famous company when it comes to professional-grade art products. We have already talked once about it in the previous section.

Blick Artists’ Acrylics are available in 70 different colors and all of them are absolutely the best quality. Although a bit expensive these colors are totally worth the price.

Experience

The colors have a very high pigment count, are astoundingly lightfast, and have great saturation and accuracy.

It’s not news, though, because Blick is one of the world’s most renowned art companies for a good reason.

The colors are available in 4 sizes - 2, 8, 16, and 65 oz. You’ll have to be decisive about the quantity of each color you get with Blick because they are super expensive.

There are 70 different colors in total. Out of the 70, 38 are made from a single pigment source and they perform the same in terms of lightfastness and permanence. The other 32 are made from a combination of pigments.

3. M. Graham Acrylic Paint - Best for Oil Paint Transitioning

Graham is a US-based company that makes good quality paint - oil, watercolors, acrylic, etc. - for artists all around the world. This line-up comes in a set of 6 colors that can also be bought individually. The colors are Azo Yellow, Naphthol Red, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Green, Mars Black, and Titanium White.

Experience

The colors have a high pigment count, which makes the color vibrant no matter what surface you are using. The performance is also great in terms of lightfastness and permanence. These truly are professional-grade colors.

Although the colors mix accurately and you get the primary colors, the inclusion of only 6 colors makes creating other colors a manual process, which is cumbersome.

The feel of the paint is great if you are switching to acrylic from oil paint. The application and the performance are pretty similar between the two.

Since the colors are meant for professional artists, they don’t come for cheap and there are two sizes available for the paint - 2 oz (59ml) and 6 oz (150ml).

4. Arteza Acrylic Paint Set - Best for Casual Painters & Kids

Till now, we have only discussed professional-grade expensive acrylic paint. In this entry, Arteza brings an option for casual painters, kids, and decorative artists. The paint has decent performance at an affordable price along with a wide variety of colors to choose from - 60 different colors in a given set. 

Experience

The colors perform pretty well for the price. They are plenty vibrant and they mix reasonably accurately. The pigment count and permanence may not be that impressive but for the price, it is to be expected.

One thing that did impress us in terms of performance was the colors’ lightfastness which is more than just sufficient given the price.

There’s a wide variety of colors in the set but unfortunately, the colors can’t be purchased individually.

The colors are completely safe and non-toxic, so don’t be scared to give these to your child. Also, the caps can be resealed without any hassle making it a perfect buy for the occasional creator.

5. Chroma Atelier Interactive Acrylics - Best for Watercolor Transitioning

Chroma Atelier Interactive Acrylics don’t give exactly the experience of painting with acrylics. It is best suited for artists who are switching to acrylics from watercolors. The paint has been engineered in such a way that it behaves more like watercolors than acrylics while still giving similar results. 

Experience

This paint doesn’t form a skin over the canvas or paper as conventional acrylic does when it dries. That means you can use water to rehydrate the paint again with water and control the spread again, somewhat, like watercolors.

All acrylic painters know that correctly blending is one of the hardest things to do with acrylic paint because it dries up so fast. This paint doesn’t have that issue. There’s no sense of urgency with this paint when it comes to blending.

That’s why watercolor artists would feel at home with this paint, and we recommend you also try this if you do a lot of blending and not glazing.

6. Golden Heavy Body Acrylic

Golden’s Heavy Body Acrylic is our top pick for artists who are more comfortable with heavy-body acrylic paint. For the uninitiated, heavy body paint is more viscous, or in other words, heavy. They form thicker skin and usually dry up faster.

There are 6 colors in this set (which can also be bought individually) - Phthalo Blue, Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Magenta, Titanium White, Carbon Black, and Phthalo Green.

Experience

Painting with heavy-body acrylic is a thing of preference and if it’s your preference then Golden Heavy Body is our top recommendation for you.

The colors perform amazingly. The colors are obviously very saturated and vibrant. They are also incredibly lightfast and permanent.

One thing to keep in mind if you are new to heavy-body acrylic is that blending is difficult with it. You'll have to resort to glazing and use a knife for mixing colors. Even special acrylic brushes will not be able to handle the harshness of heavy-body acrylic paint.

And the fact that there are only 6 different colors makes getting specific colors and blends a totally manual process, which is quite cumbersome.

7. Daler-Rowney Acrylic Paint

Daler-Rowney provides good acrylics at a cheaper price than other brands like Golden, Liquitex, Winsor, and Newton. We included this option because of the quality you get for the price, and more importantly, because we know that artists need cheap acrylics for background filling.

Experience

Every painter has to use a large portion of colors to fill up the background and other large areas of the painting. For that purpose, we recommend using this cheap acrylic for Daler-Rowney.

Don’t let the cheap price tag fool you because the colors are actually pretty decent, and in the box, you get a total of 10 different colors. The variety is sufficient for base filling.

Do keep in mind that the colors are not of professional grade, so we don’t recommend using this color set for anything more than background filling for serious work.

Other than that, also keep in mind that the colors are a little on the thicker side.

8. Matisse Structure Formula Acrylics

Matisse Structure Formula Acrylics is a great option for kids because of its modularity in terms of consistency and its affordable price. We also recommend it to casual artists and hobbyists. In the set we reviewed, you get 12 different shades of 12ml each.

Experience

Controlling the paint is one of the toughest jobs when it comes to painting with acrylic paint. So, if you are new to painting, in general, then it can scare you away.

That’s where this paint impressed us the most. You can dilute this color with water or medium to give a thinner and more fluid experience.

You can also make it thicker using impasto or texture medium if you prefer that experience.

Otherwise, the colors perform decently enough for the price. The vibrancy is great for the price and the permanency is above average.

If you are new to the art or have kids who want to discover their artistic side, then go with this as it’ll be really helpful for learning the basics.

9. Castle Art Supplies Acrylic Paint Set

Castle Art Supplies Acrylic Paint Set is our top budget pick that is meant for beginner and casual artists. These colors come at almost half the price of the Arteza color set we talked about. The set has 48 different colors, and the quality and the performance of the paint are well beyond the expectations one could have given the price.

Experience

The colors have a decent pigment count, and they are pretty vibrant. The permanence and the lightfastness are also well above average.

The experience of painting with this color set is also very satisfactory, especially, given the price point.

The set has 48 different colors, which is more than enough in terms of variety. The variety of the color set becomes even more important if you consider that this paint set will mostly be used by beginners and casual artists.

The only gripe that we have with this color set is the fact that the tubes are not big - 22ml each - and the colors can’t be purchased individually. Because of this, the basic colors, which are used the most, run out pretty soon.

10. Grumbacher Acrylic Paint Set

Grumbacher Acrylic Paint Set is the best student-grade acrylic set according to us. At the student grade bracket, this acrylic set gives the closest performance to professional-grade acrylic paint. These colors can be bought individually as well as in sets. There are four sizes available as well - 2.5, 3, 5.07, and 6.76 oz.

Experience

The experience of painting with these colors is amazing. The consistency is extremely smooth and the feel of the paint is spectacular for the price. It’s a little surprising to see such a good performance in a student grade color set.

The colors excel in vibrancy as well. It seems like the paint has a high pigment count and the colors are, very poopy and bright. The results look very close to what we’d have gotten with professional-grade paint.

The paint is decently permanent and lightfast as well. But the colors vary from each other in terms of durability, so, we recommend you to check their website for the specifics.

11. Liquitex Professional Acrylic Set

Liquitex is a brand of art supplies that was founded in 1955, and since then, Liquitex has made some of the best art products, including paint. This heavy-body acrylic set performs outstandingly in every regard, and we can recommend this paint enough to professionals who use heavy-body acrylics. 

Experience

This heavy-body acrylic has outstanding performance in every area. The consistency is marvelous, with a buttery flow and a gorgeous satin finish. 

The colors are pretty bright and vibrant, even though the pigment count is not very high. It’s good in a way because many professionals like more somber colors. 

The durability of the paint is incredible. The paint is extremely lightfast and permanent, no matter the color. The paint is water-resistant and UV resistant. 

It is our top recommendation for professionals who prefer heavy-body acrylics. 

The set we reviewed had 12 different colors, and the colors can also be individually purchased through various online and offline retailers. The color variety is a bit underwhelming, but we figure it’s enough to satisfy most artists’ needs. 

There are four sizes to choose from - 2, 4.65, and 32 oz. 

12. Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Paint

Winsor & Newton's Galeria is a series of paint that bridges the gap between the student-grade and the professional-grade paints. With a modest price tag, this paint set provides more than most student-grade paint sets. It’s sort of a middle ground of acrylic paint and hence, it makes it on our list. 

Experience

The colors are reasonable, vibrant, and sort of mimic the look of professional-grade paint while being a lot cheaper. We think professional artists who are new to acrylics will find this paint the most useful.

The colors are fairly lightfast and permanent but you’ll have to look up online for details about the durability of individual colors.

Although the colors we are discussing here come in a set of 10, you can buy 57 different colors individually as well.

There are in total 4 different sizes for the paint - 60, 200, 250, and 500 ml. Although you do keep in mind that some colors don’t have all the sizes available.

13. Sennelier Acrylics

This acrylic set makes it here because of the incredible handiness of blending and glazing with these. The colors perform reasonably well and at an affordable price. The smoothness of the flow and color vibrancy is a delightful experience. 

Experience

The colors are on the more saturated and strong side. The colors pop out after drying and overall, it’s a good look.

The consistency is on the softer side - kind of thin. The paint seems to glide on the canvas and the experience, hence, is very smooth and pleasing.

For that very reason, we think that this acrylic set is perfect for blending, glazing, and mixing colors.

On the other side, the colors are also very durable. They are decently lightfast and retain their saturation very well. Overall, it’s a good pick.

Best Acrylic Paint Sets Comparison Table

Buying Guide For The Best Acrylic Paint Set

FUN FACT | Did you know acrylic paints dry way faster than other paints? 

If we are able to curb your interest, here is our article on how long acrylic paints take to dry. Many take this as a blessing whereas others feel this is not suitable for painting. 

Go on and give it a read! 

Here are some parameters that are used to judge the quality of acrylic paint. 

Vibrancy

The vibrancy of the paint depends on the pigments that are used to make the paint. The source of the pigment, its purity, and its concentration decides the brightness of the paint. 

The paint that has ‘Hue’ in its name is made from a combination of pigments to produce that specific color. These are, hence, not naturally sourced. 

Typically, artist-grade paints are more vibrant and have better pigments than student-grade paints. 

Consistency

Acrylic paint can be of various kinds in terms of consistency. And in acrylic paints, consistency matters a lot because the experience is significantly different, and different consistencies are used to achieve different results. 

Heavy body paint is, especially, a different breed of its own. Because it has an almost putty-like consistency and the artists use it to achieve very different results from other acrylic paints. 

Lightfastness

Lightfastness is the ability of the paint to resist the depreciation that is caused by light and radiation. Lightfast paint retains its saturation even after long exposure to light. 

ASTM categorizes colors using 5 buckets of lightfastness: Very Poor, Poor, Fair, Very Good, and Excellent. 

Often lightfastness varies from color to color even if they come from the same line-up. This is because different kinds of pigments are used for different colors. 

If you are concerned about the lightfastness of the paint you use, be sure to check the ratings of individual colors from the website of the manufacturer. 

Permanence

The permanence of a paint tries to quantify or categorize the permanency of that paint. Of course, this also includes how lightfast the paint is, but it also includes other aging factors of the paint. 

Often, casual artists can ignore the permanency of the paint but professional artists are very serious about this. 

Our recommendation for them will be to carefully note the permanency of individual colors from the manufacturer’s website as permanency also varies with the colors. 

Acrylic Paints FAQs

What is the best acrylic paint for professionals?

Utrecht is a famous company in the art community as the maker of some of the best gear for professional artists. They have been serving for the past 50 years or more and now are part of another globally renowned company, Blick. This product, in particular, is one of the best acrylic paints and professionals’ favorite. 

What is the best acrylic paint for beginners?

Till now, we have only discussed professional grade expensive acrylic paint. In this entry, Arteza brings an option for casual painters, kids, and decorative artists. The paint has decent performance at an affordable price along with a wide variety of colors to choose from – 60 different colors in a given set. 

What is the best acrylic paint for kids?

Matisse Structure Formula Acrylics is a great option for kids because of its modularity in terms of consistency and its affordable price. We also recommend it to casual artists and hobbyists. In the set we reviewed, you get 12 different shades of 12ml each. 

Conclusion

So, that’ll be all for this article. 

We listed our top picks for acrylic paints and also included our review about them.. Keep in mind that these entries are listed to cater to unique and different needs, so there’s not any sort of ranking. 

We hope that you enjoyed reading this piece and found it helpful. We hope you the very best in your endeavors, and thank you for reading! 

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