7 Basic Acrylic Painting Tips And Tricks You Should Know

It’s nice to have a few acrylic painting tips and tricks up your sleeve. You never know when you’re going to need them. I’ve compiled a small list of some basic tips that you should know about when you’re starting out. We’ll go over how to make your brushes last longer. What to do if your paint is too runny or dried out. A trick on slowing down the drying time of the acrylic paint. We’ll also talk about how to fixing paint mistakes. Painting is a forgiving art. If you goof up, you can usually fix it fairly easily. Finally we’ll touch base on removing acrylic paint from clothes. You’re always going to get some on your clothes so it’s best to wear old clothes that you don’t mind getting paint stains on. I have a few sets of clothes that I put on just for painting. Every now and then you might end up with some paint on your nice clothes so I’ll tell you what to do if that happens.  

Always Clean Your Brushes

Every time you’re done painting with acrylic paint, use soap and clean water to clean your brushes. This will help keep them from hardening up and they will last a lot longer.

Is Your Paint Too Runny?

If your paint is too watery or runny, you may need to upgrade the paint brand. Some cheaper paints aren’t as good as the more expensive ones. You want it to be a thick and creamy texture. If you already have paint that is too runny you can mix it with a texture gel. If you want something that's going to even build a more texture, I suggest molding paste.

Did Your Paint Dry Up In The Tube?

If your paint has dried up in the tube or container, it might not be a total loss. Try to get it out onto your palette. Mix it with water using your painting knife to get it back to the right consistency. You may be able to still use it.   

Slow Down The Drying Time Of Your Paint

If your paint is drying too fast, try using a fine mist spray bottle to spray a fine mist of water over your palette and canvas. You can also mix an acrylic retarder medium into your paint. I think it’s necessary to have a wet palette. It will save you money since it keeps the paint wet even if you have take a break and come back in a day or two or even up to a couple of weeks. See my How To Make A Wet Palette page to make your own wet palette at home.

Are You Trying To Cover Something Up With No Luck?

If you’re painting over something and you still see what’s underneath, you may be using transparent colors instead of opaque. A common way to tell if your paint is opaque or transparent is by looking on the paint label. If you see a circle filled in, it’s opaque. If the circle is open, it’s transparent. Filled in halfway means semi-transparent. Another way to cover up something is in the next step on how to fix a mistake.

Fixing Paint Mistakes

If you make a mistake, you can most likely fix it by using one of the following methods:

If the acrylic paint is still wet:

• Scrape off the wet paint with a painting knife, an old credit card, or some card stock.


• Use a dampened soft cloth (not too wet), and try to rub as much of the paint off as you can.


• Let the area completely dry.


• Using titanium white acrylic paint, apply 2 thin coats, allowing it to dry completely between coats and after applying it.


• Then continue with your painting.

If the acrylic paint has already dried:

• Using a very fine sandpaper, gently sand down the area of the mistake you wish to cover.


• Using a dampened soft cloth (not too wet), wipe off any dust and paint that’s remaining.


• Allow it to completely dry.


• Using titanium white acrylic paint, apply 2 thin coats, allowing it to dry completely between coats and after applying it.


• Now you can continue with your painting.

Removing Acrylic Paint From Clothes

• You’re always going to get some paint on your clothes. It’s a good idea to wear older clothes when you’re painting.


• If you get some paint on your nice clothes, all is not lost. There is a great possibility it can be removed.


• Try hairspray.


• Spray the area with the hairspray and vigorously rub it using a sponge or a cloth. Keep repeating spraying it, rubbing it, scraping it with a dull knife once it’s loosened until the paint stain is removed.


• You can also try rubbing this with rubbing alcohol.


• If one of those methods doesn’t work there’s a product called Goof Off. That will most definitely get the paint stain out.

I’d love to hear from you!

Do you have any questions or need any help on anything? Please leave me a comment. Even if it’s just a thought about the article, I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you’d like to share any tips or tricks, it would be nice if you could leave them in the comments section below.


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