Winsor and Newton describe the Professional as the brightest range of acrylic paint, focusing on the brilliance of the colors even after they dry. They’re not wrong. All the colors are highly saturated and rich, with excellent opacity and coverage. If you’re unsure whether acrylic is the right medium for you, we suggest you invest in some student-grade paints. These cheaper colours won’t be as bright and lightfast as with higher-end options, but you’ll get a feel for the application, consistency and texture of acrylic paint. If you’re a committed artist with a mind to selling or exhibiting work, you probably already know it’s worth spending what you can: you’ll see the results in the vibrancy of the colours, and they’ll better stand up to the test of time.

Standard acrylic paints have a consistency that’s just a little runnier than toothpaste. It can be thinned easily with water – although only to an approximate 50/50 mix, after which the polymers break down and it starts to bead on whatever substrate you’re using. There are heavy-body acrylics which are more butter-like, which are well-suited for textured paintings; fluid acrylics, on the other hand, have a cream-like consistency that doesn’t retain any brushwork. We’ve included all three types in our round-up.

High quality acrylic

Professional coverage is on the left, and Galeria paints on the right. Galeria colors seem brighter, more artificial, more transparent, and a touch softer than Winsor and Newton Professional. Both dry to a satin finish, but with Galeria brushstrokes are more visible. Read also: 5 Pro Steps to Protect Acrylic Paintings on Canvas Is Winsor and Newton Galeria paint good?

Acrylic can even be painted onto a sheet of glass, and peeled off once dry. This object can then be mounted as a free standing or hanging sculpture, or cut into pieces to make a mosaic. This 500ml tub of ‘Galeria’ acrylic paint, from renowned brand Winsor and Newton, provides an ample amount of quality paint at an economic price.Fast-drying and water based, Acrylic paint is composed of a pigment suspended in an acrylic co-polymer binder. This is then applied to a support such as a canvas . The pigment fixes to the support upon evaporation of the water, producing a slight colour change in the process. Acrylic paint dries to a water-resistant, flexible finish, making it the ideal medium for a number of craft purposes including screen printing and model making.

Read also: 7 Ways How to Make Acrylics More Opaque & Full Opaque Colors List Blending: Good mixing quality.

Keen to get painting? Take a look at our list of the best available acrylic paints

The 75ml-size tubes are also that bit bigger than other brands, which will be good for newbies – trust us, you’ll get through far more paint than you might expect. Still considered to be the new painting medium, Acrylic Paint was first produced in the 1960s. Delivering durable, professional results, Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic paint is ideal for artists after high-quality acrylic colour at an affordable price. Offering a wide spectrum of pigment characteristics, the range of 60 colours provide excellent brilliance of colour and a smooth, satin finish. Mixing colors is simple and precise. They blend well, and the resulting colors are vibrant. You can make the colors opaque by mixing transparent colors with titanium white. Available individually in 60ml, 120ml and 250ml sizes, and in sets, Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Colour provides strong brush stroke retention, and features high levels of pigment strength, opacity and permanence. The chemical properties of acrylic are much of a muchness from brand to brand. Where they differ is in their consistency and the levels of pigment they contain. We’ll go into pigment in the following section.