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Liquitex was the first water-based acrylic paint created in 1955 and since then we have partnered with artists to ensure that we continually evolve and innovate – resulting in a long history of acrylic innovation. Today we bring you infinite intermixability: Versatile products with archival quality, to help you create, layer, match, smudge, blend or mix in your own individual style.
Shop the Liquitex Range
Basics
Basics is for all creatives. It's perfect for all painting techniques including underpainting and sketching. This medium viscosity paint is made with lightfast, artist-quality pigments in an expanded choice of 72 colours.
Heavy-Body
Thick, high viscosity, pigment-rich professional acrylic colour, ideal for impasto and texture. With a high concentration of lightfast artist-quality pigment and a satin finish, Heavy Body Acrylic gives you rich, permanent colour, with crisp brush strokes and knife marks.
Soft-Body
A low viscosity professional acrylic paint that gives excellent coverage, satin finish and high levels of artist-quality pigment for archival brilliance. It’s incredibly versatile, use it to paint, pour, glaze or print on almost any surface.
Ink
Ultra-fluid acrylic with lightfast, artist-quality pigments. No dyes. No fade. Just pure, permanent colour. And like all acrylics, it dries quickly and permanently, with no smudging or bleeding when rewetted or layered, pure liquid colour in a range of opacities.
Gouache
The most intense colours with a flat, matte effect. No brush strokes. No cracks. No need to dilute. Superb fluidity and application: all with a permanent, water-resistant finish when dry.
Spray Paint
A fine art tool made with highly lightfast artist-quality pigments. Unlike regular sprays, it uses low-odour professional paint made with water-based technology and low solvents. It's your perfect studio companion. No fumes. An easy-clean, water-based formulation. Fine dispersion, intense colour and UV permanence.
Markers
A new way to paint. No brush. Just the finest quality professional acrylic paint in a fine art, marker-style pen. Made with highly lightfast artist-quality pigments in a choice of two sizes, with replaceable nibs. *Fluorescent and metallic pigments are naturally less lightfast.
Gessoes
Prime your surfaces and add tooth, ready for paint application. Our professional gessoes create the perfect absorbency, texture and archival ground on supports of all types - from canvas to metal.
Gesso
A premium opaque acrylic gesso. Provides surface sizing, tooth and absorbency for acrylic & oil paints on canvas, paper, wood & more.
Clear Gesso
Sizes and primes while maintaining the original appearance & visibility of the surface. Provides tooth and adhesion for acrylic & oil paints on canvas, paper, wood & more.
Super Heavy Gesso
A heavy, structured, titanium white acrylic ground to add 3D texture and maximum tooth to your surface. Gives a textured matte white, opaque finish.
Black Gesso
A pre-mixed black acrylic ground. Primes surfaces and adds a high level of tooth for maximum colour adhesion and stability. Stiffens canvases and creates optimum absorbency for paint application.
Fluid Mediums
When you want to lower the viscosity of your acrylic paint or extend its volume, choose a fluid medium. Rather than using water to thin colour down, these dedicated formulas maintain your paint structure, so it dries normally, stays robust and keeps its archival permanence.
Glazing Medium
Mixed with transparent colours, it can be used to create glazes. Dries quickly to allow for several layers to be superimposed on each other.
Gloss Medium
Mix with paint to extend highly pigmented colour. Once dry, depth and brilliance of colour is increased. Also used for bonding lightweight materials. Permanent gloss finish.
Matte Medium
For fluid application of paint when a matte finish is desired.
Ultra Matte Medium
Dramatically reduces surface gloss to give a dead matte finish with no sheen. Doubles paint volume without changing its colour. Gives an ultra matte finish and maintains opacity. Slows drying time to help you create more subtle colour blends.
Gels & Pastes
When you want to thicken your acrylic paint, make it go further or give it a structural texture, choose one of our gels or pastes. These professional formulas maintain your paint structure, so it dries normally, stays robust and keeps its archival permanence.
Modelling Paste
Creates thick textures & 3D forms. For use on rigid surfaces only to prevent cracking. Can be sanded back.
Flexible Modelling Paste
Creates heavy texture & 3D forms. Dries to a hard, flexible finish. Can be used on non-rigid surfaces.
Light Modelling Paste
An airy, lightweight acrylic and marble putty to build heavy texture and 3D forms in situations where weight is a factor. Dries to a hard, opaque white matte finish. Can be used on its own, mixed with colour or painted once dry. Use to add body to paint and create pastel tints.
Gloss Gel
Excellent for leaving visible brush strokes. Ideal for glazing & glossy impasto effects. Excellent binder for pigments & additives such as sand, sawdust, stone, etc. Great for transferring printed images.
Gloss Heavy Gel
Creates a glossy impasto with a consistency similar to that of oil paint. Retains brush & palette knife marks. Ideal for making a thick glaze.
Gloss Super Heavy Gel
Increases gloss and dramatically increases viscosity to create a stiff, oil paint-like consistency that holds high peaks and sculptural shape. Slows drying time with minimal shrinkage.
Matte Gel
Once dry, it gives a translucent matte finish. Ideal for creating collages with heavy objects.
Ultra Matte Gel
Doubles paint volume without changing its colour, gives an ultra matte finish and maintains opacity. Turns satin paint to a dead matte finish with absolutely no sheen. Slows drying time and enhances appearance of brush marks. Acts as a heavy-duty collaging adhesive.
Matte Super Heavy Gel
Reduce shine, extend volume and dramatically thicken, while extending open time – or use as a strong collaging adhesive. Extends your colour further without affecting acrylic stability. Slows drying time with minimal shrinkage. Primes rough exterior walls for gesso application before mural painting.
Satin Gel
Gives paint a satin finish. Extends colour or use as a strong collaging adhesive. Slows drying time and enhances the appearance of brush strokes.
Silkscreen
Mix this slow-drying medium with acrylic paint to make colours suitable for screen printing or monoprinting.
Effects
You have the ability to customise acrylic colour in infinite ways with our effects mediums. Professional formulas alter the behaviour of your paint, add texture and prepare it for specific techniques, while keeping its acrylic film strength intact. Created in the lab, these mediums cover all bases. Want to add iridescence? Get a viscous texture? Use an airbrush? Pour? Or paint on fabric? Effects mediums and colours can be mixed in any way you like to achieve bespoke results.
Masking
Mask off areas of your surface with this colourless, latex based liquid. Use with fluid applications, washes & spray painting. Peels off once dry. Perfect to block off areas and let the surface show through.
Airbrush
Easily thins acrylic colour to optimum consistency for spray applications. Also used to create colour washes & watercolour effects.
Fabric
Mix with acrylic colour before applying directly on fabric or unprimed canvas. No heat setting required.
Gloss Pouring
Creates “puddles” & acrylic sheets. Dries to a high gloss finish. Does not crack or split. Use with Liquitex Acrylic Inks for optimum mixing & flow.
Matte Pouring
Mix Matte Pouring Medium with any acrylic paint to get evenly poured puddles and acrylic skins with a flat, non-reflective surface. Great for bold, graphic flow effects and photographing work. No surface cracking or bubbles.
String Gel
Create long strings of glossy, wet-look colour which you can use for textured effects such as 3D structure, dripping, splattering and streaking effects. Increases surface gloss, colour depth and transparency.
Crackle Paste
Use on its own or mix with colour to create a structurally stable crackle effect on rigid surfaces.
Glass
Mix with colour to create a smooth, high gloss finish that adheres to slick non-porous surfaces like glass. When heat set, creates a glossy, scratch resistant surface.
Silver Metallic
Give paint a metallic silver effect or use on its own to add silver surface highlights. Techniques include airbrushing, spraying, staining & fine detail.
Gold Metallic
Give paint a metallic gold effect or use on its own to add gold surface highlights. Techniques include airbrushing, spraying, staining & fine detail.
Iridescent
Provides richness to acrylic colours & creates a metallic/pearl effect. Ideal for calligraphy. Use on its own or, over or under paint for a subtle shimmer.
Natural Sand
Natural sand particles add structure and texture to this 100% acrylic polymer gel. Dries to a glossy, ‘beach sand’ finish. Gives an opaque/semi-opaque appearance. Can be used on its own, mixed with colour or overpainted once dry.
Glass Beads
Contains transparent beads that dry to produce a semi-gloss surface encrusted with “beads”. When mixed with transparent colours, this gel creates spectacular effects.
Ceramic Stucco
A fine, sandy texture that dries to a matte grey finish. Excellent for textured 2D or 3D applications.
Varnishes
Varnishes seal and protect your finished work from dirt, dust and UV damage.
High Gloss
Seal your acrylic work with a transparent, high gloss acrylic layer which is breathable, archival, permanent and protects against UV damage.
Gloss
Seal your acrylic work with a transparent, gloss acrylic layer which is breathable, archival, permanent and protects against UV damage.
Satin
Seal your acrylic work with a transparent, satin acrylic layer which is breathable, archival, permanent and protects against UV damage.
Matte
Seal your acrylic work with a transparent, matte acrylic layer which is breathable, archival, permanent and protects against UV damage.
Additives
Professional additives are used to permanently adjust the chemistry and character of your acrylic colour. Made without acrylic binders, these four formulas are very different to the rest of the mediums family. Most mediums contain high proportions of acrylic resins, but additives do not. Instead, they offer unique changes - from the aerated, sponge-like effects of Liquithick, to Flow-Aid's water-like fluidity which makes it ideal for watercolour techniques, staining and flow art. When you don't want to change your colours opacity levels but find you need longer working time, Slow-Dri Additive - in gel and fluid formats - helps you extend it by 40%.
Slow-Dri Fluid
Slow drying time by 40%, without affecting colour opacity, so you can work your paint for longer.
Slow-Dri Gel
Slow drying time by 40%, without affecting colour opacity, so you can work it for longer.
Flow Aid
Dramatically increase the flow, absorbency and blending of your colour/mediums while minimising brush strokes.
Liquithick
Add dramatic thickness and structure to your paint. Create custom viscosity and a matte finish without increasing paint transparency.
Frequently asked questions
Surely all paints can be mixed together?
Compatibility is the key word; all parts of the formulation need to work together. This can be done relatively easily within similar types of acrylic paint, when the values are roughly the same, however when you're crossing formats, consistencies and delivery systems, 100% compatibility is not easy to achieve.
Surely other acrylic brands offer the same level of compatibility?
The difference is the width and scope of the Liquitex collection - no one else makes such a diverse range of acrylic formats and consistencies. We're always looking at new ways to work with acrylics. Imagine how easy it would be to make two fluid paints that work together. But then imagine the complexities of ensuring that an ink and a spray paint work together. Each of our ranges delivers 100% compatibility across formulation chemistry - from the ultra-fluidity of Acrylic Ink to the deftness of Spray Paint.
What do you mean by 100% compatible?
It's about guaranteeing a stable mix when you're painting with any Liquitex acrylics. And achieving an archival result so that your work remains as you intended it for now and in the future under normal gallery conditions, no matter which of our paints you used.
How do you make something compatible?
When developing a new Liquitex formula, our chemists have a lot to think about... pigment, consistency, delivery system, finish and stability. But if it doesn't work with all of our mediums or paints, then we won't consider it. Every element of the formula is chosen with extreme care, with an inherent knowledge of acrylic chemistry. Each of the raw materials - from wetting agent to pigment - will affect compatibility. The elements are chosen, mixed and tested at each stage in the lab, and combined with each of the other products in the range - both Professional and Basics - to ensure they don't fight each other. Successful formulas have binder systems that are compatible but not necessarily the same.
What happens if I use acrylic paints from different sources?
The results can be unpredictable. Problems you might see include incompatibility of the acrylic emulsion or flocculation of the pigments. In non-scientific terms, this means your paint might not have the usual flexibility you'd expect from acrylics and it might stay tacky, even when dry. It also might not adhere to your supports like it should, so you may find your colour flakes or peels over time. Also, different qualities of pigments used from other sources may mean that you have unpredictable or poor lightfastness, so the colour will change over time.
Video Guides
Take a look
Check out this aquarium video, created exclusively for Officeworks to showcase the versatility and intermixability of Liquitex acrylic and mediums.
Tips & Techniques
Useful guides for working with multiple acrylic formats
PDF Downloads
