Acrylics

For the past few months i have been wanting to buy some new acrylic paints. I fell in love with Golden heavy body acrylics when i bought a tube of Burnt Umber. They are arguably the best acrylics on the market and have a lovely rich buttery feel. Unfortunately they are pricey. I needed to chose my paints carefully so i would get the most out of a small selection of colours.

Another great advantage of having a few colours is that you learn so much by mixing them. For instance a huge range of greens can be mixed that are far more subtle and interesting than a green straight from the tube.

After some research on forums sites like Wet canvas and reading Stephen Quiller’s essential “The painter’s guide to color” I narrowed my selection to five colours.

My three primaries are: Quinacridone Red, Cadmium Yellow light, Phthalo blue Green Shade.

My secondary colours are: Phthalo Green Yellow Shade and Dioxazine Purple.
I didn’t bother with an orange since i can make a clean orange with Quinacridone Red and Cadmium Yellow light.

Out of these five colours I was able to mix the twelve colours of the wheel. It’s amazing how much you learn after doing a simple exercise like this. No amount of reading can substitute for actual practice with the paints. I now have a palette that allows me to mix a huge range of colours.

I don’t think the Golden brand is widely available in Australia but fortunately Melbourne Artist Supplies have the full range.

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