Three usual causes. You painted it over white or a light ground, and mica reflects whatever sits behind it, so any metallic that lets light through goes chalky over a pale surface. You scrubbed it on in every direction, which scatters the mica flakes instead of aligning them, so brush in one consistent direction. Or you thinned it with too much water, which separates the mica from the binder. Thin with an acrylic medium rather than water if you need it looser.

That depends on how much this one covers, and Metallic Black is opaque. A metallic that lets light through is at the mercy of its ground: over black or a deep black underpainting it flares properly, and over white or raw canvas it goes pale and chalky. One that covers in its own right is far less fussy and will shimmer straight over a light surface, though a darker ground still deepens it. Either way, let the ground dry completely before laying the metallic over it in one or two even coats.

Yes, all Amsterdam acrylics are intermixable, but adding an opaque colour to a metallic buries the mica flakes in solid pigment and reduces the shimmer. If you want a metallic version of another colour, glaze a thin layer of Metallic Black over the opaque colour once it is dry rather than mixing the two on the palette. Mixing metallic into metallic works fine and is a good way to shift the tone.

Yes. Amsterdam is made by Royal Talens in the Netherlands, a company that has been making artists' colours since 1899. The Standard Series is a general purpose acrylic built for people who paint a lot, with a 100% acrylic resin binder, a satin finish and lightfastness ratings of ++ or +++ across the range. It is not a heavily pigmented professional colour like Golden Heavy Body, and it is not trying to be. What it is, is a dependable, permanent acrylic you can use freely rather than ration.

Yes, we ship Australia wide including WA, the Northern Territory, regional and remote areas. Allow about 2 to 3 business days with Express Post and 6 to 8 business days with Standard Post to those destinations after dispatch. Larger and heavier orders go by Startrack courier rather than Australia Post, which takes about 6 to 8 business days to WA, the NT, Tasmania and remote areas. Tracking is provided on everything.

Use a stay-wet palette, which is a shallow tray with a damp sponge under a sheet of palette paper, and close the lid between sessions. Failing that, mist the palette with a fine water spray every few minutes and work in smaller mixes. Do not scrape half-dry paint back into the jar, because those lumps will never redisperse and you will find them in a later layer. Acrylic retarder medium buys extra open time if you need it.

Yes, it is a common mural choice, and the alkali resistance is the reason. It adheres to stone, plaster, concrete and render without a specialist masonry primer, provided the wall is clean, sound and slightly porous. For an exterior mural, finish with a UV resistant exterior varnish. The paint's lightfastness rating assumes indoor museum conditions, and an Australian north-facing wall is a very different ask.

Act while it is wet if you possibly can, because soap and cold water lifts wet acrylic easily. Once it has cured it is a plastic film bonded into the fibres and there is no reliable removal. People have some success softening it with isopropyl alcohol or a dedicated paint remover and working at it with a brush, but the fabric usually shows the damage. The real answer is an apron and old clothes.

No. Standard Series runs around 90 colours at one consistent grade, medium viscosity, satin finish. Expert Series uses higher pigment concentrations, more single-pigment colours and traditional artist pigments including cadmiums and cobalts, organised into series bands by pigment. Choose Standard for scale, teaching and mixing in volume. Choose Expert when you want maximum tinting strength and the cleanest possible mixes.