Oh, and thanks for the links at the bottom of the article :) also excellent! Will. Or is it just so you dont accidentally leave any white canvas? It contains the largest assortment of unique pure pigments in a 100 per cent acrylic emulsion vehicle available to the professional artist. You may return the item to a Michaels store (excluding Michaels Pro Returns) or by mail. Dont have red or white and regular colors. You then try to mix more of that exact colour. It has the consistency of a soft gel. Thanks Will for this just what I needed to know will try OPEN Acrylic just for my sky . Learned more in one lesson than 4 months of weekly lessons in oils in High School. But if you like to work quick, or have deadlines for clients who want paintings that cant be varnished in time it can be tricky. Cheers! The ultra fine mister is a good tip, I stole mine from Vanessas hair salon! Id be interested in a comparison with oils, especially drying time, but also in use for a finishing layer to regular acrylics in the same way as you suggest a suitable use of Open acrylics for final subtle glazes and blends. This noticeably extended the time. Learn how your comment data is processed. When learning how to paint, youll hear artists talking about the working time of paints. I havent painted in some years, and then just with crummy (cheap) acrylics on my kids walls, doing fanciful murals. Also will help out to pick better quality and working paints rather than experimenting and ruining a piece because you didnt know how to work them. Gonna try them for sure. Will. Hi Laura, the coloured ground colour can change depending on the scene you are painting and the mood you are after. Which one do you prefer (or youd recommend) and why? Will. Youll have a paint film that takes weeks to dry and the paint, when pressed, feels mushy and a very strange surface to work with. Hope this helps and good luck with the commission! Cheers, Will, Id like to ask about OH New masters acrylics. Each Heavy Body color is formulated differently depending on the nature of the pigment. Maybe Golden Open offer something better? The thing is, I cant decide between Golden Heavy Body and OH New masters. Glad youve been enjoying working with the OPEN mediums Kris. Their products are not more dangerous, just more accurately labelled. Sign up now to get the latest posts, news about products & art inspiration, straight to your inbox. I like it because you dont have to buy all new paints. This is my first comment on your blog. Cleaning wise they are more convenient than standard acrylics as the paint doesnt dry on the brush. I wanted to ask about the differences between Golden and W&N. Yes, they are pricey but my experience has taught me that they are worth every penny. Your comments are very helpful. Can I use Martha Stewart glitter as a replacement to swarovski crystals? I have experienced the problem of assuming that Goldens open acrylics are dry i.e., dry to touch and after even several days of waiting only to find that the paint lifts or rubs off when another layer, notably a glaze is applied. 10 % of their retarder to the paint. I prefer regular oils anyway thinned with Zestit and Liquin anyway when I need to paint this way. Any tips? The original line of Golden Artist Colors, this line of heavy body acrylics is perfect for painters looking for professional-quality paint with an exceptionally smooth, thick, buttery consistency. This paint is so thick its almost like putty. But I mean now I don't need to use teeth whitening anymore so Yay! Do you think it can be a good thing? Please note - Golden place a high priority on the health and safety of the artists's studio and materials. I wanted a solution to extend drying time just a bit to allow more comfortable painting outdoors in the summer. Im a novice painter from The Netherlands who enjoys the extensive information you provide on your website and Youtube channel! But l am not sure if this will be good for the background. I bought a set of the Golden heavy body. Cheers for the comment, really pleased you found the article helpful. They feel the artists should be aware of any potential hazards so Golden far surpass the required quantity of health and safety advice on their labels. You might say why dont just buy also OH retarder, but OH sells it only in 500 ml dose and that is just too much. Its great to get such brilliant info straight into my mail box ~ I love this updates thing! [perhaps i`m not looking at the right Paintings! I have a few tubes of each. So pleased to hear the tutorials have helped in giving you the confidence to take the leap into paints! Although, I have a couple of questions regarding using swarovski crystals on canvas. Golden Retarder recommendations are pretty similar to OH and recommend no more that 15% retarder mixed in with the paint. In other words, as the worlds first producer of oil paint, Old Holland is rightly proud of the fact that New Masters Classic Acrylics have the same characteristics and texture as Old Hollands oil paint.. Thanks for taking the time to write a detailed analysis of your experience using Golden OPEN acrylics. But they work for me. Thanks for the review! The OPEN acrylics have a good pigment load but Ive found the acrylic binder used, gives the paint a poor coverage in comparison to standard acrylics. Thank you. I cant imagine waiting hours for the paint to dry before adding another layer. This refers to how long the paint is available to move around on the canvas and work with. I have never found ANYTHING that even comes close to Golden Brand acrylics. A quick look on your palette and you spot the perfect mix to finish the piece, you dip the brush in with vigour, and guess what? Hi Will, Is it possible to paint portraits in a traditional way ,with a limited palette in Acrylics [ Golden open or say Atellier interactive ] -giving a longer open time for blending and working. Especially if youve been finding standard acrylics dry too quickly for subtle blending and glazing. After doing watercolours for years I find myself favoring fewer colours and stocking on them and no longer have a need to buy exotic/uncommon colours. But do they work? Im looking to update my paints and this detailed comparison is just what I was looking for. One question I kept having is how does he get so little paint to go so far? It seems I have to mix far more paint and coverage is less. Also, which is the best adhesive to keep the swarovski crystals in place? I love your website and videos. Most products may be shipped via standard ground (delivered in 3-5 business days), second day or next day. I assume you used heavy body paints for that course. Watched alot of videos of yours on YouTube, inspiring and an amazing artist, love all the tips. Cheers, Will. Hi Laura, pleased youve been enjoying the lessons. Golden refers to this drying period as a Sweet Spot where you find the perfect texture for your particular needs. Cheers, Will. To return an item (excluding sample products), the item must be new, unused and in its original packaging. I really love Golden OPEN acrylics. Cheers, Will. Thank you so much for the reply. ]. Yes, the less is more approach can help in so many ways when first learning a new medium. Is this a problem? As they are compatible with regular acrylics it might be a worthy investment to buy a couple of tubes to experiment with and get the feel of them. They might be perfect for you if you work in those thinner layers, as youve had experience with acrylics I think youll be able to handle the colour shift, no problem. Now l am wondering if l should go for Open acrylic paints because I need to paint fish and corals in great detail. However, after the initial excitement I started noticing other problems. Golden recommends a thickness of paint application of no more than 1/16 thick. So pleased you have found the articles helpful in your paintings. I prefer using the Acrylic Glazing liquid over the Retarder as with a glazing liquid you can add any amount to the paint and it wont have any adverse effects. One of the most common issues beginners have with acrylics, is they dry too fast. I may try a color or two in time, but if find misting my palette with a super ultra-fine mister will keep my paint workable for over an hour outdoors if you are diligent about keeping it in a humidified environment. I use deep wells of paint, a stay wet sponge sitting above the wells and sometimes a mister. Youre halfway through your painting, its going really well. With the largest assortment of unique pure pigments in a 100% acrylic emulsion, each color offers excellent permanency and lightfastness. Can I use Martha Stewart glitter as a replacement to swarovski crystals? You can quickly ruin an area. The advantage to buying this color, is I dont have to custom make it which normally uses 3-4 colors and occasionally Ill have too much paint by the time I get the color just how I want. All acrylics darken slightly as they dry, the betterqualitypaint, the less the colour shift. I use regular WN acrylics and the drying time is frustrating. Golden Heavy Body Acrylic Paint, 2oz. I got very exited and switched completely to Golden Open. But just to have 30 minutes at specific moments to blend is perfect. Thanks for your advice! Ive found it to be the not really sure when the sweet spot was. Amazing article! Saying that, I have used Acrylic glazing liquid with OH and had no problems. View Full Shipping Policy and Pricing , If your Michaels.com purchase does not meet your satisfaction, you may return it within two months (60 days) of purchase. So should you rush out and buy OPEN acrylics? The OPEN acrylic will have a longer open time, but the retarder mixed with the heavy body paint will give you a drying in-between the two. NO monthly membership fees. If I try misting the palette with water, how much longer will the paints stay wet? For a more impressionistic feel you ight be interesting in acrylic portrait course that looks specifically at creating muted, natural skin tone with acrylics. You can also buy Open medium from Golden. The paint initially feels very oily and slippery and as it dries becomes increasingly stiff. Thanks very much, really pleased you enjoyed the articles. Cheers, Will. That was an option I had also wondered about. Thank you for saving me the grief of fighting with my next painting! Now, I want to put one on canvas a 49 x 49 canvas. I was wondering if open acrylic paints are anyway similar to the fevicryl fabric paints that are available in India.Fabric paints seem to me like a more liquidy version of acrylic paints.I would appreciate any comments re the differences between them. Can you say more about drying time (faster or slower compared to other brands), viscosity, opacity, etc.? Pro tip: OPEN acrylics remain tacky when drying so it is advisable to leave your paintings in a dust-free environment before varnishing. You might also like: 1.The 5 key differences between Acrylics & Oil paints a beginners guide 2.The 8 key differences between Artist quality vs Student grade acrylic paints. Hey Brendan, you would only be able to increase the drying time slightly more and run the risk of having too much medium to paint ratio to give you a nice workable paint. This article is amazing, I own golden heavy body Acrylics and gels, was searching for a review for the open ones. With standard acrylics, you can apply the paint as thick as you like. Thank you so much very helpful as always. Great stuff, Will! Orders placed by 11:00 AM Central Time using second day or next day will ship the same day. So the appeal that you easily paint over your mistakes and create clean colour mixes when youre first beginning, is lost. Its very interesting to know what the options are and what are the key differences between this types of paints and when to used them. And it seems the Open acrylics are softer and blend better which is good for detailed work. :). I sometimes think Acrylics are not taken as seriously as Oils. Hi, Will. My question is, how long will the heavy body paints be wet on the palette without adding a retarder? OH have a nice flow to them and a similar feel to the Old Holland oils which I also paint with so I vary between the two. If you like painting thickly with a palette knife, yes. I do have one question. Anyway, thank you for your answer, it helped me. Is this true across the range (maybe W&N was old)? Enjoy experimenting! Hi Nick, it depends on the colours and style of painting that youre most drawn to, you might find this article of interest about the different colour palettes through different painting eras. I was actually considering replacing my entire palette with these Open Acrylics expecting them to behave much more like oils. As you mentioned the Interactive paint can be rejuvenated with a spray of water and if used with a painting medium instead of water have a lovely look and feel to them. I like that I can program in my desired drying time by mixing OPEN w/ regular acrylic, and I like that I can work a little longer doing more impasto type if things by adding a bit of OPEN to regular acrylic (regular acrylic holding the peaks better). The ground helps you to judge tonal values in your painting, pull the colours in your painting together and stop any accidentally left white canvas. If youre used to applying acrylics thickly and with a stiffer brush this can cause havoc to your painting as you are constantly reworking the layer underneath you thought has already dried. Pleased to hear it Jasson, the choice of materials can make a big difference in the success of your painting, its nice to be aware of whats out there. Its great. Sorry, an error occurred while trying to load the basket popup. So, Im worrying about the open time of my heavy body paint. Not having to constantly put out fresh paint or work on a stay-wet palette can be a joy, especially if you are working on a portrait where the subtle colour changes need very slight adjustments in pigments. This means it doesnt hold its shape as well or hold in stiff peaks. Do you have any experience with these brands, and if so, what did you think of them in comparison to the brands you use currently? Do you have any experience with it? The colors are beautiful--and there are so many! It helps me as a beginner in acrylics tremendously. You can add slow drying mediums (called retarders), Use a stay-wet palette will keep the acrylics open for longer, Standard Acrylic paints have a short working time (short open time), OPEN acrylic have a longer working time(longopen time), Traditional Oil paint has an even longer working time (longest open time), I respect your privacy and take protecting it very seriously -. Do you think lt will be better to use heavy body acrylic for the water and the background and then use Open acrylic paint for the fish and corals? Very helpful review. As I tend to work slowly in layers. Got all the answers needed. Initially I used just their whites for mixing with W&N professional range. I would invest in an artist quality titanium white first so you can see the difference. That was very interesting indeed. Old Holland have a slightly slower drying time than other acrylics so could already have a slight retarder within the paint formulation (Please note: I dont know this for 100% sure, but thats just from my own experience of using OH New masters acrylics.). Does the brand of paint (I am using student grade Liquitex Heavy Body) affect coverage? Do you think using Golden Heavy Body acrylics and mixing in your own retarder is just as good as the Open Acrylics? Cheers, Will. They are creamy, easy to apply with both brushes or knives, and blend beautifully. Hope this helps. The colour shift is very minimal in the Winsor and Newton so they can be a great starting place. It is great to hear an unbiased review from you, since I value your opinion so highly. Thanks a ton. For example, adding a soft blend to the edge of a cloud or working on thin glazes over a portrait painting. And is it ok to use acrylics like water colours? Please turn it on so that you can experience the full capabilities of this site. Thanks for your reply. I really liked this article Will. However, with OPEN acrylics, I have noticed a definite colour shift when the paint film dries. Or should I buy Open acrylic paints for the whole painting? Currently struggling with the very very high tinting strength compared to a traditional palette and the Hansa yellow included in the set. A few paint manufacturers have developed ranges of paints that aim to address this issue. I paint in a more traditional style, so thick layers arent usually an issue. If you use standard acrylics for 90% of your painting, this leaves you free to apply thick impasto and painterly brush marks, then use the OPEN acrylics for the final 10% you can achieve some lovely results. Perhaps one day I may find some use for it. Artist quality paints will always have much more covergage than student quality. Most of the examples Acrylic Paintings I seem to see, look quite bright, and lack that richness and crispness of a traditional oil portrait . I see they are softer, thinner but have not painted with themjust dabbled. Even using retarder. Cheers, Will. Thanks Will, Its helpful. You can add in the retarder, but only up to about 15% into the mix, otherwise the paint wont dry fully and can go a strange texture. There are no fillers, extenders, opacifiers, toners or dyes added. Definitely different than regular acrylics. I havent had much trouble until last summer when paint was drying on the trip from my palate to my canvas. Compared with standard acrylics they have a softer consistency. Thanks for you Website its very informative. On their website there is an instruction not to exceed 15 %, but right now Im looking at my Retarder bottle and it says: For thicker applications do not add more than 1:8 retarder:paint. Here is an example of a recent Acrylic portrait from Michael Gaskell that has a very fine/photrealist detail to it. Bit late to your fab article but thank you! The color greater color shift is a deal breaker for me and it is good to hear this from a reliable source. I decided to try and use acrylics with a watercolour technique. For slower drying, add GOLDEN Retarder, but do not exceed 15%, as it will result in a surface that will not lose its tack. Ive found the Golden titanium white has more opacity and the heavy body range from Golden have a slightly stiffer texture than the Winsor and Newton so it depends which feel you prefer. Heavy Body colors contain no additives, such as matting agents, therefore the gloss of each color will reflect the characteristics of each pigment in their purest form. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. I understand that it makes the canvas texture easier to work on, but unclear why a color is suggested. This is from the Golden website as a comparison between the OPEN and heavy body paints OPEN Acrylics Wet 30-60 min Workable 1-3 hrs Touch dry 24 + hrs Heavy Body Acrylics Wet under 5 min Workable 10 min Touch dry under 30 minutes, The best way to increase the working time on a palette with heavy body acrylics is to use a stay-wet palette. I have tried almost every brand of acrylic paint on the market. Thanks so much for this very informative article. Cheers, Will. Incredible that his work is painted in Acrylics. I recently bought Golden Open to try. I have used a stay wet palette for this, but I found an ultra-fine mister works better for me. I have spent a lot of time experimenting with Golden Open paints. Because of their longer open time I had been considering trying these paints out. This can feel nice straight from the tube in comparison to heavy body paints that often need a touch of water added for mixing the perfect consistency. Its great to be learning so much about art and paints in the convenience of my own home. I use heavy body acrylics and they are wonderful pigments. Ill keep that in mind while painting. Thanks for your reviews. A variety of sets available for beginner to experienced artists. Thanks so much! I wonder because my local art shop owner always speaks highly of brands like the French Sennelier, German Schmincke and of course our Dutch Old Holland when I buy some Royal Talens Amsterdam acrylics. You like using Golden heavy body and W&N artist acrylics. My painting subject is underwater with lots of fish and corals. Would I be correct in thinking that acrylics ( open) be a good choice? I didnt try yet. I am a watercolorist and recently got a large commission (152cm x 152cm triptych ) in acrylics. You can easily find yourself accidentally lifting up the previous layer of paint from underneath you thought was dry. Thank you, filiz study in KCC collage chelsea, Fashion designer class. Thanks a lot. Mark Eliott. Acrylic Glazing Liquid can be used in place of straight Retarder, and there are no restrictions on amounts. As for my question. Just trying to learn all I can about this. It goes through different textures under the brush which can feel damn right weird if youve used standard acrylics. Hi Babli, pleased it helped, you can see examples of my paintings throughout the demos on the blog. Arley Hall & Gardens and White Cube exhibition. Will, Hi Will, Ive bought several of your tutorials and I find your teaching approach tangible and also relaxing. Frustrating to such degree, that I eventually decided to ditch Golden Open paint completely and return back to W&N professional. For thinner applications do not add more than 1:1 retarder:pigment. Whatever I painted with Heavy body today and added retarder almost to ratio 1:1. May be expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for especially for serious painters. Id like to try using the heavy body acrylics for my underpainting and then doing the detailed layers with the Open paints. Cheers, Will. Regards Lynn. There are a few options to help increase the working time of your paint. It compares standard oils to watermixable oils and standard acrylics, it doesnt include the Golden OPEN but will give you a good idea. I emphasis the value/quality/price ratio as theres no substitute for quality but I do try and avoid paying too much for it! What is your experience? Hi Will A very fair and balanced review, very honest. It may be worth a shot to ask him for his experiences with that particular brand of paint. Your browser's Javascript functionality is turned off. Also, there is this thing with New Masters binder which, as OH says, is somewhat unique. I tried (very briefly) both at a friends house, and I think Golden is smoother out of the tube, which I like, while W&N looked much thicker (somewhow pasty). It answered every question I had and more on the differences. I included many words, sayings, images, and a poem that I had written, hiding them beneath the surface of the paint, as many of them represented very personal fears and other feelings. But only for comparison, would you make a review between the two type of paint? It depends on the size of the blob of paint on the palette and the environmental conditions.