The first thing that you should know about acrylic paint is that it dries very fast and that is something good for artists who want to complete the painting quickly. The aspect of the acrylic paint drying fast allows for layering techniques since you will not be required to wait for a long time before applying the next layer of paint. The fast pace of drying also helps you to correct any mistakes that may have happened since you will not have to wait for a long time before the paint has dried for you to work over it. If you want the paint to blend, you should ensure that you slow down the time that the paint dries up by adding a retarder or a medium that is similar to it to the paint.
You can also find some types of acrylic that are known as open acrylics and they usually take a longer time before they have dried up as compared to the standard acrylics. Acrylic paints, just like water colors, are water-based. You will find that diluting acrylic pain heavily will make it work like a water color paint. otherwise, if you fail to dilute acrylic paint using water, you will find that it will look like oil paint which is a good thing because as compared to oils, acrylics are safer to use due to the fact that they do not have a chemical smell and they are also not toxic. Since acrylic paint happens to be water-based, that is to mean that it can be washed from the paintbrush very easily just by using water.
It is also important for you to understand that although acrylic paint is usually water-based, when it dries up, it does not become resistant to water. One major reason why most artists like using acrylic paint is because of the fact that it is possible for it to be applied to different kinds of surfaces. Some of the surfaces that you can apply acrylic paint on include paper, canvas, wood, glass, upholstery, pottery among others. If you are planning to apply acrylic paint on canvas, it is important for you to know that you will not have to prepare it before the painting as well as applying a primer on it like you would do if you wanted to paint using oils.
It is possible for you to apply acrylic paint directly on the canvas and your canvas will not be affected in whichever way. After the acrylic paint that you have applied has dried up, you can now apply different mixed media which includes pens, pastels and charcoal on the paint. Acrylics are very versatile which makes them a good choice for artists. Acrylics are known to provide different effects when you apply them thinly and thickly. It is also possible for acrylic paints to be easily mixed with a variety of different mediums for you to have different kinds of effects which may not be possible with some other types of paints.