What To Paint On With Acrylics

Acrylic paint is so versatile that you have many different surfaces to choose from. Some of the most common acrylic painting surfaces are: 

canvas

wood

rocks

glass

fabric

metal 

Also, think outside the box. Things like:

paper mache

pumpkins

boxes

wooden crates

ornaments

are great ideas too. Click on each of the links above for detailed instructions of them. There’s so many more ideas you can come up with if you love to create and use your imagination. 

There are a couple things to consider when you’re choosing what to paint on with acrylics but you can pretty much paint on anything that is not oily or too glossy. That's a lot to choose from!

Below you’ll find some more artistic ideas for acrylic painting surfaces. If you have a few or your own ideas of what to paint on, I’d love to hear them in the comments section! Use your imagination and let’s think of some really creative ideas here!

You can usually find all your painting and craft supplies at Amazon and have them conveniently delivered right to your home. Otherwise check out your local craft store and department stores for supplies.

Wall Painting Ideas

Interior wall designing with Stencils looks beautiful in any room of the house. Butterflies, flowers, trees and leaves accentuate plain walls very nicely around the top and sides. 


Another idea would be to paint the whole wall or maybe a top border in a geometric, lacy, damask or Moroccan style. You could paint the kid’s room with some teddy bears, rocking horses and the alphabet. Make sure the walls are clean and use painter’s tape to attach the stencil to the wall. Have a paper towel or an old rag handy to get the excess paint off your brush. 


Acrylic paint is perfect for this because it dries fast. Interior wall designing is a great way to make your home a delightful place to be. 

Other wall painting ideas include mural painting outdoors which can be a fun and exciting way to decorate the youth center or a business in your community. Painting a little design on the outside of your house is an interesting way to add a little character to it. Try a creative design on the shutters or maybe the front door to make an attractive entrance.

Paint Old Milk Cans

You can make an extremely nice piece of artwork out of an old milk can. Wash the can first with soapy water and dry it. Then wipe it down with rubbing alcohol to remove any residue from the can. It’s best to spray the can with a rust preventer like Rust-Oleum Universal Bonding Primer. 


Using acrylic paint, put the background color on first. Then use graphite paper to transfer your design or draw it yourself on the can. Now you can paint your design. 


You’ll most likely need more than one coat so make sure you let it completely dry between coats. 


When you’re done, let it completely dry before you spray it with a sealant. Now you have a nice decoration for your house, yard, garden, or wherever you’d like to display it!  

Paint On Birdhouses

I love painted birdhouses. They look so pretty. Only problem with this idea is it might not be safe for the birds if there are toxins in the paint or varnish that you are using. Although most acrylic paint is non toxic, there are toxins in some of the colors. You can read the label on the bottle or tube to see if there are toxins in them. Colors that have cadmium, cobalt, chromium, and magnesium, all have toxins in them. 


Try to only paint the outside of the birdhouse... example if you’re building the house yourself, don’t paint the wood first so paint doesn’t get inside the house. If you bought an already made unfinished birdhouse, then you’re probably not going to paint the inside anyway. 


It’s also best to avoid bright colors because it will attract unwanted attention of predators... Read Here. 


For decorative indoor use of your painted birdhouses you don’t have to worry but if you’d like a little more information on bird safety of painting outdoor birdhouses here’s another site you can check... Read Here. 

Paint Your Feet?

Why not? Experiment and try new and fun things like painting the bottom of your feet. You can easily wash it off with soap and water later.



Stay tuned and check back often because I will be posting more ideas on what to paint on with acrylics for you and would love to hear a few of your ideas!



Please leave your acrylic painting ideas and questions in the comments section below.



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