What is Acrylic paint?

What is acrylic paint? How is it made? Essentially acrylic paint consists of a binder and Pigment. The binder is an Acrylic polymer emulsion (made from acrylic resins). It is the binder that gives the paint its handling and durability characteristics. High quality acrylic resin is a necessary component of high quality acrylic polymer emulsion. Pigments are
dry, powdery materials that do not dissolve, but remain suspended when mixed with acrylic polymer emulsion. They are organic, inorganic, natural and synthetic. they won´t stick to a surface by themselves. The binder is necessary to adhere pigments to a painting surface and dry as a paint film.
For more information and grpahic diagrams to show the chemisty of the paint go to http://www.liquitex.com/aboutus/whatisit.cfm

How paint is made

Since you are using acrylic paint it pays to see how it is made. Liquitex provide us with a slide show demonstrating this process starting at http://www.liquitex.com/aboutus/made/home.cfm
It is not comprehensive but does give you some idea of the process.

Paint colour conversions

There are often colour conversion charts in books, there is a software package (TCS) dedicated to colour conversion and several conversion books. Americana offer an online conversion, and Jo Sonja recently published one in Artists Journal magazine. make a collection...However, while all these are useful I still find that they are not always satisfactory, and you can often mix 2-3 colours in one brand to match a colour in another. The colours will be similar or a close match, but never exactly the same. Sometimes all that mixing may well have been avoided by simply substituting a near match straight from a jar or tube. For example a conversion for Jo Sonja Teal green to Americana is Hauser Green dark and deep teal. Depending on the project I will often use just either the Hauser green drak or he Dep teal. The problems get further complicated when a project may mix teal green with another colour to make a different green...you could then end up with 4-5 colours in your conversion mix! So...I tend to look at the conversion and check that with my eye...is that the colour I want for there or can I substitute it?
So...conversion (closest Match) are great and sometimes very useful...but substitution (a replacement colour) can also be a way around buying another bottle or tube just for that little bit there.

latest Software from TCS

TCS Tru Colour have now added a colour bar to their software program. It is worth the update so now you have the colour swatches just like in the book!

Milky Varnish

Your varnish has not dried totally clear? It is cloudy? Then the simple answer is that it is not dry underneath. Water based varnishes dry incredibly quickly. If you put them on too thickly the top layers of paint will be dry to the touch. You think it is time for the next coat and away you go. The trouble is that layers of varnish under the top layer have not dried. The moisture has not had a chance to evaporate properly and now there are more layers on top preventing this process from taking place. The first step is leave it for a few weeks and see if in curing the varnish clears. If not sand it back with a piece of 1200 wet and dry sand paper and sand with a little water. Let this dry thoroughly and start over. Avoid the problem this time by applying thin layers and allowing the varnish to be really dry. the time depends on the actual varnish you are using so read the manufacturers instructions and follow them carefully.

Using genesis

You will use a lot of white paint in mixing colours, so get a big jar of it. The colours are so strong you will be needing it.

Retarder

Painters use retarder when we want more time to play in the paint. For example, we may want to lay on several colours and blend them together. But Acrylic paint dries so quickly it is dry before you can blend it well or get the effect you want. By applying a thin coat of retarder to th surface you create more open time when the paint goes on. ´Open´ time means it is wetter for longer. You can blend and work the paint for 10 minutes instead of one. we often also use a mop brush to soften the effects of the brush marks with this technique. Careful though! Too much retarding medium will cause pools and puddles , will make your paint run and even separate colours, and take days to touch dry. Apply only a thin layer and ensure it has a matt sheen rather than a glossy wet one.

Crackle medium

There are a number of brands of crackle medium on the market and for the most part they work quite successfully. The most commonly used is a sandwich crackle, meaning it is sandwiched between two layers of acrylic paint. The medium sets off a reacton in the top layer of paint.

Conversion

Make the investment of a Tru Colour software program and wich a few clicks of a button your conversions are done for you.

Lumpy White Oil Paint

If your white paint is lumpy don´t be alarmed! Sometimes the consistency of the pigment that goes into the paint will do this. I suggest you blend a puddle of the paint well with a pallette knife to smooth it out. Take note too that some paints are harder to work with than others.

Genesis price

Don´t be frightened off genesis by the price. It is heavily pigmented and therefore more expensive. It also goes much much further than other paints. By the way different colours cost different amounts simply because some pigments are more expensive to buy than others.

Conversion Charts

One of the best resources you can have at your fingertips is a book by Susan Adams Bentley called Acrylic & Fabric Painter´s Reference Book, Fourth Edition. It contains excellent reference material on paint, colour conversions, tools and equipment and techniques. Go to http://www.tolenet.com/bentley/book.htm
for more details.

Crackle wont crackle

Sometimes crackle won´t crackle as well as we would like. Give it a spray with water. That will help motivate the reaction. Also, avoid using a hairdryer to speed the drying process of both the crackle medium and the top layer of paint. If you are still unsure consider if you put enough medium on, had enough moisture in the paint for the top coat or if you are using compatible paints. Sometimes it does not pay to mix brands.

Glass Paint

A glass paint brand with reknown is Perm Enamel. There is a 10 day air cure time during which no water or other liquid can come in contact with the paint. If you leave the work for this time, to cure naturally you will have quite good results. It is said that of all the glass paints this one is the most durable in dishawashers and microwaves...but my advice will always be treat a handpainted item with care...no dishwasher and no microwave!

Thinning genesis

If you are going to thin down genesis for strokework be mindful that there should be no more than 40% medium added to the paint. Any more and it won´t dry properly and believe me that can be frustrating!

TCS conversions

TCS colourmatch do conversions for current projects in Decorative Artist´s Workbook and The Decorative Painter. Check the links in this section of folkart tips.

Two Part Crackles

These are a bit different to the sandwich crackles. they go on after all the decorative painting work is done, and often result in the more refined look of crazed china. They require you to apply a coat of paint number one, usually a cracking medium. Tis is followed with a number 2 paint which sets off the crackle process. The cracks are fine and difficult to see so we finish off with an antiquing process which shows up the cracks in this top coat, making a painting look old and crazed. It is a really nice effect. In Australia a product called crackle varnish by Langridge does this really well.

Which Paint?

This is not a question so much of which brand but rather what quality! Cheap craft paints that carry no labels of standards are possibly not worthwhile using as they may not be permanenet, light fast or stand the test of time. Some painters buy for the colour, others for the way the paints feels when using it. We all buy for quality and permanency since we want our paintings to last the test of time. Among the more popular brands you will find DecoArt Americana, Delta ceramcoat, Folk Art, Jo Sonja, and Matisse. These are all quality artist paints and have been tested and labelled non toxic and very safe to use. I suggest you see what is available locally and buy according to availablity and your pocket. There is no point deciding to buy and use a brand if it is not readily available to you. Some of us have every brand. This is also unnecessary as there are colour conversions available.

Major manufacturers of Acrylic paint

The major manufacturers of Acrylic products we use in decorative painting are Deco Art, Chroma (Australia: Jo Sonja), Delta, Folk Art, Matisse (Australian). There are others but these are the major players.