Acrylic Paint is one of the most popular art mediums in the world. Its exclusive characteristics make it one of the most versatile products in art and it can be used by virtually anyone – beginner or advanced, young or old.

Originally called Magna Paint, the acrylic medium was first invented between 1946 and 1949 by Sam Golden and Leonard Bocour. They formed a New York City based company called Bocour Artists Colours which ran between 1930's and the 1990's when both partners subsequently died.

The original Acrylic paint was made up of pigments that were ground in an acrylic resin and brought into an emulsion through adding solvents – this was not water soluble. However in the 1960's Bocour reinvented the acrylic paint by making it water soluble, this gave the paint an ability to dry rapidly to a matt or gloss finish. These were initially labelled as latex house paints - although there is no latex in the mix – and marketed by Liquitex.

Acrylic paints is exceptionally popular and is a must buy for all artists. It is readily available in various art and craft shops, even children’s toy shops sell a cheaper type due to its water soluble nature – making it easier for parents to clean up! Although once the paint is dry it is generally non-removable from solid surfaces – using alcohol on the surface may lift the paint after it has dried but only if it is fresh. Acrylics are also free from the pungent chemicals used in paints such as oils, so they are ideal for schools and for the uses of students.

The versatility of acrylic is not matched by many mediums. It can be used as a very thick paint to the similarity of oil paints – allowing the appearance of an oil production but giving a much quicker drying time. It can also be watered down to mimic the attributes of watercolour paint. Washes can be achieved with acrylics but the finished product cannot be further watered down like in a watercolour piece, the paint sets to a hard coat and is usually completely waterproof. It is however important to remember that you cannot water down acrylics too much as doing this – more than around 30% - may render the paint unusable. Acrylics also dry very quickly so any mixing of colours on or off the canvas must be done in quick time or you risk it being unmixable.

Acrylic selling stores usually have a very wide range of mixable mediums that can be used with normal acrylic paints. These enable an artist to create a huge collection of different effects with the basic paint and also allows for them to be used on a variety of different surfaces. These mediums can give different characteristics such as making the paint thicker or thinner, prolonging the drying time or adding a shimmer or sheen into the colour. The mediums can also add textures to the acrylic such as a 3D medium that allows paint to dry with a peaked texture. Mediums can be added so that Acrylic can be painted onto glass or pottery pieces – this will enable them to be washed in a dishwasher but they are for decorative purposes only and are not to be used with items that may contain anything edible. Mediums are also available to turn acrylics into fabric paints enabling them to be used to decorate clothes.

Acrylics are available in a very broad spectrum of colours, in-fact just as many as the other paint types which is another reason why this is such a versatile medium for an artist to use.

Crafty Arts supply a wide range of art supplies, from acrylic paint to polymer clay; you will be able to find everything you need at low, affordable prices today. Crafty Arts thrive on providing you with everything you need to create a wonderful piece of artwork.