Le Stig Product-Test-Drives & Reviews Artists' Acrylic

First, our TSC tested Liquitex because it's the granddaddy of water based artist acrylic paints. Founded in 1955 Liquitex has been a main stay for artists all over the world and has consistently set the benchmarks to which other manufacturers aspire. Le Stig told us, "When I attended the atelier Liquitex was the exclusive acrylic paint. So much so, that the name 'Liquitex' was synonymous with acrylic paint as was 'Xerox' with photo copying machines and 'Hoover' with the sweeper." Our Champion began his test by blending the manufacturer's recommended primary colors into a spectrum strip on canvas. He then made a painting using just the primaries plus Titanium white and Mars black. "The paint preformed exactly as I expected. It mixed easily on the palette and canvas. The paint can be diluted with just water and blends with a minimal amount of streaking. I chose to paint a portrait of mon ami Kim's truck with the Liquitex and was pleased as always with the performance of the paint. The neutral colours were achieved easily by mixing compliments and a variety of dark and light tones were accomplished by the addition of either black or white. Facile!"

Next, le Stig chose to test Matisse Artist Acrylics because this Australian manufacturer was established in 1964. When asked, our champion confessed that he'd not used the paint before and looked forward to testing it. Again, our tester was supplied with only the recommended primary colors which in the case of this manufacturer are tubed and labeled as: Primary Yellow, Primary Red and Primary Blue. Again, the TSC created a color spectrum strip and a subsequent painting. " I found this paint to be superb in texture and quality of colour. It mixed beautifully in every way and was very creamy in texture while mixing. Tres facile, but perhaps, made more so by the addition of Titanium white to the yellow and the bleu. The paint handles superbly!"

Thirdly, our TSC was given the primaries for Golden, and like Matisse, Golden has labeled tubes of "Primary Yellow," "Primary (Magenta) Red" and "Primary Cyan Blue," and these colors were used to make the spectrum strip and subsequent painting. Golden has only been on the market for artists since the 1980's and has taken major steps in promoting the paint as a viable artist quality acrylic. Le Stig says, "This paint preformed excellently and the primary colours were easy to mix due the addition of Titanium white into the yellow and bleu. I found it to be very much like the Matisse brand as both are creamy in texture and easily managed on the palette and canvas."

Finally, our TSC tested the new Winsor & Newton Artist Acrylics and was impressed by the intensity of the colors. "The Winsor & Newton are the most vibrant of the four brands. Possibly it is due to the clear binder that Winsor & Newton has developed for their new paint. The paint preformed as well as the other three brands. The recommended primary colours blended easily to create a nice spectrum and the paint mixed easily on both the palette and canvas."

Our champion was equally impressed with all four brands of paint and would only choose one over the other for a color that is brand exclusive such as the Liquitex "Parchment" or the Matisse "Australian Salmon Gum."

Liquitex

The Good

A high performance paint with an excellent colour range.

The Bad

The tubes are beautifully designed but lack a swatch of actual colour.

The Ugly

There is nothing ugly. Liquitex is a classic like the 1955 Thunderbird.

Matisse

The Good

Excellent and unique colour range of quality paint. The tubes have a swatch of the actual colour on them. The 75ml tubes give you more value per purchase.

The Bad

None

The Ugly

None

Golden

The Good

Excellent range of high performance paint. A swatch of the actual colour on the tubes

The Bad

No tubes larger than 59ml

The Ugly

Golden is the Holden of artist acrylics. A fast and flashy Ford wannabe.

Winsor & Newton

The Good

A much improved line of acrylic paints made by one of the most revered manufacturers of artists' materials. Excellent value. The clear binder minimizes color shifting. Swatch of actual color on the tube.

The Bad

None

The Ugly

None

Happy Painting!