We road tested and researched dozens of acrylic paint brands to narrow down the best ones, evaluating quality, pigment, consistency, lightfastness, and value. Our top pick, Liquitex, is a professional-grade acrylic paint that works well for many types of projects, is good for all skill levels, and has excellent consistency and pigmentation. Here are the best acrylic paint brands Just note that if you’re looking for something a little more opaque, these might not be the best paints for you, as they are on the thicker side.
Lightfastness of Pigments
“This will impact how long the colors will last without fading,” says Clare. “Look at the lightfastness rating on the supplier’s website or on the paint tube itself,” she explains. Clare also says most paints have an ASTM rating that helps you determine the quality with I being excellent and II being very good.
Paint Consistency
The paint consistency is important because it impacts how easy it is to work with and how much texture you can create. “Heavy body paint will hold its shape on the canvas, allowing artists to build texture and work with stiff brushes and palette knives,” says Clare. On the other hand, she explains, soft body paint is runnier than heavy body paint, making it a great choice for artists who enjoy painting in fine detail.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Contributing writer Jessie Quinn has a Bachelor’s Degree from Academy of Art University and, as the daughter of an artist, learned how to paint long before she learned how to write. Jessie’s love of painting has carried her throughout her life and is the one artform she always comes back to. Her favorite type of paint is acrylic, so she used her background in painting and experience with this particular type of paint to inform her research for this story. Jessie has personally tested all of these acrylic paint brands (plus others that didn’t make the cut) on her own projects and, after rigorously researching and considering factors such as quality, pigment, consistency, lightfastness, and value, she is confident in her top picks.
