The acrylic paints, brushes, surfaces, and tools I actually use to get better texture, cleaner layers, and less frustration while painting. A mix of affordable staples and a few upgrades that are really worth it.
my pick when I want really rich pigment and that thick, buttery texture that actually holds brushstrokes. Great for finished paintings and anywhere you want the paint itself to have some presence.
Golden Heavy Body Acrylic Paint
such a good affordable option for experimenting, underpainting, color studies, or when you just don’t want to feel precious about using a lot of paint.
Liquitex Basics
beautiful when you want intense color without the thickness of heavy-body paint. I love these for thinner layers, details, drips, and more fluid painting styles
Golden Fluid Acrylics
one of my favorite all-around brush lines. They have enough spring for acrylic, hold their shape nicely, and come in basically every shape I actually need.
Princeton Velvetouch
acrylic dries ridiculously fast, so this is genuinely useful. It helps keep the paint workable longer and saves me from constantly squeezing out fresh paint.
Masterson Stay Wet Palette
great for mixing paint without destroying your brushes, but also so much fun for adding texture and bold marks directly onto a painting.
Palette Knives / Artists Painting Supplies
one of those products that opens up so many possibilities. I use gel medium when I want more texture, to extend paint, change the finish, or even incorporate collage into a piece.
Golden Gel Medium
worth having even if your canvas is already primed. I like being able to control how smooth or textured my surface is before I start painting.
Gesso
just like with gouache: buy more white than you think you need. I go through white so much faster than any other color when mixing acrylics.
Titanium White
such a simple thing, but a light mist helps keep acrylic paint from drying quite so quickly while I’m working.
