When buying black acrylic paint, there are a diverse range of brands to consider. Don’t get stuck! Check out the best black acrylic paint brand of 2020.
Have you been searching all over for the best black acrylic paint? As an artist, black paint may be a staple for you, but finding a paint that is just right can be more difficult than it sounds.
Winsor & Newton, Golden, and Liquitex offer great formulas for both professional artists and hobbyists. Additionally, besides their vast array of colors, bewteen the three brands there are several shades of black to choose from. Ivory Black, Lamp Black, Carbon Black, Bone Black and Mars Black. That’s why we are considering these three brands for the best black acrylic paint brand of 2020.
Winsor & Newton Black Acrylic Paint Review
Winsor & Newton is a well-known brand for painters. Aside from that, they come at an affordable price and are offered in sets to cater to different skill levels.
One of the many pros of Winsor & Newton acrylic paint is the wide array of color choices. The pigments used in the paint also assure that the colors stay the same when they dry. There are two types of acrylic paints offered: Professional Acrylic and Galeria Acrylic.
Let’s take a look at the differences between the two!
Professional Acrylic
The Professional Acrylic line offers many benefits. Catered to professional artists, the pigments are high-quality to prevent color change once your piece has dried. Besides the two shades of black paint, there are also over 78 other colors offered in this line.
These paints are made with the latest developments in resin technology to assure the finest quality for professional painters. These paints also have a long working time that acrylic paint typically does not have, yet they still dry in a timely manner.
Galeria Acrylic
The Galeria Acrylic line comes with a more affordable price tag. Besides the three shades of black paint offered in this line, there are fifty-seven vibrant and highly pigmented colors to choose from. Another bonus: the colors dry to an even, satin finish.
Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylics and Sets – $7.23
from: Blick Art Materials
Aside from the two lines, there is also another option for painters from Winsor & Newton, acrylic color sets.
Acrylic Color Sets
There are eight different good acrylic paint sets to choose from. Many of the sets include a black paint or a similar alternative. Many of the sets also come with artist paint brushes, canvas boards, and palettes.
The reason that Windsor & Newton is our true winner for the best black acrylic paint, is because they offer such a wide array of black shades to choose from and help you understand which one will be the best for your needs. Here’s a description of each of their black shades:
Golden Black Acrylic Paint Review
Golden makes very high quality acrylic paint. In fact this has been the acrylic paint that I have used personally (an almost exclusively) for over 15 years. If you visit the studios of many professional artists you will often find Golden Acrylic paints on their shelves and palettes. It carries a rich pigment load and uses very pure high quality raw ingredients.
Golden Heavy Body Acrylic Paint Black
The heavy body acrylics are the thickest colored product that Golden Paints makes. It is great if you want to leave visible brush strokes and work with texture or impasto.
Golden Heavy Body Artist Acrylics and Sets – $18.75
from: Blick Art Materials
Golden Fluid Acrylic Paint Black
Fluid acrylics by Golden are quite a bit thinner then the heavy body paints. They are not quite watery thin, but allow for easier brushing. In my opining they are great for detail work with a small brush or for covering large areas of the canvas. If you are working with pouring medium, they are the best choice for adding color to that product.
Golden Fluid Acrylics and Sets – $12.04
from: Blick Art Materials
Golden Black OPEN Acrylic Paint
Golden OPEN Acrylic paints are a newer addition to the Golden line-up. They are designed to be slower drying then the other Golden Acrylics, which makes it easier to blend colors. This puts them somewhere between oil and regular acrylic paints in terms of feel. They also have a heavier body (almost as thick as Golden Heavy Body Acrylics) which can help to achieve some texture. Keep in mind that they are still a water-based product so they will still dry quicker then oil paint, particularly if you are in a hot or dry climate. (Attention plein-air painters!)
Golden Open Acrylics and Sets – $7.41
from: Blick Art Materials
Golden High Flow Acrylic Paint
Golden High Flow Acrylic Paint is one of my favorite paints to use. It is as thin as water, but still contains a high pigment load. In fact it is so thin, that not only can it be poured or brushed. It will also work in airbrushes, acrylic parkers, and even pens! It is also great to mix in with thinner mediums, as it mixes quite easily.
Golden High Flow Acrylics and Sets – $4.82
from: Blick Art Materials
Liquitex Black Acrylic Paint Review
Liquitex is a very well know name in the paint. They make both high-grade paints for professional use and more affordable products.
Liquitex Basics Black Acrylic Paint
Liquitex Basics is the line designed for kids, students, and people looking to save money. The pigment load (how much pigment is in the paint) isn’t quite as high as the pro level products, but it still offers good coverage at a very attractive price.
Liquitex Basics Acrylic Colors and Sets – $5.27
from: Blick Art Materials
Liquitex Professional Soft Body Acrylics
A really cool black paint from Liquitex is their soft body product. It isn’t quite a liquid but it is softer and easier to push around on the canvas then a heavier paint.
Liquitex Professional Soft Body Acrylics and Sets – $7.20
from: Blick Art Materials
Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylic Paints
Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Black Acrylic paint is a rich, creamy paint that lets you show your brush strokes. Good for impressionist and impasto techniques. You can also easily mix it with heavy gels to make it even thicker and your textures more pronounced.
Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylics and Sets – $10.85
from: Blick Art Materials
Types of Black Acrylic Paint
Ivory Black
A brown black of moderate tinting strength for general use.
Mars Black
A denser, more neutral black with stronger tinting power.
Lamp Black
Blue black that is lightfast, permanent and opaque.
Bone Black
Warm black that is lightfast, permanent and semi-transparent. It is a more subtle black, great for slightly muting colors, or dark glazing shadows.
Carbon Black
Cool black that is lightfast, permanent and opaque. Carbon Black has quite intense coverage power. A little goes a long way.
Conclusion
BEST FOR PROFESSIONALS: GOLDEN
While there are many brands to choose from that offer black acrylic paint, Golden takes the trophy in this category. Not only have I seen this product in many artist’s studios over the years, but I also use it personally. The sheer range of products they offer is absolutely amazing.
Golden Heavy Body Artist Acrylics and Sets – $43.53
from: Blick Art Materials
BEST FOR BEGINNERS: WINSOR & NEWTON GALLERIA
Their pants are easy to use beginners and they offer so many different choices when it comes to black paint, a true staple in any artist’s collection.
Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylics and Sets – $7.23
from: Blick Art Materials
Now that you know our favorite, you may need a little inspiration to get started on your next project!