Acrylic Painting for Beginners: What You Need and How to Start
Acrylics are water-based, clean up with soap and water while wet, and thin layers dry fast enough to paint over in the same session. Here's what to buy, an eight-colour starter palette and how to run your first session.
Acrylic painting for beginners, in short: get eight colours (white, black and a warm and cool version of red, yellow and blue), a primed stretched canvas, three synthetic brushes (flat, round and filbert), a palette and a rinse jar. Squeeze out small amounts of paint, tone the canvas with a thin wash of colour, block in the big shapes, then build up layers and finish with details once the paint below is dry. Wash brushes with soap and water before the paint dries. When the painting is completely dry, protect it with two to three thin coats of varnish.
What Is Acrylic Paint?
Acrylic paint is pigment carried in an acrylic polymer emulsion: tiny particles of acrylic resin suspended in water. While it's wet, you can thin it with water and wash it off brushes with soap and water.
Acrylic dries physically, not chemically. As the water evaporates or soaks into the surface, the polymer particles crowd together and fuse into a continuous film. Once dry, that film is flexible and water-resistant, though it becomes stiffer and more prone to cracking in the cold.
Acrylic Painting Supplies: What You Need to Start
| Item | What to get |
|---|---|
| Paint | Eight colours from the Solid Craft Studio acrylic range: White, Black, Warm Yellow, Cool Yellow, Warm Red, Cool Red, Warm Blue and Cool Blue |
| Canvas | A primed stretched canvas. Our canvases are triple primed and ready to paint. Small sizes from 8 × 10″ to 11 × 14″ are quicker to finish and a good place to start (see our canvas sizes guide). |
| Gesso | Not needed on a pre-primed canvas. Use it to prime raw surfaces such as timber, MDF or paper (see how to use gesso primer). |
| Brushes | Synthetic brushes, which are recommended for acrylic: a flat for broad areas, a round for lines and detail, and a filbert for blending and soft edges |
| Palette | A smooth glass or plastic palette (dried acrylic usually peels off it) |
| Extras | A rinse jar (never a cup you drink from) and a rag |
| Medium (optional) | Flow Medium for smoother blends, glazes and thin layers |
| Varnish (later) | Polymer Gloss Varnish to protect the finished painting |
Student or Artist Paint? Choosing Your First Acrylics
Artist-grade acrylics usually contain more pigment, so colours are stronger and go further; student grades contain less. Student-grade paints in general may also bulk out the colour with fillers or use less lightfast pigments that can fade, so whatever you buy, check the lightfastness rating on the label rather than assuming.
| Range | Best for | Consistency | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Craft Studio | Beginners, classes, practice and craft projects | Medium viscosity | Silky smooth satin |
| Premium Acrylic range | Everyday studio painting and larger works | Smooth, buttery | Standard acrylic look |
| Professional Heavy Body | Texture, impasto and palette-knife work | Thick and buttery; holds brushstrokes | Classic acrylic film (varies by colour) |
| Professional Matte | A flat, non-reflective look | Smooth medium | Matte |
Start with Solid Craft Studio. It's our best-value range for learning and practice. It's Australian made, non-toxic and conforms to ASTM D-4236. When you start painting work you want to last, step up to the Premium Acrylic range. All four of our acrylic ranges are Australian made. Choose Heavy Body if you love thick texture and knife marks, or Professional Matte for a flat, matte finish. Our paint ranges FAQ compares all four in detail.
Your Starter Colour Palette
A classic beginner palette has a warm and a cool version of each primary, plus white and black, and the Studio range includes all eight. Having two of each primary is often called a split-primary or double-primary palette.
The reason for two of each is colour bias. In a split-primary palette, the two versions of each primary lean towards different neighbours: a yellow may lean towards green or towards orange, a red towards orange or towards violet, a blue towards green or towards violet. For the brightest mixes, pair colours that lean towards each other. If one leans towards the third primary, that primary sneaks in and the mix turns muddy.
| To mix | Combine |
|---|---|
| Bright green | A yellow that leans green with a blue that leans green. In the Studio range: Cool Yellow + Cool Blue |
| Bright orange | A red that leans orange with a yellow that leans orange. In the Studio range: Warm Yellow + Warm Red |
| Rich purple | A red that leans violet with a blue that leans violet. In the Studio range: Cool Red + Warm Blue |
| Lighter tints | Add white: the colour gets lighter, more pastel and more opaque |
| Darker shades | Add black sparingly, or darken with a deeper or complementary colour |
| Greys and browns | Mix a colour with its opposite on the colour wheel, such as red and green or blue and orange |
Keep each mix to two or three colours: mixing too many paints together is a common cause of mud.
How to Paint with Acrylics: Your First Session, Step by Step
Set up
Work in a ventilated room and wear old clothes or an apron, because acrylic colours may stain.
Squeeze out a little paint
Put small amounts of each colour around the edge of your palette. Large blobs can go to waste.
Tone the canvas
Brush a thin, even wash of colour over the white canvas and let it dry. A toned ground gives you a mid-tone to judge lights and darks against and stops bright white glaring through gaps.
Block in the big shapes
A common approach is to start with thin base layers for the large areas of colour, then build up thicker, more opaque paint as you go. Many painters block in mid and dark tones first and add the lightest areas later. It isn't a fixed rule.
Build up layers, details last
Once a layer is dry you can paint straight over it. Opaque colours cover what's underneath, including mistakes. Add fine details with the round brush at the end.
Acrylic Painting Techniques for Beginners
How to blend acrylic paint (wet-in-wet)
Wet-in-wet means blending new colour into paint that's still wet on the canvas, so the edges soften into each other. Thin layers can be touch-dry within minutes, so blend while the paint is still wet. Flow Medium extends drying time, giving you longer to blend.
Opaque, semi-transparent and transparent colours
Every colour has an opacity: how much light passes through the paint to the layer below.
| Opacity | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Opaque | Blocks light and covers what's underneath | Covering dark backgrounds, earlier layers and mistakes |
| Semi-transparent | In between: lets some light through and partly covers the layer below | Colour that sits between full coverage and a see-through layer |
| Transparent | Lets light pass through to the layer below, giving the least coverage | Glazing and layering colour over dry paint |
Opacity is relative: any colour looks more see-through in a thin layer or mixed into plenty of medium. Each Heavy Body, Premium and Professional Matte colour lists its opacity on its product page; all Studio colours are opaque.
Glazing
Glazing means brushing a thin, see-through layer of colour over paint that's completely dry, which changes the colour without hiding it. Mix glazes with a medium rather than lots of water: heavily watered paint behaves more like a wash. Glazing works best with transparent colours. The Studio colours are opaque, so for clear glazes use transparent colours from our Premium or Heavy Body ranges (opacity is listed on each colour's product page), mixed with Flow Medium.
Dry brushing
Load a dry brush with very little paint, wipe off the excess and drag it lightly so it catches the texture of the canvas.
Impasto
Impasto means applying paint thickly enough to hold brush or knife marks. Use a heavy body paint, or bulk your colour up with impasto medium, which adds body without changing the hue.
How to thin acrylic paint: water or medium?
Thinning is optional. A little water is fine for thin washes, but heavy dilution weakens the colour and gives thin, patchy coverage. For smooth, controlled thin layers, use Flow Medium instead. Start with 2 parts Flow Medium to 1 part paint, then add more medium for more flow or more paint for more body.
How Long Does Acrylic Paint Take to Dry? Painting in Australian Conditions
Thin layers are usually touch-dry within minutes, often around 10 to 30, while thick or textured layers can take hours, or a day or more, to feel dry. "Touch dry" only means a skin has formed on top. The full thickness takes much longer: days for normal layers, and weeks or even months for very thick paint.
| Condition | Effect on drying | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Hot, dry day | Heat and low humidity make acrylic dry faster | Squeeze out less paint and add Flow Medium |
| Humid or cool day | Cool, humid weather slows drying | Allow longer between layers |
| Fan, breeze or air-conditioning | Moving air speeds drying | Reduce airflow over your palette and canvas |
| Absorbent surface | Paper or unprimed fabric soaks up water, so paint sets faster | Prime with gesso first |
To keep paint workable for longer, mix in Flow Medium, which extends blending time, and squeeze out small amounts at a time so less paint dries on the palette.
How to Clean Acrylic Paint Brushes and Your Workspace
Never let paint dry on the brush: dried acrylic isn't soluble and turns plastic-like in the bristles. Wipe excess wet paint off with a rag, then wash with mild soap and cool to lukewarm water until the water runs clear. Reshape the tip with your fingers and dry the brush flat or bristles-up. Don't leave brushes standing on their tips in the water jar or soaking for long: it bends the bristles and can loosen the handle.
If acrylic has already dried in a brush, soak it in a brush cleaner or restorer made for acrylics, following the label, then wash with soap and water. Not every brush can be saved.
Rinse water
Don't tip paint-laden rinse water down the sink, and never into a stormwater drain or gutter. Collect rinse water in a jar or bucket and let the paint settle or evaporate. Put the dried paint skin in the general waste bin, and check your local council's rules for anything else.
Common Beginner Mistakes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff, ruined brush | Paint dried in the bristles | Rinse often and wash before the paint dries |
| Muddy colours | Too many paints in one mix, or colours whose bias brings in all three primaries | Keep mixes to two or three colours and pair colours that lean towards each other |
| Thin, patchy coverage | Paint thinned with too much water | Use paint with less water, add a second coat once dry, or thin with Flow Medium |
| Paint peeling or not sticking | Greasy or very glossy surface, or acrylic over oil paint | Use a clean, primed surface. Acrylic won't bond properly over oil paint or oil-primed canvas. |
Finishing: Varnishing Your Painting
Varnishing is optional, but it protects the surface and evens out the sheen. For acrylic paintings on stretched canvas and canvas boards, use Polymer Gloss Varnish. It dries clear, flexible, archival and non-yellowing, and is permanent and water resistant once dry.
Wait until the painting is fully dry: at least 24 hours for thin paint, and up to a week or more for thick or impasto layers. Lay the painting flat and brush on two to three thin, even coats, allowing 24 hours between coats. Polymer Gloss Varnish gives a gloss finish, so it will make a matte painting glossy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is acrylic paint good for beginners?
Yes. Acrylic is water-based, so you can thin it with water and clean brushes with soap and water while it's wet. It dries quickly, and once a layer is dry, mistakes can be painted over.
Do you wet the brush before using acrylic paint?
There's no fixed rule. For dry-brush effects keep the brush dry. What matters most is rinsing often and never letting acrylic dry in the bristles.
Can you use acrylic paint straight from the tube?
Yes. Acrylic is ready to use as it comes. Thinning is optional and changes how the paint flows, so add water or a medium such as Flow Medium only when you want a thinner, smoother layer.
How long does acrylic paint take to dry?
Thin layers are usually touch-dry within minutes; thick or textured layers can take hours, or a day or more. Fully dry takes much longer than touch dry: weeks or even months for very thick paint.
Is acrylic paint water based?
Yes. Acrylic paint is pigment in an acrylic polymer emulsion, so while it is wet you can thin it with water and clean up with soap and water. As the water evaporates the polymer forms a flexible film that is water-resistant once dry.
Is acrylic paint waterproof once dry?
It's water-resistant, not waterproof. Dried acrylic won't rinse off, but the film is slightly porous and can be affected by prolonged moisture, especially in the first days.
Do I need to prime a canvas that's already primed?
No. A pre-primed canvas is ready to paint, and every Solid Solutions stretched canvas is triple primed. Add extra gesso only if you want a smoother surface. Raw canvas, timber and MDF do need priming first.
How do I clean acrylic paint brushes, including dried paint?
Wash with mild soap and cool to lukewarm water before the paint dries. For dried paint, soak the brush in a brush cleaner or restorer made for acrylics, then wash it. Not every brush can be saved.
What's the difference between student and artist acrylic paint?
Artist-grade acrylics usually contain more pigment, so colours are stronger and go further; student grades contain less. Move up to a higher-grade range, such as our Premium Acrylic range, when you paint work you want to last.
What surfaces won't acrylic paint stick to?
Acrylic sticks to most clean surfaces, but not well to greasy or oily surfaces, very glossy surfaces, or over oil paint and oil-primed canvas. Make sure the surface is clean, grease-free and dry, and prime raw canvas, timber or MDF with gesso before you paint.
What can I add to acrylic paint to make it flow more smoothly?
Add Flow Medium. It reduces the paint's thickness so it spreads more smoothly and levels more evenly, and it extends drying time, giving you longer to blend. Start with 2 parts Flow Medium to 1 part paint. A little water also thins acrylic, but heavy dilution weakens the colour and gives thin, patchy coverage.
Once you're comfortable with the basics, explore what mediums can do in acrylic mediums explained, or try fluid art with our guide to pouring medium.
Ready to start painting?
Solid Craft Studio Acrylic: Australian made, non-toxic, with warm and cool primaries, white and black for your first palette.
