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Getting started with acrylic painting

Follow our mini-series with artist Diane Benoît du Rey to discover a new tutorial and tips for getting started with acrylic painting each week.
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What is acrylic paint?

Acrylic paint first appeared in its form in the 1930s in the United States and was then democratised with artists in the early 1960s. Its composition is water soluble and is a mix of pigments and a binder made from synthetic resin.

Thanks to its specificities, it has revolutionised the history of art and was therefore immediately adopted by painters such as Andy Warhol and David Hockney.

The materials you'll need

Technical features of acrylic paint

Acrylic paint is one of the revolutions that have marked the history of Modern Art: easy to apply to a multitude of media, colours miscible to each other and easy to prepare, as well as a quick drying, a weak smell, and an indelible result. It is a colour with the potential for texture, matter and shape fully revealed by additives. Because the pigments are bonded by a synthetic resin, the paste dries more quickly and is more resistant to time. This also means that all colours can be mixed seamlessly with one another. This makes acrylic easy to use and creates endless possibilities.

A modernised range

To respond to the needs of artists and their techniques, we have redesigned and modernised the composition of our acrylic formula. As a result, the range is now more precise in terms of colour and texture, in line with the ever-evolving use of colour. Because the pigments are bonded by a synthetic resin, the paste dries more quickly and is more resistant to time. This also means that all colours can be mixed seamlessly with one another.

With additives, painters are able to transform each shade into a colour matter, through a multitude of effects, textures, and light and depth effects. The shade becomes a versatile, adaptable and multiform material, with the pigments leaving a lasting imprint on each canvas. As part of an approach that focuses on supporting artists, we have made the decision to reorganise our range so that the products are presented more clearly and coherently, to give a clearer understanding of how they are used.

Follow our mini-series with Diane Benoît du Rey

Diane Benoit du Rey was born in 1989. She trained at the Haute Ecole des Arts du Rhin (Esad Strasbourg) and recently worked in residence at the Plessix-Madeuc Workshops, at EFA Gallery in New York, the Machines Urbaines in Paris and is the 2017 winner of the Prix Paliss'art. She lives in Paris and her studio is located at the Halle Papin in Pantin. Her work is the result of a long process of transformation and recomposition and consists of composing a scenographed, resolutely sculptural ensemble where the figurative elements give the feeling of a narrative illusion. She leads this series of four tutorials designed to help you get started with acrylic painting. Discover these tutorials on our coaching section every week. In this mini-series, you will learn different techniques using acrylic paint and mediums through the themes of the sky, the beach, the landscape, and finally the sea.

Tutorial: Drip painting with Hom Nguyen

Discover artist Hom Nguyen’s drip painting technique in this tutorial. Try it yourself using our fine acrylic paint and 3D gel for volume.

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