MMM: Fluid Acrylics

A big part of our Saturday workshop was the use of Fluid Acrylics, specifically the Golden brand. Therefore I wanted to introduce this fantastic profession medium.

I have had my Fluid Acrylics for several years, and I love working with them more than traditional Acrylic paints. Why? Because of their unique characteristics.

There are two major brands that carry Fluid Acrylics: Liquitex and Golden. Both companies produce a variety of acrylics paints, mediums, and varnishes. I have used both, but as stated above, I prefer Golden Fluid Acrylics. They have a more fluid consistency and seem to mix more successfully with water than their Liquitex counterparts.

(images: Liquitex image, via the Liquitex website, Golden image via in2art.com)

According to the Golden Website, 

"Fluid Acrylics are highly intense, permanent acrylic colors with a consistency similar to heavy cream. Produced from lightfast pigments, not dyes, they offer very strong colors with very thin consistencies...Unlike mixtures of heavy-bodied paints and water which produce weak color and films by dilution, Fluid Acrylics contain high pigment levels suspended in an acrylic polymer vehicle. The result offers fine dispersion, high tinting strength, durability, flexibility and good adhesion."

 What does this mean? They are not nearly as thick as regular/ heavy bodied acrylics, and mix like a dream. Because of the high amounts of pigment, they mix really well with water and other acrylic mediums. A little bit goes a LONG way. On a personal note, I believe that they are much easier to mix, too.

You can use Fluid Acrylics on anything you could use regular acrylics on. I will recommend that if you are painting on canvas, make sure you prime it really well. These paints are expensive, and you don't want the canvas to soak them up. I have used them in a lot of my work, and have never been disappointed.

Another great point about fluid acrylics is that you can get metallic colors. I have several by golden: a yellow-gold, a true gold, copper, and a micacious iron oxide. These cover really well, and I love the quality of the pigments.

Last point: They are a must have for mixed media! Fluid Acrylics cover really well, and most are transparent making them good substitutes for glazes. You can layer a lot without building up a lot of surface, which is ideal for a lot of altered books and mixed media sketch books. I like using them with stencils, stamps, brayers, and other simple printmaking tools.

Both Liquitex and Golden Fluid Acrylics are available at Michaels (hello, 40% off coupon!). You can buy just the Liquitex brand at JoAnn Fabrics, and there are many online sources to purchase from. I originally bought a starter set, and a few additional colors to get me started, which would be my recommendation if you have never tried the medium before. These are an amazing medium to use with Advanced students, but they are expensive, so probably not within reach for some of our budgets.

I urge you to give this medium a try. If you already use Fluid Acrylics, what do you think of them? Would you recommend them to other practicing artists/ students?

*Note: I was not compensated for this review, I just really like working with Golden Acrylics in general. Everyone has their preference, and I actually do use both brands.