What paints are best?

Over the years I’ve tried a lot of brands of acrylic paints.

The great thing is that you can mix and match paints, but it’s nice to learn what to look out for in a paint and figure out what your favourites are.

  • Check out the Series number as this will indicate price.
  • If there’s a swipe of paint on the label, this will show translucency/opacity.
  • Experiment with the flow of the paint. I prefer a fluid consistency for most of my work, but ‘heavy body’ is another option.
  • Realise that you’ll need to use more of the cheaper paint to achieve the coverage of the artist quality paint. And many cheaper paints contain ‘fillers’ that make the paint less vibrant.
  • Buy what you can afford so that you’re not skimping on paint. You need to feel like you can throw it on when you need to – without worrying about wastage too much.

Just remember – DO NOT waste your money on the SUPER cheap stuff! Don’t go cheaper than Jo Sonja’s please 🙂 !

There’s a LOT more that you can learn about acrylics, but in terms of colour, coverage and glide, here are a few brands I do recommend:

About Anna Battle

I’m an artist, guide, mother and a very handy Art Friend! 

My life’s mission is to share the joy of drawing and painting.

In 2011 I started offering in-studio guided Paint Alongs, and my first online course, 15 Flowers, went live in 2015.

In 2016 my book, Painting Party, was published (it’s still available on Amazon).

I now offer online Paint Alongs and workshops so that you can reconnect to the creativity inside you. Gift yourself the time to paint, and the guidance you need to improve your skills and your confidence. 

I invite you to join me and see the world through the eyes of an artist!

If not now, when?