How to dilute dried acrylic paints for paintings: Methods. How to avoid drying of colors?

If you need to dilute acrylic paints, then use special products. But you can do this with ordinary water.

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Acrylic paints are inexpensive, easy to use and having a beautiful color palette material. They do not have a pungent odor or toxic components in their composition, they easily lie on the surface will be paper, canvas, fabric, wood or glass.

Read on our website another article on the topic: "Is it possible and how to paint eggs with acrylic paint?".

Acrylic paints - Perfect material, is it not true? But there is something that is both a positive and negative property. Acryl dries very quickly, on the one hand it is good, you don’t need to wait long for the work, but on the other, it is a very unpleasant moment - the paint dries in tubes and jars. What to do if your favorite colors have become solid? Run to buy new or not everything is so sad and you can reanimate them. We will tell you in the article below. Read further.

The composition of acrylic paints: Why do they dry?

To understand why acrylic paints dry so quickly, it is worth understanding their composition. They consist of water, polyacrylate, dyes, acrylic resin. It is thanks to polyacrylate and acrylic resin that the paint has good strength, wear resistance, and when drying on its surface, a glossy film appears. Since manufacturers use different tar and dyes in the manufacture, it is not worth mixing acrylic from different firms. Water in this composition is a solvent and the basis of the emulsion. It is when water drying out that the paint thickens and dries.

What are solvents for thick, dried acrylic paints for drawing?

The main resuscitator for the paint that began to dry out is water. It will do when Acryl just began to lose his elasticity, became more viscous. Water should be purified bottled or filtered. What other solvents for thick, dried acrylic paints for drawing?

Diluent - Great for recovery. This type includes gasoline, solvent and similar liquid substances, white spite, alcohol, kerosene, turpentine. They are also used to improve the properties of art. Thanks to their composition, they carefully, without destroying the composition of acrylic, return to it elasticity, make it softer, liquid, which makes it easy to apply paint, adjusting the thickness of the layers. It must be taken into account that when adding the diluent, the acrylic dries longer.

Another recovery tool is solvent. It is worth noting the following funds: "Sonnet", "Gamma", "Decol", "Art Acil". They act on the structure of the paint more rudely, when mixed, they can destroy its chemical structure, thereby worsening properties. Therefore, they need to breed acrylic very carefully.

When used to restore the paint of the diluent or solvent, it is better to take all the materials of one company of the manufacturer, since they use the same components and there is no risk to spoil acrylic. It is also worth considering that diluents can give it additional effects, make more matte or add gloss.

How to dilute dried acrylic paints for paintings by numbers and is it possible: methods

If the acrylic paint begins to thicken and dry is easiest to use water to restore it.

In a ratio of 1: 1, carefully add water to the acrylic until the desired consistency is obtained.
This ratio will make the material optimally thick without loss of brightness.
If you increase the ratio - one part of the acrylic to two water, then the material will turn out to be more liquid, resembling watercolor.

To achieve the depth of color, it will need to be applied in several layers, waiting for the complete drying of the previous layer. Thus, you can regulate the ratio of water to acrylic, depending on what effect you want to get in the end.

What else can you dilute dried acrylic paints for paintings by numbers and is it possible? Yes, this can be done. Here are the ways:

Alcohol and water:

You can use this mixture in the same proportions to restore the consistency of a very thick paint.
You need to dilute gradually, adding the mixture to the acrylic, constantly mixing.

Toothpicks, water, diluent or solvent:

Often acrylic paint becomes like plasticine, for resuscitation it will need wooden skewers, ordinary water and some kind of diluent of the above.
First, several holes are pierced in the paint, water is poured into them, which must be drained after a few seconds.
You need to do this several times. The last time after pouring into the water holes, it is left for 12 hours.
After time, the water is drained, the paint is mixed with the diluent.
This method does not give the homogeneity of the material, when applying paint on the surface, lumps can remain.
In order to remove not dissolved grains, you can skip the material through several layers of gauze.
This method will be justified if you need to restore a large amount of paint.

Boiling water:

If acrylic is very dry, it looks like a stone, it needs to be taken out of a jar or tube, grind to the state of the powder.
Then place in a container, pour boiling water or heat in a water bath, mix, close with a tight lid and leave for a day.
This method is very radical, it may not bring the expected effect, so it is better to throw away a very dried paint or try to use a chemical solvent.

Solvents or diluents:

It happens that the paint has dried on a brush or palette. It’s a pity to throw good materials for drawing.
If you did not wash them immediately after drawing, and they lay dirty for more than a day, then the water here will be powerless. We will have to resort to more radical methods.
For example, use a solvent for acrylic paint. He will cope well with this task.
A tool resembling a gel is suitable - without color, but with a fairly strong smell. He is called a decelery of drying of acrylic paints.
You can also apply white spite, sold in specialized construction stores.
In order to clean artistic accessories, you need to apply a small amount of alcohol to them, leave for 10-15 minutes, then rinse it well with water.

It is better to carry out all actions to restore acrylic in a separate container or on a palette using a small amount of material, since in the process it is possible to change the texture of paint and color.

How to avoid drying of colors?

In order to avoid the hassle of restoring acrylic, you need to start with the process of its acquisition. Always check the jars of paint right in the store after buying: the quality of the material, the shelf life. If you take in tubes, also do not be lazy, check the tightness of them all. Buy from trusted manufacturers of art materials, it is the purchase of high -quality acrylic that will guarantee that it will be easy and pleasant to work with it.

Here are the tips on how to avoid drying of colors:

When working with paint, be sure to use a palette, if acrylic in tubes, take a small amount.
It is also worth doing when drawing from jars. It is better to add more material in the process than to expose the risk of drying all the paint.
As soon as you took the amount you need immediately tightly close the tube or jar.
The use of the palette in the work will help not only to preserve the remaining paint of the whole, but also to dilute the taken part of the acrylic to the consistency, at this moment, at this moment.
Try not to mix paints from different manufacturers, take an additional portion from the jar with only a clean brush.
After the end of the work, do not forget to thoroughly rinse all the brushes and other auxiliary materials, tightly close all the tubes, jars.
If you notice on containers in which acrylic damage, cracks are stored, urgently replace them, pouring the paint into more sealed.

Remember: Acrylic paints need to be stored without direct sunlight at room temperature.

Subject to these simple rules, all artistic materials will serve you for a long time and qualitatively, delighting you, allowing you to fully enjoy the creative process.