WHAT MAKES ACRYLICS SO SPECIAL?

WHAT MAKES ACRYLICS SO SPECIAL?

• They dry quickly (10-12 minutes for thin applications, longer for thick applications)
• They flex
• You can clean them up with water when wet
• And they're permanent when dry
• They come in a range of consistencies and formats to suit you
• They stick to almost any surface
• They work across styles and techniques - from experimental applications to traditional painting styles
• They are low odor, with no fumes and are non-flammable
• You can change their character with mediums 

Thinning

Acrylics should never be thinned with more than 25% water. Why? Too much water will upset the balance and spread the acrylic polymer too thinly so the molecules can't reconnect properly to form a stable film. Instead you should dilute with an acrylic medium, which is essentially the same as the paint but without the color pigment. This way you are adding more of the acrylic/water emulsion to keep the formula and film stable.

Transparency

When wet, an acrylic/water emulsion has a slightly milky appearance and becomes transparent as the paint dries. This milkyness slightly lightens the value of the color. As water leaves the emulsion, and the binder clarifies, the value of the color darkens. This color change is commonly called the wet-to-dry color shift and is most noticeable with dark transparent pigments like alizarin and less noticeable with light opaque pigments like cadmium yellow. Our inhouse chemists are at the forefront of acrylic technology and use the latest acrylic resins available for Liquitex materials, providing you with the best wet clarity possible.

Flexibility

Acrylic paint films aren't keen on the extreme cold, so don't attempt to roll, unroll or flex acrylic paintings in temperatures below 45ºF as they will be more brittle.