Best Acrylic Paints For Beginners

Best acrylic paints for beginners


Thinking of trying out acrylic paints for the first time? Check out my top 5 acrylics to get you started.

If you’re into art like I am and are looking for the best way to spend your money and your time, Acrylic paints are the way to go. They are great for beginners and they are the best go-to for artists and crafters alike.

Acrylic paint is a favorite amongst many artists and crafters as it can be versatile and beginner-friendly for most surfaces. They come in many packages and brands. There are student grade acrylic paint and professional-grade paints if you are already a seasoned veteran. This guide may help you regardless.

Additionally, this guide will help you pick the best brands on the market for acrylic paint at minimal expense as I will share my experiences I have had through many months of trial and error. I will be listing some of the best acrylic paint I have come across and evaluate them for your ease and convenience so you can pick the best for yourself.

Ideally, you are looking for the best price as well as quality when looking for acrylic paint. You definitely want to stay away from anything not worth purchasing due to quality-related issues and they are not uncommon to find when it comes to acrylic paint sets.

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01) Arteza Acrylic Paint, Set of 12 Colors/Tubes (0.74 oz, 22 ml) with Storage Box

Arteza Acrylic Paint, Set of 12 Colors full set

Rich Pigments, Non-Fading, Non-Toxic Paints for Artist & Hobby Painters, Art Supplies for Canvas Painting

Arteza Acrylic Paint is one of the safest bets out there. It’s not the best acrylic paint out there but it definitely has potential on a budget. Great for student grade, especially, if you are just starting out with acrylic paints, so needless to say, you are in good hands for the foreseeable future.

Among acrylic paint brands, Arteza is a great pick for several reasons and being reliant is one of them. The other reason being one of the more popular acrylic paint brands and overall art supplies in the market.

Features:

  • Excellent selection of colors
  • Vibrant colors
  • Toxin-free and safe
  • Designed and created by artists
  • Versatile compatibility on any surface

Description:

Great amongst artist grade paint and student grade paint alike. Most useful for its versatility and convenience. Acrylic paint dry faster, have more vivid colors and Arteza is a flagship for most of the better features of acrylic paint.

Pros
  • Excellent acrylic paint for beginners
  • Comes in a variety of sets, up to collections of 60
  • Cruelty-free
  • Non-toxic
  • Quick-drying
Cons
  • Color inaccuracies may be an issue
  • Requires a thick coat to be vibrant
  • May have to blend colors for desired results

Review:

Overall, this is a decent purchase if you’re looking to dip your toes into art and acrylic paint for the first time. Although it may not be something for professional artists they are still worth the purchase due to their promise of a few features.

It comes with a few caveats of needing to blend a few colors to get what you want and a few layers of coating to get the vivid colors result. If you can work your way around that and have a few bucks to spare, Arteza Acrylic Paint is what you need and can get.


02) Magicfly 36 Pcs Acrylic Paint Set for Kids and Beginners

Magicfly 36 Pcs Acrylic Paint Set for Kids and Beginners

24 Rich Pigments Acrylic Paint Kit for Beginner (12 ml/0.4 oz) with 6 Paint Brushes, 3 Canvas Panels, 1 Paint Knives, 1 Palette & Sponge

This is a great kit for starters and if you’re once again looking to dip your toe into the acrylic paint industry. The kit comes with everything you need to have for all your crafting, blending paints and painting needs.

Acrylic is generally a good call for artist grade paints if you’re on a tight budget. Magicfly is just that. Great and diverse selection of equipment within the kit for the price.

Features:

  • Quick-drying water-based acrylic paint
  • Vibrant colors
  • Smooth consistency
  • It can be applied on many surfaces such as wood, ceramic, stone, leather etc.

Description:

Quick-drying acrylic paint since they are water-based. It comes with 24 rich pigments, 6 paintbrushes, 3 canvas panels, 1 paint knife, 1 palette and sponge.

Pros
  • Well rounded Kit for beginners
  • Vibrant colors
  • Non-toxic
  • Water-based
  • Premium Quality
Cons
  • Relatively new brand
  • Small tubes of paint

Review:

Overall, a great purchase if you’re looking for a gift for yourself or anybody else. It comes with one of the best acrylic paint sets for beginners. It has everything you need to get started so you will not be missing out on any of the advanced features from the get-go if you want to explore further.


03) Ohuhu Acrylic Painting Set, 44pcs Artist Set with Wood Table-Top Easel Box For Beginners

Ohuhu Acrylic Painting Set

Art Painting Brushes, Acrylic Paint Tubes, and Acrylic Painting Pads for Artist Student Beginner

Ohuhu Acrylic Painting Set is another great selection within the best acrylic paint brands. Since it comes in a significantly large set with almost everything that a beginner needs, it is needless to say it is a great contender for this list.

Among the others in the list, this seems to be a popular choice amid all the beginners that decide to make a purchase on acrylic paints.

Features:

  • With the easel and drawers, it goes hand in hand with the acrylic paint tubes and where to store them along with the other brushes and pads.
  • Like any of the other good acrylic paints, it has the basic features such as quick-dry and being water-based.
  • Being water-based once again proves that it is great for anybody as it is non-toxic. Any contact on the skin proves to be harmless and messes can easily be taken care of since water-based is easy cleanup.

Description:

44 Piece acrylic paint set comes with a selection of 12 acrylic paint brushes, 24 acrylic paint tubes, 3 canvas panels, 1 stretched canvas, 1 desk box easel, 1 acrylic painting pad with 12 sheets, 1 paint palette and 1 color wheel. Ensuring you have most of what you need from the start.

Pros
  • Quick Dry
  • Non-Toxic
  • Easy Clean-up
  • Wide selection of basic colors
Cons
  • Easel may be flimsy
  • All paint tubes do not fit in the provided drawer

Review:

Great purchase if you need the basics since it will provide you with most of whatever you need to get started for your painting needs.


04) Shuttle Art Acrylic Painting Set, 59 Pack Professional Painting Supplies with Wood Tabletop Easel

Shuttle Art Acrylic Painting Set,

30 Colors Acrylic Paint, Canvas, Brushes, Palette, Complete Painting Kit for Beginners, Kids, Adults

Shuttle Art Acrylic Painting Set is a great starter kit that comes in with 59 pack professional painting supplies and a wood tabletop easel. Among acrylic paints their quality is decent and as per the reviews listed on the product purchase page.

Additionally, they come with several equipment items which are almost in an abundance, starting from acrylic paint brushes and artist grade paint tubes.

Features:

  • It comes packed with a foldable wood tabletop easel
  • 30 colors of acrylic paint tubes
  • 12 professional brushes in a canvas bag
  • 1 stretched canvas
  • 1 painting knife
  • 1 sponge,
  • Painting cup / water bucket.

Description:

Ideally packed with everything you need to have to start painting and become a novice at your hobby. With quality artist-grade acrylic paint that is toxin-free, you can get the most out of your free time and money.

Pros
  • Vibrant colors
  • Non-Toxic
  • Quick dry
  • Artist-grade acrylic paint
Cons
  • Some material quality may feel cheap
  • Hinges and metal on the easel may rust

Review:

Overall, a good purchase if you want all the equipment packed in one box. Certainly, a cut above oil paints since you do not have to deal with the hassle of clean up.


05) Emooqi Acrylic Paint Set, Set of 36 Colors Opaque Paints (22 ml/0.74 oz)

Emooqi Acrylic Paint Set main

With 10 Paint Brushes, Quick Dry, Ideal for Artist Beginners and Kids Painting on Canvas, Wood

 This pack in the list has one of the most diverse selections of basic colors coming in with 36 opaque acrylic paints. Apart from oil paints, you can further achieve darker and more vibrant colors by repeatedly overcoating to achieve more accurate pigments.

Features:

  • Similar to fluid acrylics these are long-lasting and quick-drying like any other good acrylic paints.
  • Safe to use and toxic-free and easy to clean off the skin while still being long-lasting.
  • It can be considered heavy body acrylic due to being high viscosity.

Description:

This set includes 36 unique colors which is great for creating a plethora of color schemes. Each tube contains heavy body paint (22 ml in each tube). Also, it includes 10 Paintbrushes.

Pros
  • Heavy body acrylic paint
  • Versatile compatibility for surfaces
  • Smooth consistency
  • Soft body
Cons
  • Not a very popular acrylic paint brand
  • Lack of utilities in set

Review:

If vibrant colors are what you are looking for and you want to mix and match your own set of colors, you are set. However, you will need to buy your own paint knife to blend. Still worth a purchase for a decent amount of soft body paint.


What You Should Know About Acrylic Paints For Beginners

When you are getting into the world of acrylic paints, especially as a beginner, you will be tempted to go for a lot of novelty offerings that you may not need until later and spending a lot of money from the get-go just for a hobby may not be sensible.

There are a few great quality acrylic paint companies that you may be interested in if you really want premium, such as Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint or Utrecht Acrylic Paint that have an outstanding reputation for what they bring to the table. You are free to explore those options too.


Conclusion / Roundup

In conclusion, being an artist by hobby or wanting to get into the world of painting, Acrylic paints are one of the most fun ways to inaugurate that spark you have for art since they are beginner friendly, affordable and accessible in countless brands as mentioned in the guide above.


FAQs

Which Acrylic paint is best for beginners?

So far all that has been are mostly glossy and metallic, most of which can also be found in Blickrylic Student Acrylic Paint or Winsor Newton which is ideal for beginners if you want a brand name that is well-reputed.

If you’re looking for the infamous alizarin crimson hue, most of these basic entry-level will not have that, either you will have to try to blend it yourself or purchase it from other sources.

Which brand can you trust?

You may visit reputable brands such as Winsor Newton. It is one of the oldest acrylics and general painting suppliers out there in the market.

If you are struggling with your paints drying too quickly as does most acrylic paints, you may purchase the Chroma Atelier Interactive Artists Acrylics which often retain their malleability for longer. Chroma Atelier Interactive Acrylics generally cost more but they are worth the extra dollars since you would want to learn to be more confident in the strokes of your brush.

For more reputable and well-known art supply brands in the world of acrylics, Graham Artists Acrylics and Winsor Newton is a great start to get more into hobby paint procuring for professional paints.

How to achieve different final textures?

To find different finishes you would have to venture out and expl0re the markets for the desired results, examples being satin finish and matte finish which have to be acquired by purchasing special coats externally. These two coatings however will not allow you to alter your paintings any further.

Acrylic Gouache is what you may use to achieve the Matte finish or the Satin finish.

How can I make my paintings last longer?

To make your paintings last longer once set you will need paint that is UV resistant that can be acquired by putting on a special coat that is available freely on the market.

Should beginners use acrylic paint?

Absolutely, acrylic paints are excellent for beginner paints since they are tremendously inexpensive and easy to get. Learning using acrylic paint is great as you have space for errors without being punished too much for making mistakes.


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Written By Adam Rushton

Adam has made a name for himself in the illustration industry and is a passionate blogger and writer on the subject of art, illustration and graphic design.

His artwork has been featured in countless publications and used for very well-known media projects. As a professional illustrator for over 20 years, Adams media outlets, a wealth of knowledge, and experience enable him to consult and advise artists and illustrators in this country (from York and Manchester to Southampton and London) and all over the world.


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