Acrylic Paints
View our versatile fast-drying acrylic paint range at Riot Art & Craft and find the perfect paint for your project. Our large range of vibrant colours and acrylic painting sets are perfect for both beginners and artists, and don't forget our fast delivery Australia-wide on all our art supplies.
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Acrylic Paints Online Australia
Riot Art & Craft stocks one of Australia's most comprehensive ranges of acrylic paints online, covering student, artist, and professional grades across heavy body, soft body, fluid, and pouring formulas. Every acrylic artist will find the right paint, finish, and brand here. Top brands include Derivan, Holcroft, Jo Sonja, Winsor & Newton, and Mont Marte, with free metro shipping on orders over $80. Afterpay available.
Get started on your next masterpiece and shop our leading range of acrylic paints online here today.
Student vs Professional Acrylic Paint Artist – Which Acrylic Paint Is Right for You?
Acrylic paints are graded by pigment concentration, lightfastness, and consistency, and choosing the right grade makes a real difference to your results.
Student-grade paints like Mont Marte are an excellent starting point. They use a lower pigment load which keeps the price accessible, and they perform well for practice, learning colour mixing, and hobby projects where archival quality isn't a priority.
Artist-grade paints such as Matisse offer higher pigment concentration, better colour saturation, and improved lightfastness. These are the right choice for painters who want more control and are producing work they intend to display or sell.
Professional-grade paints, including Golden Heavy Body, use the highest pigment loads and are formulated for serious studio practice. They deliver the most accurate colour, the greatest consistency across batches, and the best long-term archival performance.
If you're unsure where to start, browse our entire paint collection or explore our full acrylic paint range filtered by brand and grade.
What Surfaces Can You Use Acrylic Paint On? Canvas, Wood, Fabric, Paper & More
One of the biggest advantages of acrylic art paint for art is its versatility across surfaces. Canvas is the most common substrate and works with all acrylic grades and consistencies. Wood takes acrylic paint well, especially with a gesso primer applied first. Fabric painting is achievable with fluid acrylics or dedicated textile mediums that keep the paint flexible after drying. Watercolour paper and illustration board work for lighter applications, and primed card or mixed media paper handles heavier body formulas without buckling.
For decorative and experimental work, acrylics also bond to glass, ceramic, and plastic with appropriate primers or varnishes. This flexibility is a large part of why acrylic art is the most widely practised painting discipline across both beginner and professional artists.
You might also want to explore paint markers, alcohol inks, oil paints, and watercolour paints to round out your studio range.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between heavy body, soft body, and fluid acrylic paint?
Heavy body acrylics have a thick, buttery consistency that holds brushstrokes and palette knife marks, making them ideal for textured and impasto work. Soft body acrylics are smoother and more spreadable, suited to detailed work and layering. Fluid acrylics have a pourable, ink-like consistency that works well for fine detail, airbrushing, and acrylic pouring.
What acrylic paint is best for beginners in Australia?
Mont Marte is the most popular entry-level brand among Australian beginners due to its accessibility, wide colour range, and solid performance across canvas and paper. For those wanting to move into artist grade early, Matisse Flow is a good starter.
Is acrylic paint washable?
Acrylic paint is water-soluble while wet, so brushes and spills clean up easily with water before the paint dries. Once dry, acrylic paint is water-resistant and permanent on most surfaces.
What is acrylic pouring paint, and how does it work?
Acrylic pouring uses fluid or specially formulated pouring acrylics mixed with a pouring medium to create a low-viscosity mixture that flows across a canvas surface. The technique produces organic, layered abstract effects as colours blend and separate. Silicone oil is often added to create cell formations.
How long do acrylic paints take to dry?
Acrylics dry quickly compared to oil paints, typically within 20 to 30 minutes for thin layers and up to a few hours for heavy impasto applications. Drying time varies with humidity, temperature, and paint thickness.