How To Make High Flow Acrylic Paint

Mushrooms past Pete Dolle, 1963

Acrylic paint was a natural evolution from soft distemper, retaining the thought of using a mucilage binder for painting on porous surfaces.

Polymer emulsion paints have a short history, which began in belatedly 1948 with the evolution of polyvinyl acetate emulsion (PVA), commonly known every bit white glue. Nonetheless, PVA was too sensitive to water and rut, and the paints fabricated from information technology were non durable for canvas or house painting. The acrylic polymer emulsions now used in artists' paints are a byproduct of the attempt to develop a new type of business firm paint during the early on 1950s. The first artists' acrylic polymer paint became readily available in Northward America around 1963 and in Europe near two years later.

Acrylic paint is the interruption of polymers in a liquid. As the liquid evaporates, the suspended polymer solids come up closer together until they touch on and combine to form a waterproof picture show. If a polymer emulsion is applied to a nonoily, absorbent surface, it will remain permanently attached. A pigment can exist made past pigmenting a polymer emulsion.

Several additives are needed to produce a workable paint. The polymer solids must exist coated with emulsifiers to prevent them from binding together before the liquid evaporates. Dispersants are necessary to keep the pigments that are added from clumping together and/or settling out of the liquid. Antifoaming agents are needed to prevent the surfactant from foaming during the application of a paint so that the dried paint picture doesn't crevice. Wetting agents, such as vegetable glycerin or propylene glycol, are used to regulate the drying fourth dimension, allowing sufficient time for mixing and applying the pigment. Thickeners are used to transform the milky quality into a paintlike consistency. And terminal but non least important, a preservative is added.

The color range of polymer paints is limited for two reasons. The first concerns pH. Alkaline-sensitive pigments cannot be used in the manufacture of acrylics because acrylic emulsions are alkaline. Acrid-sensitive pigments cannot be used in vinyl paints because vinyl emulsions are acidic. The second reason is that in polymer emulsions, subtle differences between similarly colored pigments oft cannot exist seen and are therefore pointless to manufacture.

Liquitex Matte and Gloss Gel are thick acrylic emulsions. Use them to make an opaque matte or gloss heavy torso acrylic paint. May exist thinned with up to 25% water. Available from Blick Art for $8.81/viii oz

Golden Soft Gels are used for making transparent soft torso paint. They're available every bit matte, semi gloss, and gloss. Available from Blick Art for $11.54/8 oz.

Liquitex Matte and Gloss Medium are sparse acrylic emulsions. Utilise them to brand an opaque matte or gloss fluid or high period acrylic paint. Bachelor from Blick Art for $viii.51/eight oz.

Elmer's Glue All, also known every bit PVA glue is transparent and permanent when dry.

Additives

Additives play an important role in the conception of artist'south pigment. The ratio for additives is generally 5:1. That's 5 smidgens of additive to 1 smidgen of pigment. It is unfortunate, nevertheless, that today's paint manufacturers abuse these additives by adding big quantities of them to tiny amounts of cheap paint and lake dyes and sell it at inflated prices to convince artists that their pigment is a higher quality than it really is.

Alumina hydrate is anextender that is used with expensive pigments. It is a crystal that reflects lite and color. Information technology gives the illusion that the paint is distributed over a larger surface area than it really is. It is also an optical brightener that intensifies the saturation of slow pigments. Celebrated minerals such as lapis would exist cost prohibitive without the improver of an extender. $ii.91/lb atAxner Pottery Supply.

Talc is anopacifier that is used with pigments or lake dyes that tend to exist transparent such every bit transparent red oxide.TKB sells rapsody talc at 8 oz for $5.00.

Kaolin is amattifier that is used to tedious the saturation of very intense pigments. Phthalocyanine is such a powerful coloring agent that its utilise would be nearly incommunicable without the addition of a mattifier. TKB sells kaolin at eight oz for $3.forty.

Cornstarch is afiller used to give pigment more than coverage. Itadds volume without modifying the color.

Quick Acrylic Pigment

Heavy Torso Acrylic

1 Smidgen Glycerin

one Tad or more than Pigment

1-1/2 oz Liquitex Matte or Gloss Gel

Soft Body Acrylic

1 Smidgen Glycerin

1 Tad or more Paint

1-1/ii oz Golden Matte, Semi Gloss or Gloss Gel

Transparent Acrylic

1 Smidgen Glycerin

ane Tad or more Lake Dye

1-1/2 oz Golden Soft Semi Gloss Gel

Fluid or High Flow Acrylic

1 Smidgen Glycerin

1 Tad or more Pigment

1-one/ii oz Liquitex Matte or Gloss Medium

Add ammonia water for high menstruum

Equipment

Grinder

Palette knife (#62)

Plate Glass

Condiment basin or flask

Mini blender with immersion zipper

2 oz Flip top bottle or tube

Grind pigments to a powder, if necessary. Identify pigment on plate glass and make a hole in the center. Add Glycerin. Work into a paste with a palette pocketknife. Transfer to a basin and add the emulsion. Use a flask if making a lot of pigment. Stir with the blender until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a canteen or tube.

PVA Mucilage Based Acrylics

Opaque Matte Craft Acrylic

one Drop or Smidgen Glycerin

1 Tad more than Pigment

1-1/two oz White Gum

ane Tad Cornstarch

i Tad Alumina Hydrate (to brighten a dull color)

1 Tad Talc (if using lake dye)

1 Tad Kaolin (if using an intense pigment)

Opaque Gloss Arts and crafts Acrylic

1 Drib or Smidgen Glycerin

one Tad or more Paint

1 oz White Glue

1/2 oz Liquitex Gloss Acrylic Gel

i Tad Cornstarch

one Tad Alumina Hydrate (to brighten a deadening color)

1 Tad Talc(if using lake dye)

1 Tad Kaolin (if using an intense pigment)

Transparent Craft Acrylic

1 Drop or Smidgen Glycerin

1 Tad or more Lake Dye

i-one/2 oz White Glue

Equipment

Grinder

Palette knife (#62)

Plate Glass

Condiment bowl or flask

Mini blender with immersion attachment

ii oz Flip summit bottle or tube

Grind pigments to a powder or combine with additives, if using. Place paint on plate glass and make a hole in the heart. Add glycerin. Work into a paste with a palette knife. Transfer to a bowl and add the emulsion. Apply a flask if making a lot of paint. Stir with the blender until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a canteen or tube.