As an artist I've tried all kinds of paints over the years. I used to LOVE oil paints and I still do, but they weren't a good long-term option for me due to the toxicity levels when painting (the paint itself plus the toxic mediums). I love the look and grace of oils but it just wasn't for me moving forward.
I began to try out acrylic painting a few years ago and dove into new techniques and fell even more in love! I had so much more freedom and creative ways to spread the paint to create the effects I wanted, so I began to explore the world of acrylic painting even more. It became my medium of choice even to this day. I still dabble in other mediums from time to time but acrylic is my favorite.
I also have come across many brands and quality of acrylic paint, but here is a simple breakdown of what I've found:
Craft Paint/Low Quality Paint
These paints are suited for random craft projects or even painting for fun, but they aren't great if you need higher quality/professional artist level paint that lasts on a canvas and they tend to lack good pigment and are very thin.
Medium Quality Paint (Medium Body)
These can still be good for use as an artist because you can still use it for your paintings and use top coats that can extend the longevity of the paint. These work for artists or students at any level due to their cheaper price tag, however the color tends to be duller and more chalky as a whole and the quality of the paint is not as high as the paint I'll be discussing next.
High Quality/Highly Pigmented Paint
If you want really vibrant or highly-pigmented color, you will need to choose something different than the options above.
I took that step into more high-quality paints about 2 years ago and it has changed everything! I love color, and the dullness of the run-of-the-mill paints cheapens the overall quality of the painting in my opinion. I've tried a few brands but so far, none has compared to Golden brand heavy body artist acrylic paint! I LOVE IT SO MUCH! For someone who loves color... this is the jackpot!
These colors are vibrant, so much so that you can thin out the vibrant pure colors like magenta and get a watercolor effect! They really do transform the quality of your work as a professional artist. Golden also has thinner paint then the heavy body paint, yet they still maintain the color vibrancy like no other brand I've ever tried.
If you want color... like really want good color... you need to give these a try! If you want to use them but need to save some money, you can use cheaper paints for overall color and bring in these paints for the pops of color as well which is a nice option if you need to go that route.
Another tip for saving money on Golden paints is to buy them from Blick Art Materials. Their everyday price is cheaper than normal retail price. I even found their prices to be better than my local art supply shops on sale. I've been getting my supply of Golden paints from them for almost two years now, as well as other art supplies, and I've saved some serious cash doing so!
I love their company so much I recently joined their Affiliate team so I can share my favorite supplies with other artists!
To check out these Golden Heavy Body Acrylic Paints CLICK HERE!
If you end up wanting to try them out, I'd love it if you'd use the link above to make your purchase. It helps me out with a small commission but doesn't cost you anything extra! Here's the only thing I WARN YOU about... if you do use my link to purchase anything from this website... it could cause an outbreak of happy dancing. It will start with me... but when you try these paints out, I'm pretty sure you will be affected by the dance outbreak as well. I'm also not sure there is a preventative medicine for it, so you might take that into consideration before you purchase. 😂
Ok. I think that covers it! Happy painting you beautiful thing you! Let me know what you think when you try them out!