What do you add to acrylics when painting?

Question

When I'm painting on canvas, what do you add to acrylic right out of the bottle to thin it and slow its drying time? I love painting with them, but it dries so quickly.

Answer 1

There are many Additives for Acrylic Paint;

Matt Medium, Gloss Medium, Retardent [slows drying]....

The major acrylic brands produce these additives... at a commercial level manufacturers have anti-foaming agents, anti-fungicides, retardents... and others things that are added to acrylic paints.

Check out Goldens web site so you know what to ask for when you purchase art supplies. [I give you Goldens site because they are very good at providing technical information.]

http://www.goldenpaints.com/

Answer 2

Acrylic paint drying time can be extended a little bit by adding a product called Floating Medium. Several types of this can be found at your local craft store in small and large bottle quantities. Also you can try keeping a spray bottle at hand, one with a fine mist spray setting, this won't mar the strokes, paint or cause it to run as long as you don't over spray while you paint.

Answer 3

Regular varnish won't take anything off an acrylic painting. Regular varnish is thinned with MINERAL SPIRITS...It's superior to acrylic varnish hands down. Painting over the mineral spirits may be problematic. Depends on how long ago the mineral spirits were used. Get a soft cloth, and dampen it with Isopropyl Alcohol, and gently wipe down the areas you want to paint. That should remove any residue enough for you to paint over it. If you properly varnish the work when you are finished, it shouldn't flake.

Answer 4

yes they do dry quickly, sometime i use a type of varnish or even gloss to thin out my paints. Using an acrylic retarder also helps slow the time of drying. Or get a spray bottle and spray your palette with water every couple of minutes.

Answer 5

You can add one of the painting mediums to extend the paint without polluting it. And there is one that does slow the drying time. The lovely part is that if you don't like what you have done in a few minutes you can paint over it.

Answer 6

To thin acrylics, just add water. More up-scale expensive acrylic paints are sold at art supply stores, and they have a thicker consistancy and their colors are more vivid. My advice to you would be to switch to oil if you don't like the drying time (like me), because oil takes about 4 days to dry, so you have plenty of time to work with and change your image- especially if you paint on the more realistic side. Plus they are thicker, which gives you the choice of texture, and generally have brilliant colors. Downside: more expensive. Good luck!

Answer 7

Acrylic is my favorite paint to paint with, to make it thinner and dry slower, i just add some water to it, works pretty good.
The emulsion consists of particles of polymer suspended in water. When the water evaporates, acrylics dry to a flexible and water-resistant film. So just add water, to keep it from evaporating!

Answer 8

Retarder will make your paint dry much slower. I myself use a whiff from a spray bottle now and then to keep the paint moist. Just a standard one you would use on flowers. I can pretty much influence the drying time to any length I want ... just not over night. It needs constant attention.

Answer 9

I use Liquitex brand Slow-Dri Blending Fluid Medium with acrylics (plus add water, as others have noted). You can find it at art supply and craft stores. It really helps!

Answer 10

I am an oil painter myself (although my medium is different), perhaps I can help. You can always add water to acrylic. It'll thin it and make it a little slower drying.

Have you ever tried oils? Definitely slow drying and can be thinned with refined linseed oil. Good luck with your painting.