How to Thicken Acrylic Paint?

The art of painting is one of the most therapeutic activities we could be doing for ourselves. There is so much to learn from this craft, and there is so much expression that comes with it. But the paint might be too thin for the style that you want to create so that it expresses your thoughts and feelings accordingly because the effect you desire to create calls for thick textured paint. If you are using the acrylic medium, you might be thinking of ways to make acrylic paint thicker. This tutorial will teach you how to thicken acrylic paint. We will walk you through some of the reasons why people like to make acrylic paint thicker so that you understand what art you can create with the thicker acrylic paint medium. We have included some faithful products that you can purchase, like a thickening gel for acrylic paint, as well as some DIY acrylic paint thickener methods.

Acrylic Paint Explained

Acrylic paint is one of the most widely used of all the paint medium options. There are so many reasons that professional artists and beginners love to work with this kind of paint, but the main reasons are for how affordable it is, and the ease of application that allows for great works of art to be created.

Acrylic paint is made with a binder called acrylic polymer and water (which we call the vehicle in the painting world), and the pigment (which is often a mineral or a synthetically made substance) is suspended within the two. The result of the mixture is a smooth and creamy, yet sometimes buttery, consistency that we know as acrylic paint. When you paint with the mixture spoken of above, the water will evaporate and the pigment and binder will be left behind. The paint will dry firm and is quite resistant to water. Each brand is manufactured differently, which means they will have different consistencies, unique to each brand.

This depends on the ratio of the pigment, binder, and water. Some are manufactured with preservatives, and additives, that keep them from foaming and extending their shelf life. Others have added acrylic paint thickeners to make the consistency less fluid. The brands that are on the lower end of the price spectrum are not as vibrant in color as the more costly half of the price spectrum, and that is because they have saved costs on their ingredients, and in particular, were stingy with the amount of pigment added.

Typical acrylics have the consistency of a thick liquid that can be spread easily. Due to its creamy texture, this liquid is easy to apply and dries quickly. On the other hand, fluid acrylics are thin and have a flowing consistency, making them an easy choice if you want to try out a bit of paint splatter techniques, or paint pouring. The thicker acrylic paints that resemble a consistency more like butter are called heavy-bodied acrylic paints, and they are what you can use that will give you similar effects to painting with oil paints and a palette knife.

What Can You Use to Thicken Acrylic Paint?

There are two ways that you can thicken your acrylic paint. They are the traditional methods that artists have favored over many years. The first method is to add a small amount of modeling clay, and the second is to add some acrylic gel medium.

Modeling Paste

Have you ever seen those paintings that are painted in a 3D style? The paint is so thick that it is raised above the canvas in intricate textures that create the most mesmerizing effects. This was most likely done with modeling paste. This is an extremely thick paste that you can quite literally mold to form those intricate textures we are speaking of. You can use modeling paste to create three-dimensional patterns in your painting by coating it in this thick, white substance.  One way to use this substance to thicken your paint is to simply add it to the paint you are working with, and then you can apply it to the canvas and manipulate it with a palette knife like you would with oil paints.

Another method is more like creating the illusion of thicker paint. It requires you to apply the modeling paste directly onto the canvas and make the patterns you want for your painting. Then, you can paint over those patterns when the modeling paste has dried.

Because modeling paste is white, it is most likely going to lower the vibrancy of the colors in your paint during mixing. But that is only a problem if you want to mix the paint with the modeling paste. However, if you mold the paste onto your canvas, and then you paint over it, then the color vibrancy will remain high. If you are planning on building larger projects, then modeling paste might prove to be a more cost-effective choice out of all the traditional methods because of how thick the texture is.

Acrylic Gel Medium

This is the second of the more traditional methods for thickening your acrylic paint. There is a creamy texture to this medium, and its color is white. This gel substance might be white like the modeling paste, but unlike the modeling paste, it will not dampen the vibrancy of the colors of your paint. Acrylic paint gel thickener will come in different finishes, which means that you must read the instructions on the product’s packaging. This is to make sure you get one with the same finish as the paint you are painting with.

Gesso

You can do the same thing for the two previous examples by slowly mixing your gesso into the paint in small amounts until you reach the desired consistency. Once you have the desired consistency, you can have a little fun playing around with the different patterns that the thicker paint can create.