you are so awesome for making this! I've avoided liquitex for the longest time but the thickness is definitely what I've been needing with my paints. Thanks!!
Thanks for the video, I've been using Liquitex since I was a young teen. I recently bought Golden but wasn't happy with the softer body texture. The caps are hard to get back on too, so sometimes you will see a tube randomly fallen open. Price is about the same but color is brighter in Liquitex heavy body. When I look at Warhol, I can see the colors from Liquitex in there. Liquitex to me is the "gold" standard for acrylic.
this was such an EXCELLENT video for a me as I am just starting out working with acrylics. I just was so confused about what to buy. Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction. I think the Golden paint is the way to go for me. Thanks for a great and super helpful video!!!
I live in Taiwan. AFAIK, in my little corner of the Island, there are no oil or acrylic professional or artist grade paints available. The ones we do get are off brand Korean or Chinese brands. We do have Holbein, which is good and Amsterdam. Also, BASIC from Liquitex and Miro. I like Holbein and Amsterdam. Holbein colors are rather rich and Amsterdam has nice body. We do not have any mediums available for acrylics. I think the higher grade paints are available in larger cities, and I believe Amazon sells Golden Artist grades and ships them here. Thank you for your video. Very informative.
If you can, try a brand called M. Graham. It's hand mixed in small batches and made in Portland, Oregon. The consistency is very smooth, heavier than Golden but not as thick/pasty as Liquitex. But the pigments are unbelievable. You will never find brighter, bolder pigment. I use their acrylic but they also make oils (which I haven't tried yet), and their watercolor is excellent as well. They are a smaller company so you won't find them in Blick's but you can buy online or maybe in your local Art supply shop. Very high quality, worth a try :)
i agree M. Graham paints are awesome but i think that the only important thing is to buy Artist Grade paints of a decent brand .. it's a matter of taste winsor and newton , golden , liquitex , daler & rowney produce very good paints too .
Actually, Golden acrylic is slightly thicker in consistency than M. Graham. I use both Golden and M. Graham acrylic, but tend toward Golden because, as I said, it's slightly heavier bodied and that suits me better. They are both great brands, though. For watercolor and gouache, I use only M. Graham well, except W&N for a couple of colors M. Graham doesn't offer). BTW, you can get M. Graham paints (oil, acrylic, gouache, watercolor) from Blick.
I love Winsor & Newton Artist grade acrylics, they're even thicker than Liquitex, stay open slightly longer than most other brands, and have very little color shift when drying. Over here, they're between Golden and Liquitex in price, so not cheap, but worth their cost.
I really enjoyed using Golden paint when I first started out as they had some great opacity still use them from time to time. But my style has changed over time and I now use more Fluid paints so I can do washes and work with squeegees. One of my friends recommend "Nova Color Paint" when I switched and I've been using their stuff ever since. Some amazing quality paints for a lower price than some of the paints that Golden makes, a little more fluid than Golden's tube paints but are well pigmented. My friends in LA use them for murals and some paintings, check them out, they are based in Culver City, CA always nice to support Smaller businesses.
I have recently started to use Liquitex paint which I find is great for my needs. Andy Warhole used Liquitex and if Liquitex was good enough for him is good enough for me. Thank you, Karin for your informative video.
Great video! Thanks for making.I am very much a beginner and am using Reeves because they are most affordable, but they also are very small tubes. Just wanted something to start with. They do dry darker and I'm finding are somewhat dull looking when dry.Also dry very quickly. so have to work fast. Can't wait to try Golden.
Loved your approach to this video. Before I started my investment into acrylics I bought the same color in several brands. I came to the same conclusion. I'm a Golden Fan and have invested in that line. I've never regretted going with Golden. I do however, use other cheaper brands to block out the scene then use the Golden for the rest of the piece. That keeps the process more affordable.
I've been using Liquitex my entire life but I bought a Golden Sampler last year and WOW.. I'm a total fan now. I will still use Liquitex because I have so much of it but Golden is my #1 now for sure. I highly recommend it. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for this vid, I always did worked on liquetex brand and added some medium to thin a bit out - but after seeing this vid, I find that I will try the Golden Brand. I do agree that the liquidtex brand is much thicker and is perfect for those wanting to achieve that 3d effect on their art which i loved!.
Wow! You are amazing! Thank you for this video. I watched the other one too. I learned more about acrylic paints in this short video than I have in I don't know how long. This is the best example of the differences I have seen.
***** also arteleir acrylics has a new line that has controlable drying times getting ready to try them they are sending free samples out just so u know and i really loved the way you explained the diference in these paints
Great set of tests, Karen - thank you. I've found that it's just not worth it to buy the cheap student-grade paints anymore, though I used to use them exclusively back when I was young and broke. Of course, I also lived on Ramen and instant coffee back then, too. Life is better with artist's grade. You can really see the coverage difference in your video. Glad to have found you. Subscribed.
I'm thinking about trying that golden brand! it looks good, i hope my local michaels has it. Im ready to move on to a more high quality paint, im tired of the low opacity strokes that are affecting the quality of my work(esp for darker skin tones on women!!!) now that i am progressing. thank you for your reviews as well, they are short and straight to the point! which is needed, stay blessed sister.
Thanks for sharing. It's a nice introduction to differences between brands. I personally use golden, for the easiness of application and the low color shift, and because I don't do impastos (liquitex is by far the best for that). But the opacity of the brand depends on which color you use, burnt sienna is very opaque, but when your going in some reds or yellows, not all colors will be so opaque. Maybe if you made the same test with other colors the result would have been different.
Very well done video very professional, and informative. I had just bought a tube of the Liquitex so I thought I would check the web before using.it. Your description of the heavy body paint was bang on.the only thing different is the prices here in Canada at Micheal's was 11.99 a 2oz tube. I like your prices better Thanks again
This was so helpful! I am about to step up from student grade paints and am deciding between Liquitex heavy body and golden. Thanks for your demonstrations and comparisons. I am leaning toward Golden.
***** Thank you for the suggestion. I did go with Golden and am happy about the choice! I've noticed that because it's thicker, it dries more quickly on the palette.. so I have to spray it more frequently. It nicely holds the shapes of brushstrokes.
I just found your videos and really like them. I haven't looked through all your uploads yet, but you you haven't made one already, I'd love a review of which acrylic paint has the most vibrant colours. You sort of showed it I. This video as being Golden Paint, but you were using a colour that's not very vibrant itself. I'd love to see something similar just for vibrant colour. I've also seen a video on how you shouldn't mix water with acrylic paints for thinning paint out and doing like a water wash background. That you should use airbrush medium instead. I'd love a video on this and going in to more details about options and is it really that bad to use water.
I have always been very happy with Golden Brand paints. I do have a question and would love to see a video on this as I am sure many art professors have come across this problem in the last few years as well. I teach anything from Advanced and Special Topics Advanced students to art education majors and non-art majors taking Art 101/Art Appreciation/Introduction to Art as a Fine art requirement. What I have found to be a problem with my non-art majors and many education majors is that I do not require artist quality paints, so many use the student grade paints. Many brands of the student grade paints seems to have changed their formulas. I have my students purchase red, blue, yellow, black and white and then teach them to mix in order to get other colors as needed. Where the problem comes in is that many student grade paints now seem to make MUD or BABY DIAPER colors when mixed or violet is not violet at all, orange is not orange at all, etc. Value with color by adding white or black does some seriously horrible misrepresentations of the colors. I am looking for a brand of student grade paints that mix well and will better enable me to teach minimal color theory, the color wheel, paint mixing, etc. without this MUD problem. I want my students to mix for secondary and tertiary colors not purchase them, and be able to mix for value scales without a hot mess. Any suggestions on a consistent student grade paint brand that color mixes well. I would also like to see a video demo like the one here regarding only student grade brands and their ability to mix well. And yes most of my students that are art majors and advanced art majors purchase artist quality paints within their budget, not student grade paints due to this problem with mixing. Students simply can not afford to purchase every color they need and it is important they learn to mix for their budget as well as a better understanding of the painting process. Any help finding a consistent and mixable student grade brand would be greatly appreciated.
oh dear. PLEASE let me know if you've found a brand of student grade which allows mixing! (I am new to all this and definitely on a budget.) Have you tried Chroma or Grumacher Academy which are both student grade? I want to play with mixing and blending, not make mud!!
Haha I understand you totally. For example, today I was painting and realized I didn't have anymore deep purple. So I thought, okay, I'll just mix red and blue until I get the right tone. Nope! I got like a steely grayish brownish bluish mess. I almost think that these paint companies do that on purpose, like put something in it, an additive or chemical compound that disallows mixing so you have to go buy deep purple or whatever color. Idk. I remember painting in art class 15 years ago and we always mixed paints to come up with proper colors so idk what happened between then and now.
I know your question is a few years old but perhaps you're still looking for an answer to this. I have found just in my opinion as a student artist that Daler Rowney System 3 paints have very good consistency in quality and while still are student grade is considered midgrade and the best you can get before going pro. Some may agree or disagree of course, but that's been my finding. Plus you can pick it up at Walmart and many art supplies, they cost a tiny bit more than other student grade roughly 50-75 cent more I have found, they come in heavy body (not seen at walmart, but have in art stores), regular medium body, was told that they have 1-3x more the pigment of most other student paints and I think if I remember right about 60 colors to choose from many of their colors are made of single pigments occasionally 2. Lastly, if you do look at Daler Rowney do not mix up their simply or graduate series with system 3, system 3 is the best of their student line and simply is the cheapest and you'll find those normal student grade issues with simply. System 3 is made in England (if that means anything to anyone) vs the majority of the other student grade I have tried being made in China and never have consistency.
I have been using golden paint for a long time. It is a really great company because if you have questions you can always give them a call when you need information. They are based in new york. I enjoy supporting american employment especially when they go beyond what many wont do.
Excellent info. I have been using Winsor & Newton student grade bec of the cost, but I am ready to replace everything with Golden artist paints. The W&N is too transparent.
Thank you very much for this, I'm wondering if anyone knows how the Chroma brand compares to these? Given the high price of artist grade paints, I'll definitely be sticking to student grade for awhile!
Seems Golden wins over Liquitex. Opacity isn't necessarily a good thing - certain colors are supposed to be less opaque, even transparent. Burnt sienna isn't supposed to be completely opaque. Opacity could be from the pigment, but it could also be due to a cloudy binder, etc.
golden > all others... the tubes last me forever... i've tried liquitex and because the paint is so thick, i have to use a ton of water and it waters down the paint... but my paintings quality went up as soon as i got golden heavy body paint... so good...
+Иосиф Сталин all the colors vary from transparent or opaque... i don't like transparent paint, so i usually mix them with titanium white... but in blending.. many people think my paintings were done with oil...
Thank you very much. I am learning how to paint and seem to have some talent but I have no idea how to pick paints and canvases. You posted a note during the video to look for compatible "binders," can you explain what exactly that means? I am BRAND NEW to this. Thanks so much.
Can anyone recommend a paint that is even heavier than the liquitex heavy body? Perhaps one that is economically priced and then another if price were not so much an issue. TY.
There is really no color shift with Winsor&Newton Artists Acrylic - now they call it Professional Acrylic - are the best colours I know. Highly recommended!
Great Demo. Your information was very useful and the narration was excellent. I'm grateful for all the information you shared. Have you tried American Journey's Acrylics by Cheap Joe's? .
I just started using the Artist Loft and have found while painting it leaves white streaks. I have to keep going over the area to get rid of the white streaks. Why is it doing this? What other brands do you recommend that won’t leave the white streaks?
Thank you so much for your videos! They are very helpful! Though I've been in the creative arts since I can remember, I'm just now starting to branch out into using actual paint and brushes in the world of traditional, visual art. Unfortunately I am on about the tightest budget you could image! I'm talking: those 50¢, 2 oz, bottles of Apple acrylics, to me, is "the nice stuff". I've been using Sargent Art Tempera paints, at least as I get used to color theory, etc. But of course with them being tempera paints, they tend to be a bit thin with an almost gelatin-like consistency, My Question: What would you suggest I use to thicken these paints without speeding up the trying time? In fact, I'm also wanting to slow the drying time. It seems the Liquitex Heavy Gel &/or Liquitex Flexible Paste in order to get a van Gogh type texture. But: Would you have any cheaper alternative suggestions? Also, would a little bit go a long way by chance? Thank you!
This was so helpful! Really keen to buy the golden but have noticed that there is also the option of golden OPEN acrylics, other that the slower drying time of the open, do you think they still have all the same attributes as the regular golden?
