Acrylic Thinners, Retarders and Flow Mediums

[neurosis]

Hi all. So I currently reside in Melbourne, Australia. Was wondering what products you guys recommend and where I could find them for:

 

- thinner

- retarder

- flow control

 

All for acrylics (obviously). A local art store I went to had only one brand of anything to do with acrylic mediums and the store was really more about canvas painting than anything else (it had pretty much zero hobby-related equipment). Another hobby store I went to didn't really have any - was more focussed on RC/train kits, didn't have much in the way of paints let alone specific acrylic mediums. So does anyone know a place I might pick up some decent versions of these?

 

Oh and I don't mind buying online if you have recommendations for good brands that are available online.

 

Thanks! :)

[Bryan Blaire]

I have loved the Winsor & Newton Acrylic Medium Flow Improver since I picked it up a couple of months ago. Thins very, very well while keeping your color spot on. Haven't used it for any blending at this point, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work just as well for that, and it coupled with my wet palette keep paint usable for a couple of days. I also used it to mix up a batch of the base color I made for my Space Wolves and as long as I shake it every couple of days, it has stayed liquid and not drying out at all for almost a month now.

 

Great stuff, IMO.

 

Found on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Winsor-Newton-Artists-Acrylic-Medium/dp/B003T0TDY2

[Lucien Eilam]

the store was really more about canvas painting than anything else (it had pretty much zero hobby-related equipment).

That's exactly what you want. Where this type of product is concerned, there's literally zero difference between the stuff artists use and the stuff sold to modelers, except they'll get half a litre for the price we get charged for a dropper bottle.

 

Winsor & Newton are always superb quality, Liquitex are usually reliable too. Just make sure you're buying the ones for water-based acrylics, not oils. Vallejo is just about the only "hobby" brand I'd consider, and even with them there's a bit of a toy soldier tax.

[neurosis]

 

the store was really more about canvas painting than anything else (it had pretty much zero hobby-related equipment).

That's exactly what you want. Where this type of product is concerned, there's literally zero difference between the stuff artists use and the stuff sold to modelers, except they'll get half a litre for the price we get charged for a dropper bottle.

 

Winsor & Newton are always superb quality, Liquitex are usually reliable too. Just make sure you're buying the ones for water-based acrylics, not oils. Vallejo is just about the only "hobby" brand I'd consider, and even with them there's a bit of a toy soldier tax.

 

My main concern was that there was only one brand available at the store. Maybe I'm just skeptical (probably) but I always wonder at what sort of quality a product is when it's the only one available on a shelf. The brand was Atelier(sp?) - I'll have to have a look and see what the general consensus about it is. Since there's no real difference I'll probably just pick them up anyway and give them a go.

 

Thanks for the advice.

[Ironwulf]

 

That's exactly what you want. Where this type of product is concerned, there's literally zero difference between the stuff artists use and the stuff sold to modelers, except they'll get half a litre for the price we get charged for a dropper bottle.

 

This isn't exactly true regarding ALL acrylic products. Many times there are various grades of artists acrylic paint that can vary in pigment content, opacity, viscosity and quality of binders. Some of the "higher-end" artist acrylics actually have cadmium and/or cobalt as the pigment, which makes the end product toxic. Some companies even make more than one grade of paint for these concerns (usually the difference between student or professional grade).

 

However, in regard to the original question, for acrylic paint here are my recommendations:

 

Thinner- Water is the best thinner for acrylics. If your local water is particularly mineral-heavy, you can used distilled water.

Retarder and Flow Improver- These ARE essential the same products fine artists use, as Luciaen Eilam mentioned. Liquatex, Windor & Newton, and Golden make fine examples of these that work great with GW, Vallejo, Privateer, or Reaper paints. As I did a quick search on Atelier paint, it 

[Lucien Eilam]

I wouldn't recommend Chroma Atelier products with anything other than Chroma Atelier paints. They might work, but their acrylics aren't ordinary water-based acrylic, (they claim) it's a unique, patented formula.
 

This isn't exactly true regarding ALL acrylic products.

 
I didn't say that. The topic isn't about all acrylic products. One company's medium or additive for water-based acrylic paint will be functionally equivalent to any other 99% of the time.
 

Thinner- Water is the best thinner for acrylics. If your local water is particularly mineral-heavy, you can used distilled water.

 
A medium really helps maintain consistency and smoothness. Plain water will turn the paint blotchy past a certain point, because you're diluting the binder.