Choosing the Right Paint

Types and Formats - The consistency of acrylic paint, known as ‘body,’ is determined by the type of binder used to formulate it. Acrylic paint is available in a variety of textures, from very thick heavy body formulas to smooth soft body formulas to fluid paints with the consistency of heavy cream to liquid inks. Body is not an indication of quality, and the type of acrylic paint you choose will be determined by your project and substrate.

Acrylic paints are also offered in slow-drying ‘open’ formulas that allow painters to utilize wet-in-wet and other techniques typically associated with oil paints. Acrylic inks can be applied with markers, pens, or an airbrush. Acrylic spray paints and mural paints are a durable option for murals, signs, and outdoor objects.

Mediums – Acrylic mediums can be used to create effects, alter the paint’s sheen level, add body, increase flow, and modify drying times. Types include mediums, gels, and pastes.

Drying Time - Drying times will vary depending on the environment, the paint’s viscosity, and any mediums used. Inks and sprays can dry in a matter of seconds, while heavy body formulas dry in 20 minutes to an hour. Once dry, colors remain flexible and water-resistant.

Color Shift - Acrylic paints sometimes darken in tone as they dry due to their binder changing from white to translucent. Some artist-grade paints are specially formulated to eliminate or reduce color shift.

Clean-up – Soap and water.

Substrates - Canvas, paper, panels, primed wood surfaces, glass, and objects.

Types and Formats – Traditional oil paints are made by dispersing finely ground pigments in drying oils, including linseed oil, safflower oil, poppy oil, and walnut oil. Drying oils harden when exposed to oxygen, encasing pigments in a durable film that allows colors to remain vibrant for centuries. The type of oil binder used is determined by the individual pigment, drying times, and other considerations. Artist and professional-grade oil paints contain higher concentrations of precisely ground pigments, which are combined with oil binders in a specific ratio to maximize the richness of the color. Student-grade paints typically contain less pigment, and may be formulated with driers or fillers.

Water-mixable oil paints are genuine oil paints, but the oil binder has been modified to allow them to be thinned with water. They dry slowly like traditional oils and are ideal for those who prefer to work solvent-free. Water-mixable oils can be combined with traditional oils and oil mediums, however mixing will impact miscibility with water.

Alkyd oil colors contain alkyd resin, which speeds drying times.

Oil sticks, also called pigment sticks, are ideal for drawing on canvas or even making marks on dried paint. Like traditional oils, they are made from a mixture of oil and pigment with the addition of wax for stability.

Mediums – Oil mediums can be used to increase transparency, alter sheen, extend color, and slow or speed drying times.

Drying Time – Oil paints dry through the chemical process of oxidization. Unlike water-based or acrylic paints, which dry as their water content evaporates, oil paints dry as their binder contracts and solidifies. While paint may be dry to the touch after several days, the oil binder will continue to cure and harden over time. To prevent cracking, it’s important to allow paintings to cure for six months to a year before applying varnish.

For similar reasons, it is essential to follow the ‘fat over lean’ rule when painting with oils. Thin layers should be applied to the canvas before thick layers (and never vice versa) to maintain structural integrity.

Color Shift – There is no color shift from wet to dry with traditional oils. Mixing too much water with water-mixable oils may result in color shift and reduce sheen.

Clean-Up – Oil paint clean-up traditionally involves solvents, including turpentine or mineral spirits, however there are ways to work solvent-free.

Substrates – Primed surfaces, including hardboard, wood panels, canvas, and linen.

Types and Formats – Watercolor paints are made by dispersing finely ground pigments in a water-soluble binder, such as gum arabic or aquazol. When water is added to the paint, the binder dissolves but the pigments do not, allowing for a high degree of transparency. Watercolors also typically contain moisturizers, such as glucose or honey, and plasticizers, which help colors dissolve quickly and evenly while preventing the paint from drying too quickly. Watercolors are available in pan, cake, and tube formats. Paints from the tube are wet, while cakes and pans are solid and must be activated with water.

Format is not an indication of quality, and many artist and professional-quality watercolors are available in both pan and tube forms. The type of watercolor you choose will depend on your preferences and goals.

Liquid watercolors are concentrated dye or pigment-based solutions that can be diluted with water.

Watercolor pencils and markers are formulated with water-soluble binders that allow the pigments to be diluted with water.

Mediums – Mediums can be used to enhance or simulate granulation, ‘lift’ staining pigments, increase or decrease flow, and speed drying times. Papers and substrates can be treated with masking fluid, which is specially designed to prevent paint from permeating any areas where it is applied without damaging the substrate. Once dry, it can be carefully peeled away to reveal white spaces, making it ideal for highlights.

Drying Time – Watercolor paints dry between 15 minutes to an hour or more. Drying times vary depending on the environment, saturation levels, and substrates used.

Color Shift – Watercolors often lose chroma and value as they dry. As the water used to disperse the pigments evaporates, pigments settle into the paper, scattering light and dulling the visual effect of the color when wet. The degree of color shift will depend on a variety of factors, including the characteristics of individual pigments, quality of binder, and substrate.

Clean-Up – Soap and water.

Substrates – Controlled-absorbency substrates are recommended. These include watercolor papers that can be stretched while wet, watercolor canvas or panels, polyester film, and substrates coated with watercolor grounds.

Types and Formats – Like watercolors, gouache paints are made by dispersing finely ground pigments in a water-soluble binder, such as gum arabic or aquazol. The differences lie in the size of the pigments (usually larger), the ratio of pigments to binder (usually higher), and in the addition of a white filler, such as chalk, which results in a slightly thicker paint that dries to an opaque, matte finish. These qualities make gouache a favorite of illustrators and graphic artists, whose work is photographed and reproduced. Like watercolors, traditional gouache remains watersoluble when dry.

Acrylic gouache is a great option for artists looking for a water-resistant alternative to traditional gouache. Creamy and fluid with a matte, flat finish, it dries to a more flexible film than traditional gouache.

Mediums – Gouache mediums can be used to increase opacity, reactivate colors, increase water-resistance, speed drying times, and add texture to surfaces.

Drying Time – Gouache paints typically dry between 15 minutes to an hour or more. Drying times vary depending on the environment, saturation levels, and substrates used.

Color Shift – Gouache colors often shift in value as they dry, making color matching a challenge. The degree of color shift will depend on a variety of factors, including the characteristics of individual pigments and the quality of binder.

Clean-Up – Soap and water.

Substrates – Watercolor paper, illustration board.

Types and Formats – Tempera paint, also known as poster paint, is made with pigments and a combination of starch, cellulose, and other materials that give it a creamy consistency. Non-toxic and commonly allergen-free, it is safe, versatile, inexpensive, and available in a wide variety of formats and bright colors. These factors, combined with its ease of use, make it a popular scholastic paint. Tempera paint sticks are similar to pastels, but non-toxic and easy to clean. Tempera cakes are similar to watercolor pans, but more opaque. Tempera powders need to mixed with water before use.

Tempera paint is not considered stable long-term, as it is water-soluble and prone to flaking.

Mediums – Tempera paints can be thinned with water. Artwork can be protected with tempera varnishes, available in a variety of finishes.

Drying Time – Tempera paints dry quickly, especially when applied in thin layers. Drying times vary depending on surface saturation, the amount of water mixed with the paint, and the environment.

Color Shift – Shifts in chroma and value can be expected as paints dry.

Clean-Up – Tempera paints can be washed off hands, brushes, and most fabrics with soap and water.

Substrates – Watercolor paper, craft paper, and cardboard.

Types and Formats – Encaustic paints, also known as hot wax paints, are made by combining wax (typically beeswax), pigment, and a hardener such as dammar resin. Solid at room temperature, encaustic paints must be heated for application. Since the paints are applied in layers, heat is critical for ensuring layers fuse properly. Once hardened and cooled, encaustic paints can be polished to a high gloss, carved, collaged, or made smooth.

Encaustic paints are available in sticks, cakes, and large blocks in a variety of grades, from student to artist and professional. The level of transparency and degree of tinting strength that can be achieved depends on the quality, quantity, and characteristics of the pigments and binder.

Mediums – Mediums can be used to extend colors and modify opacity and transparency. Mediums can also be applied as a base or top coat.

Drying Time – Because encaustic paints are wax-based, they solidify almost instantly and then cure over long periods due to the addition of dammar resin, which makes the paint harder and more resilient with time.

Color Shift – Colors dry to a satin finish and there is no color shift from wet to dry.

Clean-Up – Soy wax can be used to clean brushes.

Substrates – Absorbent, rigid surfaces such as bare wood panel, paper mounted onto panel, panels prepared with traditional (glue-based) gesso, or specially-formulated encaustic gesso.