Difference between professional 'tube' acrylic paint, and cheaper 'bottle' acrylics paints? (Apple Barrel)

Question

I see small tubes of 'professional' acrylic paint at Michaels for ~$7.00 to ~$13.00, and then I see the same color in a bottle labled 'Craft Smart' or 'Apple Barrel' for around 50 cents. I am a beginning acrylic painter using pretreated stretched canvas. What is the reason these paints are so expensive? The colors seem identical held side by side to my eye. Is it more satisfying or perhaps more convenient? Is it worth purchasing if I am not painting as a means of income but instead as a means of expression? (i.e. Does expensive paints just mean a higher price tag for completed painting?) Thank you for any insight you may provide.

Answer 1

When you're learning to paint the smart thing is to use the cheaper paints you can buy. Why waste high quality paint on what will probably not be a masterpiece?

As to going to Michael’s my question is why? Try visiting a local real art supply store. Not only will they have a much better selection on artists' materials they will also sell Liquitex Basics. Basics is a cheaper brand of fairly good quality acrylic paint that comes in 8oz. jars.

Here's the thing about acrylic paints in tubes vs. jars. What if you squeeze out too much paint from a tube? More than you can or will use at the time? You can't exactly put it back in the tube, can you? So basically, whatever you don't use instantly will be wasted because acrylics dry so quickly.

I haven't used tubes of paint for years simply for this reason. Also, as you become a little more involved with painting you will probably want to start mixing and making your own colors. After you blend the exact color you want you will learn to store it in an air tight jar. These jars you can buy at most art supply stores and they are cheep. They come in 2 or 4 oz. sizes.

About the quality of paints: Cheaper paints will fade over time, tend to be streakish and runny. Because they are not as full-bodied as better quality paints you usually have to go over the same area more than once.

Better quality paints will have a 'lightfastness' rating on the jar or tube that lets you know that they will endure a lifetime.

The best full-bodied acrylic polymer paints on the market, when you've reached the point where you think you want your art to last a lifetime, are Golden and M.Graham. Liquitex would be my third choice.

Answer 2

Professional Acrylic Paint

Answer 3

The basic difference is, of course, that they are made from different materials. But artistically, the differences are much greater than their mere physical capacities. Watercolour is the most delicate of the three. And, because the colours are water-soluble, they may not be painted over each other, as this results only in a blurring the image and producing a muddy colour. Water colour might be likened to sketching. There is a freshness and an immediacy to it, and you can not go back and re-do it. Oil is a traditional painting medium. The old masters worked in oil, and oil remains popular today. The oil paints can over overlayered -- this is a popular technique when painting sky, water, or shadows -- to paint an underlayer, which may be contrasting, or which may suggest details, and then paint over it with a different colour. This gives a very lively result. While the viewer can not see the undercolour, it does affect the texture and tone of the picture. This is especially true in portraiture, where the undercolours affect the appearance of skin tones. Where watercolour is muted, oils are quite lively, but nowhere near as alive as the acrylic paints. These have a glossy finish, and are most popular with modern style art. Portraiture is seldom done in acrylics, as the hard, shiny finish doesn't replicate the skin tones as well as oil paints do. Modern art, which so often relies on the hard edge for effect, is perfectly suited to acrylic paints. Underpainting has no effect in acrylics but the intensity of colour which can be achieved in acrylics is matched by no other paint. Hope this is helpful.

Answer 4

Acrylic Paint Michaels

Answer 5

Its worth the money if you are doing a profesional, good looking painting. It has a better look to it. The cheeper kind some times requires more coats and if flat, while the more expensive kind is shiny and plasticy. It gives paintings a good look. If your just doing something for home I wouldn't buy the more expensive ones, unless you like the shiny, plasticy look or want to use texture in the painting.

Answer 6

well the cheaper ones are more watery bcuz like i have the 7 dollar ones and the cheap ones and the expensive ones seem to work better for me
and i got them from michaels too