Acrylic paint is a lot like other paint in that it is made from the combination of a binder and ground pigment. Pigment is what gives paint color. The binder is where the consistency comes from. To make acrylic paints, a manufacturer will use an acrylic polymer as a binder. This is what causes dried acrylic paint to become a plastic film. This helps increase the durability of the of acrylic paints. Typically acrylic paints can be used both inside and outside. The good news for an artist is that manufacturers tend to use different polymers to bind acrylic paints, which will make the paint either jelly-like, thick, thin, watery or sticky. This allows you more time to paint.
Instructions
1. Use water to clean up acrylic paints, whether you are washing off brushes or cleaning up any splatters that were made. Water will help you clean up with ease.
2. Thin acrylic paints with water, as long as you only need to make a slight adjustment. You will want to use the water sparingly, because if you add to much water, you can break down the bond between the binder and the pigment, which essentially washes out the binder.
3. Keep paints workable. Acrylic paints tend to dry very fast. That is why you want to only squeeze a little bit out on a plastic palette. Buy a little spray bottle that will allow you to spray a fine mist over your paints to help keep them moist and workable.
4. Blot your brushes. Keep a paper towel or your painter cloth next to your water jar so that you can blot the brush after rinsing. This will help prevent any water drops from running down the brush on to your paint brush and into your paint.
