Watercolor… that’s NOT Watercolor?
If you’re drawn to the look of watercolor- the translucency, the flow, the spontaneity- but dread dealing with fragile glass frames or wish you could fix a mistake now and then, there’s good news: Acrylics can give you that watercolor feel—with more control, flexibility, and durability.
Artist Nancy Reyner (Ep.63) says, if you're looking for a way to paint loose like watercolor but finish sturdy like acrylic, it all comes down to using the right kind of acrylic for the job.
Not All Acrylics Are Created Equal
If you’ve only worked with thick, paste-like acrylics (known as heavy body acrylics), it’s easy to assume all acrylics behave the same. They don’t.
To achieve watercolor-like effects with acrylics, start with the right viscosity:
Fluid Acrylics: Think heavy cream consistency
High Flow Acrylics: Think ink or water
Despite their liquidy texture, these are not watered-down paints. They are packed with pigment—just like heavy body acrylics—but behave in a way that more closely mimics watercolor: they glide, bleed, and blend beautifully on your surface. And unlike watercolor, once dry, they’re permanent and won’t reactivate with water.
That means:
No glass necessary
No rewetting or smudging
Fixable layers (just paint over it!)
Why You Shouldn’t Water Down Heavy Body Acrylics
It might seem like you can just take your existing heavy body acrylics and thin them with water to get a similar effect—but that’s a trap.
When you dilute heavy-bodied paints too much, you weaken the paint. This means it might flake off later or handle strangely.
If you want fluidity without sacrificing your pigments, start with paints designed for that purpose—fluids or high flows.
Put it to Practice:
If you’re curious about how fluids or high flow acrylic works, get a few colors (I always recommend the one of each primary…and don’t forget white! ) and start to see how they feel.
As you begin to explore, expect a learning curve.
Acrylics dry faster than watercolor, so you’ll likely notice a shift in timing and flow. Be patient—it takes a little getting used to, but your muscle memory will adapt quickly with play and repetition.
First try your go-to watercolor techniques. That might include wet-into-wet, layering washes and dropping in color. Stay open and curious about what works exactly like watercolor and where things differ.
Next try some new affects including splattering, glazing and even adding white back in to see how it changes things.
Finally, introduce a medium like matte medium or glazing medium to thin the paint without losing pigment. See how this changes flow, transparency, and drying time.
There’s so much to explore when you take your favorite watercolor habits and build on them with acrylic techniques. You might just discover a new way of working that gives you the best of both worlds—the fluidity of watercolor and the flexibility of acrylics.