Acrylic Paint

Using acrylics paints for portraits

Acrylics are water-based paints made from ground pigment (the colour) and acrylic polymers which act as the binder. They are very quick drying and permanent once the paint has dried. They dry by evaporation as opposed to oil paints which dry by oxidation. Acrylics don’t yellow with age and do not crack when several layers are painted on top of each other. This is an advantage as thin coats of paint can be applied on top of thicker paint and vice versa.

Most acrylic paints are opaque when used straight from the tube, but they can be thinned to a consistency of watercolour paints. Too much water though will weaken the binder and the paint will no longer be very permanent. Acrylics like oil paints can be used; dark colours on top of light colours and light colours on top of dark colours. There are many advantages to painting in acrylic paints and they can be used on the same surfaces as oil paints, with the addition of paper as a painting surface.