Time to say goodbye!

After a few years of experimenting, I’ve finally come to a conclusion about some brands of paints I’ve been using, and for some of them it’s time to say goodbye.

Revisiting My Early Experiments

You may recall that a few years ago I tried comparing 3 brands of professional acrylic paints (Golden Heavy Body Acrylic, Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic, Winsor & Newton Professional Acrylics). I started by comparing only the Cadmium Yellow Medium from each brand, but I soon realized that this test was too limited and wouldn’t provide enough information about the paints. So, I purchased a few more basic colours from each brand. However, I never followed up with a more extensive test—truth be told, I simply never returned to seriously testing the paints.

Goldens are gold?

Even these limited tests revealed to me that Golden paints were very different from what I was used to in acrylics. By the time I wrote my first comparison, I had tried many brands of acrylics, but never something quite like these. Golden paints felt unique—almost buttery and smooth, as if they were oil-based. In comparison, the other acrylics felt somewhat rough, sometimes grainy or powdery. I became so curious about Golden paints that I really wanted to like them. Admittedly, I also fell into a social media trap—one of the art influencers I follow uses Golden (although watercolours), which may have biased my opinion.

And while Golden paints are most likely excellent for many artists, I decided to make them my main painting material. And I did paint with them, though not extensively, as I didn’t paint very much last year. Specifically, I painted this little kitten with Golden paints and… it was an experience. Not a bad one, but it felt as though I had to learn to work with them as if they were an entirely new medium.

The mixed feelings

Lately, while preparing for an event, I needed to finish some of my started and abandoned paintings. At the moment, I’m working on last year’s project featuring a happy dog with a message board.

When I returned to that painting after almost a year, I couldn’t even remember which paints I had used to start it. Regardless, I was excited to put Golden paints to the ultimate test and finish the piece mostly with them, since it’s quite an important painting. Unfortunately, they… didn’t pass that test.

I wasn’t able to achieve the colours I needed with my usual mixing methods—which had worked with multiple brands of acrylics, oils, and water-mixable oils. Additionally, I noticed that Golden paints darkened after drying, which, for me, is unacceptable for professional-grade acrylics. Especially now, when I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to guess how much each mixed colour will darken. I need a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) approach. I can’t work with paints that change colour after drying, forcing me to go back and fix multiple areas.

An unexpected help

While struggling with the colours, I realized I had the major issue with Payne’s Grey, which I often mix with other colours to create black or to mute bright hues. At that time, I didn’t have a reliable black paint (I had to discard my Rembrandt black paint—though that’s another story) and, having decided to use Golden paints, I didn’t have an alternative Payne’s Grey. As if that wasn’t enough, it was Friday evening, and even if I ordered a new paint, it wouldn’t arrive until Tuesday—meaning four days lost with no progress on the painting!

As a last resort, I started looking through my old “backup” paints and some “test tubes” of various brands I had saved over the years while searching for specific shades. Although most were rather inexpensive, I was hoping to find something to help me. And I did: Liquitex Basics Payne’s Gray! I tried it, and although it was a bit thin, it worked great— surprisingly, much better than the Golden paint, even though it wasn’t a professional-grade product.

A Return to Confidence

This discovery restored my hope. I still had the basic colours of Liquitex Heavy Body paints that I bought several years ago for testing, alongside Golden and Winsor & Newton paints. Assuming that if a beginner-grade paint like Liquitex worked so well, the professional-grade ones should be even better, I decided to try them out—and to my relief, I was right. They worked like a dream!

Before all this drama with acrylics unfolded, I was painting a crane with water-mixable oil paints. Although acrylics have been my main medium for years, I had taken a long break from painting, and when I returned, I jumped straight into oils. Coming back to acrylics, I discovered I had major issues with mixing colours.

For a moment, it felt like I had “lost it”—as if all my years of experience had simply vanished. Fortunately, switching paints proved that I still know how to work with them; I just had to find the right match. I ordered a few more tubes of Liquitex, and now it feels amazing to paint again, while struggling with Golden paints had made it a chore. I’m thrilled to be painting for hours again, completely absorbed in my work!

Farewells and New Beginnings

So, who do I bid farewell to?

• Rembrandt Acrylics: I loved them for many years, but after a while, a strange chemical reaction began occurring in the tubes, and I’m not sure if it’s safe to use them. I’ll use what I have left, but I won’t buy them again if I can help it.
• Golden Heavy Body Acrylics: I really wanted to like them, but I just can’t. They might work wonderfully for many artists, but I’m not one of them.

On the other hand, I happily welcome the Liquitex Heavy Body collection, which I believe will support the next steps in my artistic journey!

As I wrap up this exploration of my journey with different paint brands, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences. What are your experiences with different paint brands? Have you ever encountered a situation where one brand disappointed your expectations? I invite you to share your stories and tips in the comments—your insights are not only valuable to me but can also help fellow artists navigate similar challenges!

~Kat