USING ACRYLICS

• Acrylic colors can be used on almost any surface that is not slick or greasy.
• Never mix acrylics with oils or paint on top of oil colors with acrylics.
• Canvas or panels should be prepared with acrylic gesso, or acrylics can be painted directly onto raw canvas or paper.
• A non-porous palette, such as a large sheet of glass or enamel butcher tray works better than the traditional wooden palette, which will absorb water from the paints.
• Acrylics dry very quickly and should be kept moist on the palette. A spray mister filled with water is helpful for this purpose.
• Use a medium such as our Acrylic Matte or Gloss Mediums to slow drying. This enables more beautiful blending and color transitions on the painting.
• When diluting tube or jar acrylics, use a 50/50 mix of water with Matte or Gloss Medium, to ensure that the pigments have enough binder. Hard-edged images can be achieved by marking off areas with masking tape. Glazes can be made by mixing.

• Acrylics can be used in a watercolor- like technique by thinning with water Since acrylics are insoluble when dry, they cannot be "lifted" like traditional watercolors.
• After five days of drying, acrylic paintings should be coated with a removable varnish such as our Picture Varnish (liquid) or Picture and Oil Painting Varnish (aerosol).
• Brushes should be kept moist during the painting session to avoid dried paint clogging the brush hairs.
• It is best to use synthetic filament brushes, such as Golden Edge or Bristlette®. The natural bristles of oil painting brushes will absorb water, swell, and become floppy.
• Before replacing the cap or lid on a container of acrylic color, make sure the threads of the container and cap don't harbor any paint. Paint in the threads can glue the cap to the container.
• Clean brushes and tools with soap and water.