Questions About Different Brands Of Acrylic Paints.

[The Grizzly]

Hi folks.

I was at hobby lobby today and decided to browse around for all the different acrylic paints they carry and I made a small list to ask you all about.

First off in the model paints section, airbrush area, there are the Createx and Createx Wicked Colors paints. Can these be thinned and used with a brush or are these airbrush only?

Next in the same aisle beside the Testor's stuff, was Model Master acrylics. And another shelf that held Vallejo Model Color acrylic paints. Any thoughts on these?

Over in the art painting section there were some really high dollar paints and then there was a large section of Liquitex paints. In fact, there was a really nice Liquitex Basics set of quite a few tubes and I think it included a color blending chart. Little pricey at $43 but a 40% off coupon knocks that down. Are the Liquitex artists acrylics good for leather?

Then further down in the actual craft paints section, you have several brands with the better (most expensive) being the Folk Art acrylics. What's your opinion on these vs the others listed...there's quite a bit of $$ difference between the Folk Art at $1.25 per bottle and the others that run $3-5.

Thanks for the help!

[abn]

I'm by no means an expert on acrylic paints, but when I was looking for a brand, Delta Ceramcoat seemed to be well-respected by members of this forum (and inexpensive, to boot). Now that I've used it for a while, I can definitely tell the difference when I try other brands. (I still prefer Delta.)

Here's some more reading material, if interested:

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&tbo=d&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=site:leatherworker.net+delta+ceramcoat&oq=site:leatherworker.net+delta+ceramcoat

Good luck! -A.

[The Grizzly]

I remember seeing a Cerama coat paint with the Folk Art acrylics. I wondered if it was similar to the paint used in painting ceramics that has to be fired to get the full, true color. Do you have any photos of your work using that paint?

And here's another question, are there preferred paints used on items that will see flexing vs flat artwork? I plan on making wristbands fairly soon and those will see flexing.

Thanks for all the help!

[abn]

Craig, the Delta paints are vivid out of the bottle, and are fine to apply on wristbands, wallets or other items that flex. At this point, I'd recommend simply buying a small bottle (I think they're a dollar or two) and doing some testing. Delta is good stuff with a wide variety of colors, all of which can be mixed to obtain other shades, if desired.

Good luck!