You’ve heard artists rave about matte mediums, but do you really know what sets the best apart? These specialized formulas can transform your acrylic painting technique, offering everything from subtle glazing to bold textural effects. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or an emerging artist, choosing the right medium can make or break your creative process. Curious about which five matte mediums top professionals’ lists? Stick around to uncover the game-changing secrets.
GOLDEN Matte Medium Professional Acrylic Medium (8 fl. oz. Jar)
If you’re a professional artist seeking ultimate control over your acrylic painting, the GOLDEN Matte Medium Professional Acrylic Medium is your go-to solution. This versatile medium extends color, reduces gloss, and enhances film integrity with exceptional precision. You’ll appreciate its ability to create a toothy, translucent ground that works brilliantly on canvas or panel. Whether you’re looking to adjust transparency, viscosity, or surface sheen, this non-toxic, USA-made medium delivers infinite artistic possibilities. With over 40 years of experience, Golden Artist Colors provides professionals with a reliable, high-performance tool for exceptional acrylic painting.
Best For: Professional artists and painters seeking precise control over acrylic medium properties and surface characteristics.
Pros:
- Versatile medium that extends color and adjusts transparency
- Non-toxic and made in the USA with high-quality professional standards
- Creates toothy, translucent ground as an alternative to traditional gesso
Cons:
- Limited to acrylic painting techniques
- May require practice to master its full range of applications
- Slightly higher price point compared to basic acrylic mediums
Liquitex Professional Matte Medium, 237ml (8-oz)
Artists seeking a reliable matte medium for their acrylic projects will find the Liquitex Professional Matte Medium an exceptional choice. This versatile medium creates a true non-reflecting finish that transforms your artwork. You’ll appreciate its lightweight, non-toxic formula that’s opaque when wet and translucent when dry. Whether you’re adhering papers, transferring prints, or layering in mixed media projects, this medium delivers professional results. It works seamlessly with Liquitex Acrylic Paint Colors, revives dried paints, and improves the performance of lower-quality acrylics. Its medium thickness makes it perfect for various artistic techniques.
Best For: Artists and crafters looking for a versatile, professional-grade matte medium for acrylic painting, mixed media, and transfer techniques.
Pros:
- Creates a true non-reflecting matte finish
- Multipurpose – works for adhering, layering, and transferring
- Improves performance of acrylic paints
Cons:
- May require practice to achieve desired effect
- Limited to acrylic-based projects
- Potential inconsistency with very cheap or low-quality paints
GOLDEN Fluid Matte Medium, 8 fl. oz
Painters seeking precise control over their acrylic painting’s finish will find GOLDEN Fluid Matte Medium an exceptional solution. This 100% acrylic polymer emulsion helps you thin paints while reducing gloss and enhancing film integrity. You’ll appreciate its versatility for gluing, collage, and DIY projects on canvas or panel. With a 24-hour full cure time, the medium dries to a wax-like appearance, giving you infinite control over your artwork’s final look. Made by an employee-owned, USA-based company with over 40 years of experience, GOLDEN’s Fluid Matte Medium is a professional-grade tool for expanding your artistic possibilities.
Best For: Artists and painters looking to reduce gloss, thin acrylic paints, and enhance artwork’s film integrity with professional-grade control.
Pros:
- Versatile medium for multiple artistic techniques including gluing, collage, and DIY projects
- 100% acrylic polymer emulsion that provides infinite control over paint finish
- Made by experienced, employee-owned company in the USA
Cons:
- Not water resistant
- Not intended for use as a final picture varnish
- Requires 24-hour full cure time
Nicpro Acrylic Paint Pouring Medium (8.45oz)
The Nicpro Acrylic Paint Pouring Medium stands out as an exceptional solution for creative professionals and hobbyists seeking a versatile, high-quality paint medium. With its translucent formula, you’ll appreciate how it reduces paint viscosity and enhances flowability across multiple surfaces like canvas, wood, and metal. It’s non-toxic, meets safety standards, and prevents color bleeding while improving paint transparency. Whether you’re a teacher, student, or professional artist, you’ll find this 8.45oz medium delivers smooth, crack-resistant results that elevate your creative projects with remarkable ease and professional finish.
Best For: Artists, crafters, and painting enthusiasts looking for a versatile, high-quality acrylic pouring medium that works across multiple surfaces.
Pros:
- Non-toxic and meets safety standards (ASTM D4236 and EN71)
- Improves paint flow and prevents cracking
- Suitable for various surfaces including canvas, wood, metal, and stone
Cons:
- Limited to 8.45oz per bottle
- May require practice to achieve desired pouring techniques
- Slightly higher price point compared to basic paint mediums
Handy Art Designers Palette Artist Acrylic 32 ounce, Matte Medium
Seeking a versatile matte medium that won’t break the bank? Handy Art’s Designers Palette offers a solution with its artist-quality acrylic medium. You’ll appreciate its silky spreadability and medium thickness, making it ideal for multi-media projects like art journaling, collage, and canvas texturing. While it dries with a rubbery feel, you can easily mix it into acrylic paint without compromising quality. It’s non-toxic, made in the USA, and comes in a generous 32-ounce size. Though it might not be perfect for large-scale sculpting, it’s a solid choice for artists wanting versatility and consistent performance.
Best For: Artists and crafters seeking a versatile, affordable matte medium for multi-media projects like art journaling, collage, and canvas texturing.
Pros:
- Non-toxic and made in the USA
- Silky spreadable with medium thickness
- Easily mixable with acrylic paint
Cons:
- Dries with a rubbery feel
- Not ideal for large-scale sculpting
- Limited texture manipulation once applied
Key Factors to Consider When Selecting Matte Medium for Acrylic Paint
When selecting a matte medium for your acrylic paint, you’ll want to assess several critical factors that impact your artistic process and final artwork. Consider the medium’s viscosity and how it affects paint flow, its ability to control surface finish, and its archival quality to safeguard your artwork’s longevity. Additionally, evaluate the medium’s versatility in application and confirm its non-toxic material safety to protect both your creative technique and personal well-being.
Viscosity and Paint Flow
Because viscosity plays a crucial role in acrylic painting, artists must carefully evaluate matte medium thickness to achieve their desired creative effects. Thinner matte mediums improve paint flow and blending, allowing you to create smooth, seamless changes between colors and create more fluid compositions.
Conversely, thicker, paste-like matte mediums enable you to build texture and develop impasto techniques. By adjusting the ratio of medium to paint, you’ll gain precise control over your artwork’s thickness and application. Selecting the right viscosity helps you manipulate paint consistency, whether you’re aiming for delicate, translucent layers or bold, sculptural surface treatments.
Understanding how different matte medium viscosities interact with your acrylic paints will elevate your artistic expression and technical control.
Surface Finish Control
Numerous artists prioritize surface finish as a critical aspect of their acrylic painting technique, and matte mediums offer precise control over the final visual appearance of artwork. By adjusting the ratio of matte medium to paint, you can progressively reduce glossiness and achieve a consistently flat finish across your painting.
Different matte mediums provide varying levels of translucency, allowing you to maintain underlying color vibrancy while modifying surface sheen. Some mediums dry with a subtle wax-like quality that enhances surface texture, creating depth and visual interest. You’ll want to experiment with different products to find the medium that best complements your artistic style and desired aesthetic effect.
Careful selection guarantees your painting’s surface reflects your precise creative vision.
Archival Quality Considerations
The preservation of artistic integrity hinges on selecting archival-quality matte mediums that protect your acrylic artwork from degradation. Look for products meeting ASTM D4236 safety standards, which guarantee professional-grade performance and longevity.
When evaluating matte mediums, prioritize pH-neutral formulations that resist yellowing and color shifts. Opt for high-solids acrylic mediums that provide superior film integrity and long-term protection. Lightfast certification is vital, as it ensures your medium won’t become glossy under UV exposure.
While archival-quality matte mediums typically cost more, they’re an investment in your artwork’s preservation. Professional artists understand that superior materials translate directly into artwork that maintains its original aesthetic and structural integrity for decades.
Versatility in Application
Versatile matte mediums open up a spectrum of creative possibilities for acrylic artists seeking dynamic painting techniques. You’ll uncover that these mediums aren’t just simple additives, but powerful tools for manipulating paint characteristics. By diluting matte medium with water, you can adjust its viscosity and transparency, enabling everything from delicate glazing to robust textural applications.
Whether you’re adhering collage materials, extending paint volume, or creating nuanced surface qualities, matte medium delivers remarkable flexibility. You can mix it directly with acrylic paint to decrease gloss, enhance film integrity, and control sheen. Its toothy, translucent finish also makes it ideal as a ground for layering in mixed media projects, giving you infinite control over your artistic process.
Non-Toxic Material Safety
Artists prioritizing health and safety must carefully evaluate the non-toxic properties of matte mediums before incorporating them into their creative processes. Look for products that conform to ASTM D4236 safety standards and carry an AP non-toxic seal, which indicates thorough/extensive safety assessment.
When selecting a matte medium, choose water-based formulas that minimize potential hazards. Opt for mediums free from common allergens like latex, dairy, casein, soy, egg, gluten, peanuts, and tree nuts. Always work in a well-ventilated area and use appropriate personal protective equipment to reduce exposure risks.
Verify the product’s ingredient list and safety certifications. By prioritizing non-toxic materials, you’ll protect your health while maintaining the highest standards of artistic quality and creative expression.
Price and Value
After prioritizing safety in material selection, budget-conscious painters must navigate the economic landscape of matte mediums with strategic precision. You’ll find prices ranging from a few dollars to over $30, depending on bottle size and quality. Rather than fixating on total price, focus on cost per ounce, which often reveals better value in larger volumes.
Consider your project frequency and expected usage when selecting a matte medium. Professional-grade products might seem expensive initially, but they can provide superior coverage and longevity. Investing in quart or gallon sizes can considerably reduce long-term costs compared to repeatedly purchasing smaller bottles. Compare different brands’ quality, performance, and price points to make an informed decision that balances affordability with artistic requirements.