If you are familiar with the activity known as painting by numbers, you must have wondered what type of paint is used for it. The most common answer that you would think of would be acrylic or oil paints. Unfortunately, most paint artists don’t understand the difference between these two types of paint. It is quite essential that you know about these differences to get an idea of why acrylic paint is the perfect choice for paint by numbers. We have put together this whole guide that will help you understand the importance of acrylic paints.
Many major companies, including MiiCreative, favor using acrylic paints for paint by numbers kits. The company believes that this type of paint has been chosen for a lot of good reasons.
Why is Acrylic Paint the Ideal Choice?
Here are some of the reasons why we use acrylic paints. Take a look.
Quick Dry
The properties of Acrylic paints allow them to dry out quickly. The reason that they dry quicker than oil paints is because they are water-based. This way, your painting experience gets a lot quicker and productive. Also, quickly adding the second or third layer to the already existing one lets you cover the paint number. Adding layers polishes your painting, and if you do it quickly, you can get rid of the wrong color by simply using alcohol and cotton tips.
Compatibility with the Brush
The usual paint by number kits feature a synthetic brush. Such brushes don’t absorb water, and that makes acrylic based paints perfect to go along with them. The water-based paints match perfectly with synthetic brushes. Moreover, you also save a lot of money as you won’t be buying a new set of brushes as you will be using the ones with the kits. Everything is already set and ready for you.
Long-Lasting
We are going to assume that you have heard of the term “lightfastness”, but if you are a beginner and have not heard about it, let’s quickly explain it. The term lightfastness refers to the color fading away or changing its shade due to exposure to light. The quicker it is, the worse the quality of the paint is. But, when it comes to acrylic paint, yeah, you guessed it right! They are pretty good in this regard.
Knowing this feature about the paints is essential because, whenever you are done with painting, you will definitely find some place to hang it up. If you are hanging it in an area which is exposed to light, other paints like oil paints tend to lose the color by turning into a yellowish color. That’s definitely not the case with acrylic paints, as long as you use an acrylic sealer so you don’t have to worry about wherever you hang your painting.
They are pleasant to work with:
Even though oil paints are very pleasant visually, when it comes to smell, that is not the case. Oil paints are distinct, and they have a very irritating smell. A smell that can cause headaches and nausea, especially if you are working in a cramped and small place. Acrylic paints, on the other hand, do not have an intense odor. So, you can enjoy painting constantly for hours without worrying about any health concerns. A pretty stress-free environment, we must add.
Acrylic Paint: Amazing Features
As we already know what color is used in paint by numbers and why acrylics are awesome, let us quickly summarize why we believe acrylic paint is an outstanding option using the following facts:
It's water-based:
Unlike oil paints, acrylics are usually thinned and washed with water. This is not only handy because you don't have to use a different medium to thin out and disinfect the color on your canvas, but it also saves you money and time. Moreover, you don’t have to pre-mix the paint which is also less hassle on your part.
Acrylics are non-toxic:
If you happen to be environmentally or health-conscious, this makes acrylics a very appealing choice. In addition to being non-toxic, acrylic paints do not have a heavy, irritating odor. Given these considerations, the only thing you'll have to think about while dealing with acrylics is to enjoy your time. The irritating smell is no longer part of your painting experience. The greatest part of this is that acrylics are healthy for both your children and pets, providing a safe and enjoyable environment for all.
Same Result as Oil Paints, but Safer
Acrylics can imitate the consistency of oil paints due to additions such as paint retarders. They can be as pleasing to the eye as oil paints, but without the latter's toxicity.
Verdict
We hope that this post has answered your concerns about why most paint-by-number kits on the market today use acrylic paints. While oil paint is not a bad choice, we have strong reasons to think that acrylic paint is the way to go, especially for beginners who want to enjoy a stress-free painting activity. If you've ever wondered how good acrylic paintings look with these kits, take a look at the hundreds of completed artwork submitted by DIY painters on MiiCreative's customer reviews website.
