my favorite acrylic paint

As many of you know I LOVE working with acrylic paint and I love using both low and high end paint. Today I thought I would share a roundup of my favorite paint that I use in my process.

1. CHEAP CRAFT PAINT is something that I always have on hand when I am creating. At about .50 a bottle I am able to keep all kinds of colors around to use in a variety of projects. I use the cheaper paint when I am working on more crafty projects or if I am working with lots of colorful layers in canvas, fabric or paper projects. I have found that while the cheaper paint is not as vibrant as more expensive brands, it will works great for me. 

TIP: Craft paint is perfect for getting accustomed to working with acrylic paint without spending too much money. 

2. BLICK STUDIO ACRYLIC PAINT is also another favorite of mine. It is really affordable and is a great option for painting on canvas.  

TIP: There are all kinds of different brands of acrylic paint and often bigger brands will make student versions of paint that are more affordable but still a high quality than craft paint. Don't get too caught up in the brand until you have taken the time and practice to really play and experiment with acrylic paint.

3. BLICK MATTE ACRYLIC PAINT is something I have recently enjoyed using because it works great on paper projects, art journal pages and on projects that require some really good thick coverage. The paint dries matte which means there is no gloss or sheen which I really like. Because a lot of my projects end up getting photographed, I prefer the surfaces not to be shiny (it shows up in photos) so a matte finish is something that I really enjoy. It is also handy when working in a sketchbook or art journal because the matte paint won't stick which means you can paint all over your pages without things sticking together once dry.

4. Nobody makes more beautiful saturated color than GOLDEN ACRYLIC PAINT (in my opinion). But it can be really expensive which is why I only use higher quality, expensive paint on projects that will be hung in a gallery, sold to a client or used in projects for licensing. I paint so many different objects and things that I just don't have the budget to always use Golden paint but I do have a variety of colors on hand that I will use for special projects.  

TIP: Use more expensive paint to add some pop to a layer, colorful details

5. One of the best paint supply tips I can share is keeping HOUSE PAINT on hand when creating. Back in college when I was a painting major, many of us couldn't afford gesso so the next best thing was house paint and I have used house paint ever since! From priming different surfaces- to mixing it with acrylic paint- to splattering and dripping- house paint is a really great affordable supply to keep on hand. I like to keep a gallon of white primer around the studio but just about anything (even leftover paint from house projects) will work. Often if I have a bigger project that require lots of paint I will purchase colorful house paint to use instead of acrylic paint.--