If you are going to be creating a painting on a canvas, I recommend using acrylic artist paint. On the other hand, if you are working on craft projects, you may want to use craft paint.
Are there any differences between acrylic paint and craft paint? After all, both types of paint are acrylic paints, so they should be pretty much the same, right?
Well, there are some differences that you should know about before you get started on any type of painting project. While acrylic paint and craft paint have many similarities, there are also many differences to keep in mind.
Today we are going to take a look at the differences between acrylic paint and craft paint. By the end of this post, you will have a better idea of which type of paint you should use for specific painting projects.
Keep reading to learn more.
Acrylic Paint and Craft Paint Comparison
| Factors | Acrylic Paint | Craft Paint |
|---|---|---|
| Best for fine art projects | Yes | No |
| Best for crafting projects | Yes | Yes |
| Pigmentation | Highly pigmented | Less pigment than acrylic paints |
| Good for beginners | Yes | Yes |
| Price | A set of 12 small tubes costs around $10 | One bottle costs around $1, and you get much more paint |
What is Acrylic Paint?
While we have discussed acrylic paint in other articles on this blog, I would like to talk about them for the sake of this post, especially if you haven’t read any of the other posts.
If you are a beginner, you will probably start with student-grade acrylic paint. It is great for beginners, and it is less expensive than professional-grade paint.
Most stores that sell art supplies will carry student-grade acrylic paint. These paints tend to be heavy-bodied, but some brands make soft-bodied student-grade paint.
One thing to keep in mind about student-grade paints is that they tend to be more transparent than the more expensive professional-grade paints. This means that you may not have a lot of success when it comes to mixing colors.
Student-grade acrylic paints are ideal for beginners. You can use them to practice various techniques and brushstrokes. Once you are ready, you can move on to higher-quality paints.
Professional-grade acrylic paints are usually only available at art supplies stores. You will find that there are various viscosities in these paints, depending on the brand.
Some brands offer very fluid paint, while other brands manufacture thicker paints. If you want to get into impasto painting, you will want the thicker paints.
These paints are highly pigmented. Even if you thin them out with polymers or water they still have plenty of pigmentation.
The biggest problem with using professional-grade acrylic paints is that they can be quite costly. They don’t cost as much as oil paints, but they do cost a lot more than student-grade acrylic paints.
I suggest using student-grade acrylic paints until you get the hang of painting. You will know when you are ready to move up to a better quality of paint.
If you want a recommendation, I suggest using Meeden paints. They have terrific opacity and a medium thickness, and they are nice and creamy. They are also reasonably priced.
Pros and Cons of Acrylic Paints
Pros
- Reasonably priced, especially student-grade paints
- Easy to mix colors on the palette
- Dry quickly
- Use many painting techniques, including impasto
Cons
- More expensive than craft paints
- Drying quickly isn’t always an advantage
- Takes longer to dry than craft paint
What is Craft Paint?
Craft paint is a type of acrylic paint, but it is not a paint that most artists would use for painting on canvas. That being said, craft paint can be used on canvas, but the results may look a lot different than if you were using acrylic paint.
Craft paint is just as it sounds, paint that is used for crafting projects. But, since it is usually less expensive than artist acrylic paint, many beginners use it before they move on to the more expensive acrylic paint.
Craft paint usually comes in bottles rather than tubes. You can pour the paint out of the bottles onto your palette, or dip the brush right into the bottles.
When using craft paint, I don’t like to dip my brushes into the bottles because it could contaminate the paint. Instead, I like to use small, disposable cups, one for each color I am painting with.
Some people say that mixing craft paint is difficult, but I have never had any problems with it. I add a bit of each color to a small cup and then stir the colors together to create new colors.
Craft paint has a liquid consistency without being too watery. Many people like to use it for painting on ceramics, toll painting, etc.
Craft paint is readily available at any store that sells arts and crafts supplies. I have found a huge selection of colors at my local dollar store.
Speaking of dollar stores, craft paint is a lot less expensive than regular acrylic paint. Yes, you can get acrylic paint at dollar stores, but it is not good quality, and you get less paint for your money.
One of the drawbacks to using craft paint is that it is not highly pigmented. It has a lot more filler and less pigment than acrylic artist paint.
Overall, I do recommend craft paint for beginners. It will give you a chance to learn how to mix colors, use various brush strokes, etc. without having to spend a lot of money.
Pros and Cons of Craft Paint
Pros
- Craft paint is inexpensive and readily available
- Great for beginners
- Ideal for children to use
- Can be used on most surfaces
- Dry quickly
Cons
- Not as pigmented as acrylic artists paint
- Not meant for paintings for sale
- Not as much longevity as acrylic artists paint
Conclusion
As you can see, acrylic paint and craft paint have many similarities, as well as many differences. If you are a beginner with a small budget, don’t hesitate to use craft paints for practice.
This is going to give you a pretty good idea if you really want to get into acrylic painting without having to spend a lot of money. Don’t forget, you also need to buy brushes that are made for acrylic painting, even if you are using craft paints.
I do not advise buying cheap brushes, no matter which type of paint you are using. Cheap brushes tend to shed, and it can be next to impossible to get the fine hairs out of your paintings.
If you are working on craft projects, craft paints are probably going to be the best option. On the other hand, if you are painting on canvas, you will eventually want to move on to artist-grade acrylic paints.
Sari Green is a semi-professional artist and professional writer. She has been hosting paint & sip parties for the past couple of years, and truly enjoys helping other people to create their very own masterpieces. She loves to create, and you never know what she’s going to come up with next!