If you love acrylic painting, Totenart has the widest range of products for this technique.
The best acrylic brands in every format: Vallejo Acrylics (Studio and Artist), Fevicryl Acrylic, Liquitex Acrylics (Heavy Body and Basics), Amsterdam Acrylic, La Pajarita Chroma Color Acrylic, Winsor & Newton Acrylics and Art Creation, plus all the materials you need to paint with acrylics: professional and studio easels, brushes in different hair types and shapes, canvases and supports, additives, palette knives...
Plus, you can now paint with acrylics in new formats too: acrylic spray paint and acrylic paint markers.
Primer Gesso Talens, 1 kg.
Kit 5 plastic spatulas, 18 cm.
Easel Lyre 180 Phoenix
Acrylic Van Gogh, wooden box 10 col.
Acrylic set 25 pieces, Daler Rowney
Acrylic Fevicryl, Silver, 200 ml.
Acrylic paint is a water-based colour formulated with acrylic resins that, once dry, forms a flexible, durable and resistant film. It's one of the most versatile techniques thanks to its fast drying time and the ability to work from thin washes to thick impasto layers. At Totenart you'll find well-known ranges such as Amsterdam, Vallejo, Winsor & Newton and Liquitex, suited to different skill levels.
Pouring (or fluid art) means mixing acrylic paint with a pouring medium, such as Vallejo Pouring Medium, until it reaches a consistency similar to liquid cream or yoghurt, and letting it flow across the surface instead of applying it with a brush. It's the technique that has grown the most among hobbyists in recent years, precisely because the result depends more on how fluid the mix is than on brush skill.
You don't need thirty colours to get started. A small, well-chosen palette can mix almost any tone:
| Aspect | Student (e.g. Amsterdam Standard, Vallejo Studio) | Artist/Pro (e.g. Liquitex Heavy Body, Sennelier Abstract) |
|---|---|---|
| Pigmentation | Medium; some colours use hue substitutes | High, pure and permanent pigments |
| Lightfastness | Good, but not always maximum | Very high (museum quality) |
| Price | Affordable and budget-friendly | Higher cost, better results |
Only while wet: freshly applied acrylic thins and cleans up with water. Once dry, within a few minutes, it forms a permanent, water-insoluble film, so it can no longer be diluted or removed from the surface with water.
Canvas, paper of at least 300 gsm (such as Canson Acrylic), wood, cardboard and fabric. It can also be applied to metal or plastic, but a specific primer should be used first so the acrylic bonds properly.
Acrylic dries within minutes and cleans up with water; oil takes days or weeks to dry and needs solvents such as white spirit. Acrylic forms a more flexible film, while oil allows for slower, richer glazing and blending.
It depends on the finish you want: gloss varnish to enhance colour intensity, matte to reduce glare, or satin as a middle ground. Always apply it once the paint is fully dry, waiting a few extra days if you've used heavy impasto.
To get started, Amsterdam Standard or Vallejo Studio offer good quality at an accessible price. For an advanced or professional level, Liquitex Heavy Body or Sennelier Abstract give higher pigment load and lightfastness.
A thin layer is dry to the touch within a few minutes. Thick impasto applied with a palette knife can take several hours, or even days, to dry fully underneath, even if the surface looks dry sooner.
Generally not: it's a water-based paint that doesn't require solvents, and most products carry a CE or AP safety certification for safe use, even in classes with children. It's still a good idea to ventilate the space when using spray acrylic or an airbrush.
Heavy Body, such as Liquitex Heavy Body, holds brush or knife marks and is ideal for impasto and texture work. Fluid or Soft Body, such as Amsterdam, spreads more easily, self-levels, and is the preferred choice for glazing, fine detail and pouring techniques.
You can apply oil paint over a fully dry acrylic base — that's a common combination, since acrylic dries fast and gives a stable ground. What isn't recommended is the reverse: painting acrylic over a layer of oil paint, because oil takes weeks or months to fully cure and acrylic won't bond well to that surface, risking peeling or cracking over time.
Almost always from applying too thick a layer without a medium: the surface dries before the inside does, and as it contracts unevenly it cracks. For heavy impasto, use a gel medium or a paste that keeps the paint film flexible, and build up thickness in several passes rather than one very dense layer.
Synthetic brushes (Toray fibre, or ranges such as Da Vinci Nova or Vario-Tip) are the best choice: they hold up better to water and frequent washing than natural hair, which tends to dry out and lose its shape faster with acrylics. Stiff bristle brushes and palette knives are also useful for impasto and texture work.
Use a stay-wet palette (a damp cloth under a special porous paper) to keep colour workable for hours, and mist the palette with a little water from a spray bottle if it starts to thicken. In the jar or tube, seal the lid tightly after each use, and if the paint has already thickened, a few drops of a drying retarder (such as Liquitex Slow-Dri) buy back some working time.
While wet, cold water (never hot) and soap, scrubbing from the back of the fabric. Once dry, a little isopropyl alcohol or a specific stain remover applied with a cloth usually helps — test on a hidden area first, since it can affect the colour of some fabrics. Once fully dry, it's a plastic film, so it doesn't always come out completely.
Acrylic paint combines speed, versatility and permanence. With brands such as Amsterdam, Vallejo, Sennelier or Liquitex you can explore everything from basic techniques to professional projects. Experiment, try different mediums and look after your tools: that's how you'll get the most out of this technique.
