What can acrylic paint be used on? Acrylic paint is the most widely used paint for crafts and art projects, and for good reason: it's easy to work with. You can find acrylic paint almost anywhere. Most acrylic paints are non-toxic and quite inexpensive. But many people new to the world of art and craft don't realise just how versatile acrylic paint is, or how many different materials it can be used on. So we decided to write an article that finally answers the question of which materials acrylic paint can be used on.
Acrylic paint can be used directly on canvas, paper, card, wood, polymer clay, air-dry clay, stone and plaster. It can also be used on materials such as fabric, metal, glass and plastic, but those materials need their surfaces preparing first.
As you can see, there are many different materials acrylic paint can be applied to. But you can't use acrylic paint on all of them without preparing the surface of some first.
There are also some materials that acrylic paint won't grip, because they may carry a protective seal. Those seals need to be cleaned off before you paint the material. But don't worry — we'll go quickly through each material below, how to paint it and what to watch out for.
If you just want a quick overview, take a look at the list below.
Materials that can be painted with acrylic paint
Canvas Yes
Paper Yes
Card Yes
Wood Yes, though preparing the wooden surface before painting helps a great deal.
Fabric No. Acrylic grips fabric, but not for long. It will also break up after a while.
Metal Yes, but the surface needs preparing and the colour sealing afterwards.
Glass Yes, but the surface must be prepared and the colour sealed afterwards.
Polymer clay Yes
Air-dry clay Yes
Stone Yes
Walls Yes, but not recommended, for various reasons.
Plastic Yes, but the surface must be prepared first
Skin No — it sticks to skin, but doesn't come off easily.
Plaster Yes
Painting Canvas, Paper and Card with Acrylic Paint
It's certainly possible to paint on canvas, paper and card with acrylic paint.
Depending on the type of canvas or paper you're using, it can help to prime the painting surface with a little gesso before you actually paint.
Gesso prepares the surface so that the acrylic paint grips better and the colour comes out more vivid than if you painted straight onto the canvas.
If you're painting on card and you don't want to use many coats of paint, or you want your colours to be vivid, you should definitely prepare the surface with a little gesso. Without preparation, card will dull the vibrancy of your acrylic paints.
You don't need to seal the paint afterwards. Acrylic paint grips paper very well.
Painting Wood with Acrylic Paint
Wood is easily painted with acrylic paint.
You can prepare the wooden surface beforehand to make the job a little better and more enjoyable, but you can also apply it straight onto the wood.
The grain and natural pattern of the wood will show through after the first coat of paint. That can be a wonderful effect, but if you don't want it, you can paint over the first coat. After the third coat, nothing of the grain beneath will be visible any more.
Alternatively, you can prepare the wood by sanding the surface lightly or priming it with a very fluid gesso. In that case the first coat will usually be more than enough, and you no longer need to worry about the paint not staying on the surface.
If the painted wood is going to be outdoors or somewhere sunny, we recommend sealing it with a clear varnish to protect it from the elements. Otherwise the colour will wash out fairly quickly.
If the painted wood is indoors, though, there's no need to seal it after painting.
Painting Fabric with Acrylic Paint
Fabric can be painted with acrylic paint, but the paint won't grip the fabric for long.
Acrylic paint is fairly flexible, but not flexible enough for most fabrics. If you just want to paint on a piece of fabric, you can use acrylic paint without any trouble. But if you want to paint a T-shirt, say, acrylic paint won't be a good choice. The paint will crack after a while, and you won't be able to wash your T-shirt without washing some of the paint away. That's why we recommend textile paints for painting clothes.
Painting Metal with Acrylic Paint
It's possible to paint metal with acrylic paint, but you need to prepare the surface beforehand and then seal the paint.
Most metals carry a protective layer that you'll need to sand off, and many other types of metal will be too smooth for acrylic paint to grip. So you need to key the surface a little.
To end up with a good piece of work, you should seal the paint afterwards to make sure it stays stuck to the metal permanently and doesn't come away.
Painting Glass Surfaces with Acrylic Paint
This is possible, but as with painting metal, you need to prepare the surface and then seal the paint. We don't recommend painting items you use constantly, such as plates and pans, with acrylic paint.
So although it's possible, there are better alternatives. You could use enamel paint, for example.
Painting Polymer Clay and Air-Dry Clay with Acrylic Paint
Polymer clay and air-dry clay are easily painted with acrylic paint.
You don't need to prepare the surface in any way to get a really good result.
Painting Plastic with Acrylic Paint
Plastics are a little more complicated. There are so many different types of plastic on the market that we can't say for certain that you can paint plastic with acrylic paint.
But most commercially used plastics can be painted with acrylic paint if you prepare the surface with a little gesso or spray filler. And if you then seal the work with an acrylic sealer, you've done everything exactly right, and your piece will keep its first-day vibrancy intact for a long time.
That said, there are some rarely used plastics that acrylic paint won't grip.
Painting Plaster with Acrylic Paint
Plaster is easily painted with acrylic paint. In fact, gesso is largely made of plaster.
So acrylic paint will grip plaster nicely and permanently.
Even so, if you're planning to put your painted plaster piece outdoors, we recommend sealing it beforehand with an acrylic sealer to protect it from particles outside.
We've tried to answer the question of what acrylic paint can be used on. Do share your comments with us!
Source: https://craftknights.com/what-materials-can-you-use-acrylic-paint-on-a-full-list/
