Acrylic

A fast drying paint that comes in both water-bourne and mineral spirit bases. An "Acrylic Polymer," a form of plastic, carries the pigment and the water, or mineral spirit boils off as it dries.

Both forms can be thinned with either water or mineral spirit and do offer a brilliant array of colors and a variety of textured. The mineral spirit variety, has more of the characteristics of oil paint than the water-bourne., having a translucency which is unparalleled by water based acrylic.

Another draw-back in its water-bourne form is any particulate that may become embedded in the paint, can not be easily removed, without disturbing, or scarring the composition. There are ways around this, primarily if a substantial enough isolation coat of clear mineral spirit acrylic is applied to the finished painting. This allows surface layers to be solved of their particulates, without disturbing the image. By using this method, an acrylic painting can be displayed without protective glass as well, as the isolation coat also serves to protect the painting from UV light, smoke and other pollutants.