What’s the difference​ between different Brands of Acrylic Paint?

You asked, and yep... we heard the chaos in the aisles. So we grabbed some of our most popular acrylic ranges, the ones that fly off the shelves, get squeezed dry in school workshops, and spark those classic “Why is this one $4 and this one $15?!” convos , and broke them down in one big, cheeky guide.

We’re talking buttery paints, watery ones, glossy tubes, matte flows, and everything in between. No gatekeeping, no snobbery, and no “you must be a master” vibes. Real information from real artists who know what it’s like to stare at 87 shades of blue, wondering what a phthalo is.

So whether you’re building your stash, jumping into a new style, or just nosy about what the difference actually is, here’s your full breakdown of the acrylic wall, brand by brand, finish by finish, all in one place.

What is Acrylic Paint?

Acrylic paint is a fast-drying, water-based paint made from pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. Unlike oils (which take days to dry) or watercolours (which stay reactivatable), acrylics dry quickly to a water-resistant film, making them one of the most versatile and beginner-friendly mediums around.

Acrylics can mimic oil paint's texture, watercolour's transparency, or create something entirely new with the help of gels, pastes, and mediums. They adhere to a wide range of surfaces including canvas, wood, paper, fabric, metal, and even plastic.

The Three Core Components of Acrylic Paint:

Pigment: The actual colour. Professional paints have a higher pigment concentration.

Binder (Acrylic Polymer): Holds the pigment together and forms a flexible film when dry.

Vehicle (Water): Keeps the paint fluid and workable while wet. Evaporates as it dries.

Why Artists Love Acrylics:

Fast drying = fast layering

Water-based = easy clean-up

Flexible = suits countless techniques

Whether you’re layering heavy texture with a palette knife, glazing delicate transitions, or pouring wild abstracts, acrylic paint can handle it all. Now let’s unpack which type of acrylic will work best for your style, goals, and budget.

Mont Marte Acrylic Colour

Grade: Student
 

Viscosity: Medium-bodied
 

Finish: Satin to semi-matte
 

Format Sizes: 12ml–36ml tubes, 75ml, 250ml, 1L bottles

Mont Marte Acrylic Colour is one of the most affordable and widely used student acrylics in Australia. It strikes a solid balance between quality and accessibility, offering a creamy, medium-bodied texture that spreads easily and dries quickly. It’s perfect for classrooms, beginners, and creative play where the focus is on exploration, not perfection.

While it doesn’t have the pigment intensity of pro-grade paints, that’s not its mission. It’s made for learning the ropes, building confidence, and experimenting with bold colour without fear of wasting expensive materials. Mid-tones cover surprisingly well, and the colour range is generous with primaries, pastels, metallics and even fluro options.

When paired with a good base coat or gesso, it performs better than you’d expect from a budget-friendly tube. It dries to a semi-matte, flexible finish and plays well on paper, primed canvas, or even cardboard.

Best For:

Students and beginners

Schools and workshop settings

Artists sketching, planning or building underpaintings

Budget-conscious creators who paint a lot!
 

Tips from the Shed:

Prime your surface with white gesso to boost colour vibrancy.
 

Don’t underestimate it, it’s great for thumbnail studies or loosening up your style.
 

Mix with Mont Marte mediums if you want more body or longer working time.
 

Jo Sonja Matte Flow Acrylic

Grade: Artist (Decorative/Folk Art)
 

Viscosity: Low-bodied / Flow
 

Finish: True matte
 

Format: 75ml and 250ml bottles

Originally developed for decorative artists and folk painters, Jo Sonja Matte Flow Acrylics are a unique gem in the paint world. They offer the buttery smoothness of a flow formula but dry completely matte, no sheen, no glare, just flat, velvety colour. This is exactly what folk artists need when layering detail over detail without reflections stealing the show.

Don’t let the lower viscosity fool you, these paints are still pigment-rich and artist-quality, just tuned for a different audience. They excel at detail work, stencilling, glazing, and painting miniatures or keepsake projects. The slightly muted colour palette lends itself beautifully to vintage-inspired and traditional motifs.

Best For:

Decorative artists and crafters
 

Painting wooden keepsakes, boxes, signs, and collectables
 

Illustrators or miniaturists who need control and smooth layering
 

Tips from the Shed:

For smoother lines, use with Jo Sonja’s flow medium.
 

Pair with fine liner brushes or sponges for best results.
 

Perfect on canvas, timber, MDF and even fabric (with textile medium).
 

Mont Marte Satin Acrylic

Grade: Hobbyist / Intermediate
 

Viscosity: Medium-bodied
 

Finish: Satin
 

Format: 75ml and 120ml tubes, boxed sets

Mont Marte Satin Acrylic sits neatly between the beginner-friendly and more premium acrylic lines. It offers a smoother glide, stronger adhesion, and slightly higher pigment load than the standard Acrylic Colour range, all while keeping the price accessible.

Its satin finish adds a soft sheen without going glossy, making it great for work where colour pop and blendability matter. It suits emerging artists or hobbyists looking to elevate their materials without jumping straight into professional pricing.

Best For:

Intermediate painters building skills
 

Mixed media experiments and journaling
 

Affordable upgrades from student paint
 

Tips from the Shed:

Fantastic for quick commissions or smaller canvas works.
 

Try them in sets to explore colour mixing before investing in single pro tubes.
 

Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic

Grade: Artist / Premium Hobbyist
 

Viscosity: Heavy-bodied
 

Finish: Glossy to satin
 

Format: 75ml tubes, 250ml tubs

Dimension Acrylic is Mont Marte’s heavy hitter, their most premium line to date. Thick, highly pigmented, and rich in body, these paints are perfect for creating texture, visible brushstrokes, and impasto effects without breaking the bank.

This range is ideal for artists moving into more expressive, professional techniques but still watching their wallet. The paint holds its shape beautifully, dries to a durable, flexible film, and delivers strong colour payoff.

Best For:

Textured canvas work
 

Palette knife painting
 

Affordable artist-quality alternatives
 

Tips from the Shed:

Use alongside modelling paste or impasto medium for sculptural effects.
 

Great as a base for thick highlight layers over more fluid underpainting.
 

Mont Marte Pouring Paint

Grade: Craft / Beginner Fluid Artist
 

Viscosity: Pre-mixed fluid
 

Finish: Glossy
 

Format: 120ml bottles and boxed sets

Mont Marte Pouring Paint takes the mess and mystery out of fluid art. Pre-mixed with the perfect amount of pouring medium, this range is ready to go straight from the bottle, no calculations, no ratios, no surprises. Just shake and pour.

The paints are vibrant, glossy, and highly pourable, designed to move smoothly across canvas without the need for extra additives. While they won’t give you total control over viscosity, they offer consistency and ease for newcomers to the fluid scene.

Best For:

Beginners exploring pouring techniques
 

Abstract artists and intuitive painters
 

Craft and workshop environments
 

Tips from the Shed:

Elevate your canvas and protect your work surface (this stuff moves!)
 

Use a heat gun to pop air bubbles for smoother cells
 

Try a limited colour palette per pour to avoid muddy mixes
 

Atelier Free Flow

Grade: Professional Artist
 

Viscosity: Low-bodied / liquid
 

Finish: Matte
 

Format: 60ml and 250ml bottles

Atelier Free Flow is a professional acrylic for artists who want watercolour-style effects without sacrificing pigment punch. The consistency is ink-like, making it ideal for fine lines, glazes, fluid techniques, or flat-fill coverage without brush marks.

Despite its light feel, Free Flow doesn’t skimp on colour intensity. It’s loaded with professional-grade pigment and dries to a matte finish with exceptional permanence. It works beautifully on canvas, paper, board, and even in airbrushes with the right nozzle.

Best For:

Glazing and underpainting
 

Botanical, illustrative, and fine detail work
 

Watercolour-style applications without reactivation
 

Tips from the Shed:

Shake well before use, pigment settles fast!
 

Combine with traditional acrylics to add bold, sharp details over textured surfaces
 

Dilute with water for staining techniques
 

Atelier Interactive

Grade: Professional Artist
 

Viscosity: Soft-bodied
 

Finish: Satin
 

Format: 80ml and 250ml tubes, 1L tubs

Atelier Interactive is the paint for artists who want time. Its revolutionary formula lets you re-wet and blend the surface even after it dries to the touch, using water or Atelier's Unlocking Formula. This gives you the flexibility of oils with the cleanup of acrylics.

It blends beautifully, allowing seamless gradients and slow transitions, and works well in humid or dry environments alike. Once fully cured, it becomes permanent and water-resistant like any other acrylic.

Best For:

Portrait and realism artists
 

Glazing and wet-in-wet blending
 

Creative control freaks (in a good way)
 

Tips from the Shed:

Keep a fine mist spray bottle handy to maintain open time
 

Try a limited palette to really explore its unique blending properties
 

If you're new to Interactive, practice with small works to get the hang of unlocking layers
 

Matisse Flow

Grade: Professional Artist

Viscosity: Soft-bodied

Finish: Satin

Format: 75ml, 250ml, and 1L tubs

Made in Australia with archival-grade pigments, Matisse Flow is rich, smooth, and ultra-reliable. It flows off the brush with the consistency of warm honey, allowing for bold coverage, seamless blending, and clean edges. It's lightfast, UV-resistant, and designed to last for generations.

Perfect for artists who love layering or detail work, it also handles airbrushing and fine brushwork like a pro. The colour payoff is consistent across the entire range, even in transparent tones.

Best For:

Glazing, illustrations, and flat-fill techniques
 

Detail work and botanical art
 

Muralists and professional-level projects
 

Tips from the Shed:

Use Matisse mediums to manipulate gloss, transparency, and texture
 

Great for base coats and layering under Matisse Structure for added depth
 

Liquitex Basics

Grade: Student

Viscosity: Soft-bodied

Finish: Satin

Format: 118ml, 250ml, and 400ml tubes

Liquitex Basics is one of the most trusted student acrylics worldwide. Developed by the same team behind the Liquitex pro range, it maintains high quality control, lightfastness, and consistency at a more affordable price point.

It’s a top pick for schools, beginner artists, and muralists needing volume and reliability. It blends well, has a good colour range, and dries with a flexible satin finish that resists cracking.

Best For:

Foundations, underpaintings, and classroom learning
 

Beginner painters looking for value + performance
 

Murals and base coats
 

Tips from the Shed:

Combine with Liquitex Gesso and Gloss Medium for greater durability
 

Use for sketching out large works before applying artist-grade colour
 

Amsterdam Standard Series

Grade: Student / Studio
 

Viscosity: Medium-bodied
 

Finish: Satin
 

Format: 120ml, 250ml, and 500ml bottles

Amsterdam Standard by Royal Talens is a reliable, environmentally conscious paint with studio-grade performance. Made in the Netherlands, this mid-range acrylic offers strong opacity, vibrant colour, and clear pigment labelling, making it ideal for learning and studio practice.

The viscosity is smooth enough for flat work but thick enough to retain some texture. With over 90 colours and transparent-to-opaque options clearly labelled, it’s great for artists who want predictability in their process.

Best For:

Intermediate and student artists
 

Studio work and practice paintings
 

Eco-conscious creatives
 

Tips from the Shed:

Try the Reflex colours for bold, near-neon effects
 

Great for layering, but mix slowly to avoid bubbles
 

Liquitex Heavy Body

Grade: Professional Artist
 

Viscosity: Heavy-bodied
 

Finish: Satin to glossy
 

Format: 59ml, 138ml tubes, 473ml jars

Liquitex Heavy Body is a favourite of contemporary artists for its buttery texture, high pigment load, and flexible finish. It delivers rich colour straight from the tube and retains brush or knife marks perfectly. No cracking. No dulling. Just bold, confident colour that lasts.

It behaves beautifully on canvas, wood, or textured grounds and mixes like a dream. It's compatible with the full Liquitex range of mediums for glazing, texture, and slow drying.

Best For:

Texture lovers and palette knife painters
 

Professional artists and fine art
 

Large-scale pieces with visible marks and dimension
 

Tips from the Shed:

Don’t waste pigment! Use a gel medium to extend it without losing body
 

Combine with spray paint or ink for mixed media magic
 

Matisse Structure

Grade: Professional Artist

Viscosity: Heavy-bodied

Finish: Satin to glossy

Format: 75ml, 250ml, and 1L tubs

Matisse Structure is the flagship of Australian acrylics. With its dense, buttery feel and archival pigment load, it holds peaks, brush strokes, and texture like no other. Designed for long-term durability, gallery use, and outdoor mural work, it’s a powerhouse range for serious creators.

Every colour is lightfast, bold, and beautifully mixable. Whether you're layering thick textures or applying smooth gradients, Structure responds to your tools with grace.

Best For:

Impasto, palette knife, and expressive techniques
 

Mixed media and mural work
 

Professional and exhibiting artists
 

Tips from the Shed:

Pair with Matisse Flow for flat layers underneath textural highlights
 

Use Impasto Medium to stretch without flattening your strokes
 

FAQs: Your Acrylic Questions, Answered

What’s the best acrylic paint for beginners?

Mont Marte Acrylic Colour and Liquitex Basics are both solid starting points. They're affordable, easy to layer, and give you room to learn without wasting top-tier pigment on practice.

What’s the difference between student and artist grade acrylics?

It mostly comes down to pigment load (how much colour is in the paint), binder quality (what holds it all together), and price. Artist-grade = richer, smoother, more vibrant, and longer-lasting.

Can I mix different acrylic brands together?

Yes! As long as they’re all water-based (which most are), they play well together. Just remember mixing artist and student grades might slightly reduce overall vibrancy or consistency.

What does “pigment load” mean?

It’s how much actual colour (not filler) is in the paint. High pigment = stronger colour, fewer layers, better blending.

Which paint is best for palette knife techniques?

Mont Marte Dimension, Matisse Structure, and Liquitex Heavy Body all hold shape beautifully and give you that sculpted, impasto texture.

Can acrylic paint go on wood or fabric?

Yes! Just prep the surface. Use gesso on wood and a textile medium with fabric.

What makes a paint matte vs glossy?

It depends on the binder and additives. Jo Sonja = matte; Mont Marte Dimension = glossy. You can also control sheen with varnishes.

What is the drying time for acrylics?

Anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes depending on thickness, brand, and environment. Atelier Interactive is the only paint that can be reactivated after drying.

What should I use for glazing techniques?

Atelier Free Flow or Matisse Flow, paired with a glazing medium.

Which paints are best for fine detail?

Jo Sonja, Atelier Free Flow, and Matisse Flow are low-viscosity legends.

What paint should I use for murals?

Amsterdam, Matisse Flow, and Liquitex Basics are popular for big walls. Use varnish for extra weather protection.

Why is my acrylic paint drying too fast?

Acrylics dry fast by nature, but misting your palette or using slow-dry mediums helps. Atelier Interactive is a great slow-drying option.

Can I use acrylic paint on paper?

Yep! Just choose heavyweight paper or prep with gesso if layering heavily.

Which acrylic paint is best for mixed media?

Atelier Interactive and Matisse Structure both layer well with mediums, pastes, and other materials.

How do I store leftover paint?

Seal it airtight. Wet palettes are great. Acrylics don’t forgive neglect.

Ready to Paint?

Now that you know your heavy body from your soft body, your satin from your matte, and your Dimension from your Flow, it’s time to get painting. Whether you’re layering glazes like a Renaissance master or slapping on texture with a spoon (we don’t judge), we’ve got the range to suit your vision.

Browse acrylic paints online or pop in-store and test them yourself. We’ll even let you swatch a few. Because at Art Shed, we’re not just here to sell paint. We’re here to help you find your thing.

Explore the full range here

Paint what feels good. And if it all goes sideways? call it abstract, baby.