You’re searching for the right acrylic paint set to elevate your work, but you’re not sure which Liquitex option truly deserves your investment. With professional formulations, budget-friendly basics, and specialized effects lines available, the choices can feel overwhelming. The difference between a set that transforms your creative process and one that falls short often comes down to understanding what separates them.
Quick Overview
- Liquitex Professional Heavy Body sets deliver rich, permanent colors with exceptional pigment quality that professional artists rely on for archival-quality work.
- Over 200 acrylic paint colors including interference, iridescent, and fluorescent options enable professional artists to explore diverse palettes and unique visual effects.
- Multiple viscosity formulations—soft body, heavy body, ink, and spray paint—accommodate various professional techniques from glazing to impasto texture work.
- Liquitex BASICS sets offer affordable starter options with 48 popular colors that intermix seamlessly with Professional products for color exploration and mixing.
- UV-resistant, non-yellowing paints maintain brilliance for 50+ years in gallery conditions, ensuring professional artists’ work resists fading and environmental deterioration.
| Liquitex Professional Soft Body Acrylic Paint Titanium White |
| Professional Quality White | Product Type: Soft Body Acrylic Paint | Pigment Quality: Pure pigments | Water-Based/Cleanup: Water-cleanable when wet | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Set 48 x 22ml (0.74-oz) Tube Set |
| Best Value Set | Product Type: Student-Grade Acrylic Paint Set | Pigment Quality: High-quality pigments with ceramic bead dispersion | Water-Based/Cleanup: Dries quickly, water-cleanable when wet | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylic Paint Essentials Set |
| Best Overall Professional | Product Type: Heavy Body Acrylic Paint Set | Pigment Quality: Pure, finest quality artists’ pigments in high concentration | Water-Based/Cleanup: Water-resistant when dry | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| Liquitex BASICS Gesso Surface Prep Medium 473ml (16-oz) Bottle White |
| Essential Surface Prep | Product Type: Gesso Surface Prep Medium | Pigment Quality: Acrylic gesso with educational-grade pigments | Water-Based/Cleanup: Water-repellent, washable | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint 118ml (4-oz) Tube Phthalocyanine Green |
| Vibrant Single Color | Product Type: Student-Grade Acrylic Paint | Pigment Quality: High-quality pigments with ceramic bead dispersion | Water-Based/Cleanup: Water-cleanable when wet | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Tube 12-Piece Set |
| Best For Beginners | Product Type: Student-Grade Acrylic Paint Set | Pigment Quality: High-quality pigments with ceramic bead dispersion | Water-Based/Cleanup: Water-cleanable when wet | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint Set (3 x 118ml Tubes) |
| Starter Essentials Kit | Product Type: Student-Grade Acrylic Paint Set | Pigment Quality: High-quality pigments with ceramic bead dispersion | Water-Based/Cleanup: Water-cleanable when wet | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
More Details on Our Top Picks
Liquitex Professional Soft Body Acrylic Paint Titanium White
If you’re an artist seeking professional-grade paint that won’t compromise your work’s longevity, Liquitex Professional Soft Body Acrylic Paint in Titanium White delivers archival quality that lasts 50+ years in gallery conditions. You’ll appreciate the soft, flowing consistency that applies smoothly without color shifting or fading. The pure pigments guarantee authentic color representation across your pieces. The 237ml bottle features a thoughtfully designed wide neck and screw-off top, eliminating frustrating corners where paint gets trapped. The pre-cut nozzle lets you start painting immediately, while the easy-open and close lid keeps your paint fresh between sessions.
- Product Type:Soft Body Acrylic Paint
- Pigment Quality:Pure pigments
- Water-Based/Cleanup:Water-cleanable when wet
- Finish Type:Not specified
- Surface Versatility:Multiple surfaces
- Archival/Durability:50+ years in gallery conditions, no color shifting or fading
- Additional Feature:Pre-cut nozzle for immediate use
- Additional Feature:Easy-open and close lid
- Additional Feature:Pure pigments, no filler
Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Set 48 x 22ml (0.74-oz) Tube Set
The Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Set is your ideal choice if you’re a student or emerging artist seeking professional-quality results at an affordable price. You’ll receive 48 tubes of popular colors formulated with the same high-quality pigments and manufacturing standards as Liquitex’s professional line. The thick, creamy paint dries quickly, cleans up with water, and adheres to virtually any surface—canvas, paper, wood, metal, ceramics, textiles, and more. You can adjust opacity for undertones, tints, or shades, and intermix these acrylics with Liquitex Professional products and mediums. This set offers versatile, reliable performance without the premium cost.
- Product Type:Student-Grade Acrylic Paint Set
- Pigment Quality:High-quality pigments with ceramic bead dispersion
- Water-Based/Cleanup:Dries quickly, water-cleanable when wet
- Finish Type:Satin finish
- Surface Versatility:Canvas, paper, board, wood, masonry, metal, styrofoam, stone, ceramics, textiles
- Archival/Durability:Not specified
- Additional Feature:48 popular colors included
- Additional Feature:Student-quality, professional manufacturing
- Additional Feature:Intermixable with professional line
Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylic Paint Essentials Set
For artists who want to bring out their most ambitious visions without compromise, Liquitex’s Professional Heavy Body Acrylic Paint Essentials Set stands out as an exceptional choice. You’ll appreciate the pure, high-concentration pigments that deliver rich, permanent color with impressive vibrancy. The heavy body consistency gives you satisfying surface drag for excellent blending and handling—never too slippery or sticky. You can confidently apply thick impasto techniques without worrying about cracking. With UV-resistant, water-resistant, and non-yellowing properties, your work’ll maintain its brilliance for 50+ years in gallery conditions. The low-odor acrylic resin base extends your open time, letting you work at your pace while enjoying vibrant results.
- Product Type:Heavy Body Acrylic Paint Set
- Pigment Quality:Pure, finest quality artists’ pigments in high concentration
- Water-Based/Cleanup:Water-resistant when dry
- Finish Type:Matte finish
- Surface Versatility:Ceramic and multiple surfaces
- Archival/Durability:50+ years in gallery conditions, UV-resistant, water-resistant, non-yellowing, flexible
- Additional Feature:Basket bead-mill technology pigments
- Additional Feature:Impasto and 3D capable
- Additional Feature:UV-resistant, non-yellowing formula
Liquitex BASICS Gesso Surface Prep Medium 473ml (16-oz) Bottle White
Whether you’re prepping canvas for your first acrylic painting or establishing a solid foundation for oil work, Liquitex BASICS Gesso Surface Prep Medium offers exceptional value that won’t compromise your results. This heavy-body acrylic gesso retains brush strokes and peaks, creating texture you can work with intentionally. You’ll appreciate its matte finish and compatibility with Liquitex Professional colors and mediums, making it versatile for mixed techniques. At 473ml, it provides medium coverage across multiple surfaces. With over 9,400 ratings averaging 4.8 stars, artists consistently praise its quality and performance. The product dries in 24 hours and holds ACMI approval for safety, making it ideal whether you’re learning fundamentals or executing professional work.
- Product Type:Gesso Surface Prep Medium
- Pigment Quality:Acrylic gesso with educational-grade pigments
- Water-Based/Cleanup:Water-repellent, washable
- Finish Type:Satin finish
- Surface Versatility:Multiple surfaces
- Archival/Durability:Not archival-rated
- Additional Feature:Surface preparation ready-to-use
- Additional Feature:Retains peaks and brushstrokes
- Additional Feature:24-hour full cure time
Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint 118ml (4-oz) Tube Phthalocyanine Green
Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint in Phthalocyanine Green offers students and emerging artists an excellent entry point into acrylic painting without sacrificing quality. You’ll appreciate this vibrant, cool-toned green‘s maximum brilliance and clarity—essential for creating compelling artwork. The 118ml tube provides ample paint for your projects without breaking your budget. This uniquely formulated acrylic delivers professional-grade results you’d expect from Liquitex, making it ideal for both practice and finished pieces. Whether you’re building your color collection or exploring new hues, this Phthalocyanine Green tube becomes an indispensable addition to your artistic toolkit.
- Product Type:Student-Grade Acrylic Paint
- Pigment Quality:High-quality pigments with ceramic bead dispersion
- Water-Based/Cleanup:Water-cleanable when wet
- Finish Type:Satin finish
- Surface Versatility:Multiple surfaces
- Archival/Durability:Not specified
- Additional Feature:Maximum brilliance and clarity
- Additional Feature:Student-formulated single color
- Additional Feature:Vibrant green pigment option
Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Tube 12-Piece Set
Students and hobbyists looking to explore acrylic painting without breaking the bank will find this set hits the sweet spot between quality and affordability. You’ll receive twelve 22ml tubes featuring popular Liquitex colors in a thick, creamy formula with a satin finish. The good pigment load guarantees vibrant results on your canvas. What makes this set particularly versatile is its compatibility with Liquitex Professional Acrylic Paint Colors and Mediums, allowing you to expand your palette as your skills develop. The paint conforms to ASTM D4236 safety standards, making it ideal for educational settings. You’re getting reliable quality without the professional price tag.
- Product Type:Student-Grade Acrylic Paint Set
- Pigment Quality:High-quality pigments with ceramic bead dispersion
- Water-Based/Cleanup:Water-cleanable when wet
- Finish Type:Satin finish
- Surface Versatility:Multiple surfaces
- Archival/Durability:Not specified
- Additional Feature:12 popular assorted colors
- Additional Feature:Thick, creamy satin finish
- Additional Feature:Good pigment load consistency
Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint Set (3 x 118ml Tubes)
If you’re beginning your acrylic painting journey, the Basics set’s three 118ml tubes—two whites and one black—give you everything you need to master color mixing and theory. The thick, creamy formula delivers a satin finish while retaining peaks and brush strokes, so you’ll see exactly how your technique develops. With good pigment load, these paints perform reliably as you experiment with hue variations and tonal ranges. You’ll appreciate that this starter set intermixes seamlessly with Liquitex Professional Acrylic Paint Colors and Mediums, allowing you to expand your palette whenever you’re ready to advance your skills without replacing your existing supplies.
- Product Type:Student-Grade Acrylic Paint Set
- Pigment Quality:High-quality pigments with ceramic bead dispersion
- Water-Based/Cleanup:Water-cleanable when wet
- Finish Type:Satin finish
- Surface Versatility:Multiple surfaces
- Archival/Durability:Not specified
- Additional Feature:Two white, one black
- Additional Feature:Ideal for color mixing
- Additional Feature:Essential starter palette colors
Factors to Consider When Choosing Liquitex Acrylic Paint
When you’re selecting Liquitex acrylic paints, you’ll want to evaluate pigment quality and purity to guarantee your work maintains its vibrancy over time. Consider the paint’s consistency and viscosity alongside surface compatibility, as these factors determine how well the paint performs on your chosen medium, whether canvas, paper, or mixed materials. Finally, you should assess the color range available and verify archival durability so your finished pieces resist fading and remain vibrant for years to come.
Pigment Quality and Purity
The foundation of vibrant, long-lasting acrylic paintings rests on pigment quality and purity. When you select Liquitex paints, you’re investing in finely ground, pure pigments that maximize color vibrancy and coverage. High-quality pigments deliver greater opacity and brightness, ensuring your work maintains its visual impact over time.
You’ll benefit from pigments that resist fading and color shifting, guaranteeing archival quality for professional pieces. Liquitex employs chemically-engineered pigments that offer unique properties—increased transparency or metallic effects—giving you creative flexibility.
The pigment load and particle size influence how your paint handles. You control whether you want thick, creamy applications or thin, fluid consistency. Understanding these factors helps you choose the right Liquitex set for your specific artistic needs and techniques.
Paint Consistency and Viscosity
Because your painting technique demands specific handling properties, Liquitex offers acrylic paints in multiple viscosities—from thin, fluid soft body formulations to thick, heavy body options. Soft body paints flow easily, making them ideal for washes, glazes, and blending. Heavy body paints provide texture and enable impasto effects that create dimensional surfaces.
You can further customize your paint’s consistency using Liquitex mediums. These additives thin or thicken your paint to match your exact preferences without compromising pigment quality or drying time.
Selecting the right viscosity directly impacts your final artwork. Consider whether you’re working with detailed glazing techniques or sculptural impasto effects. Your choice of consistency influences how paint applies, mixes, and dries on your surface, ultimately determining your piece’s visual character and professional appearance.
Surface Compatibility and Versatility
Your choice of painting surface shouldn’t limit your creative vision—Liquitex acrylics adhere to virtually any substrate you can imagine, from traditional canvas and paper to unconventional materials like metal, stone, wood, and textiles. This exceptional adhesion capability expands your artistic possibilities considerably.
Beyond surface compatibility, Liquitex’s flexibility distinguishes it from other acrylics. The paint expands and contracts with your chosen surface, preventing the cracking and flaking that plague inferior products. You’ll maintain your artwork’s integrity regardless of environmental changes or material movement.
The versatility extends further through texture and finish options. Whether you’re building impasto effects, creating smooth glazes, or experimenting with mixed media, Liquitex delivers consistent results. Combined with water solubility for easy cleanup and workability, you gain a professional-grade medium that adapts to your unique artistic style and technique preferences.
Archival Durability and Longevity
When you invest in artwork meant to endure, Liquitex acrylics won’t disappoint you. These paints are archival quality, lasting at least 50 years or more in gallery conditions without color shifting or fading. The highly lightfast pigments resist environmental factors that typically cause deterioration over time. Liquitex’s manufacturing process, featuring a low-odor acrylic resin base, guarantees long-term stability and permanence of your colors. You’ll appreciate knowing that proper storage and handling following artist conservation guidelines can extend your artwork’s lifespan even further. Whether you’re creating pieces for display or preservation across decades or centuries, Liquitex acrylics provide the reliability you need for professional-quality work that truly stands the test of time.
Color Range and Availability
Liquitex opens up creative possibilities with over 200 acrylic paint colors spanning primaries, secondaries, and specialty mixes. You’ll find traditional hues alongside interference, iridescent, and fluorescent options that deliver unique visual effects for your work.
The brand regularly introduces new colors, letting you continuously expand your palette as your artistic vision evolves. Multiple formulations—soft body, heavy body, ink, and spray paint—give you flexibility in application and texture across different projects.
Size options range from compact 22ml tubes to generous 946ml bottles, accommodating everything from intimate studies to large-scale installations. Whether you’re working on detailed illustrations or expansive canvases, you can select quantities that match your project’s demands and budget constraints. This exhaustive selection guarantees you’ll find exactly what you need for professional-quality results.
Budget and Value Options
Most artists don’t need to break the bank to access quality acrylic paints. Liquitex Basics delivers professional-grade pigments and manufacturing at a fraction of the cost, making it ideal for students and beginners building their collections. You’ll find affordable set options like the 48-tube or 3-tube sets, allowing you to start painting without significant investment.
What makes Basics particularly valuable is its versatility. You can adjust opacity and intermix these paints with Liquitex’s professional lines, ensuring compatibility as your skills advance. This flexibility means you’re not locked into budget-friendly options—you can gradually incorporate professional-grade paints without compatibility concerns.
Liquitex also offers Gesso Surface Prep Medium in the Basics line, providing cost-effective surface preparation. Together, these options create an accessible entry point for acrylic painting without compromising quality.
