Nova Color’s Key Brushstrokes: Thinning acrylic paint comes down to balancing small amounts of water with the right acrylic mediums so you keep color strength, adhesion, and smooth flow. With the right ratios and a gentle touch, your layers dry strong, level cleanly, and behave exactly the way you want on the canvas.
- Use small amounts of water (about 10–30%) to loosen acrylics without stripping the binder.
- Rely on fluid acrylic mediums when thinning acrylic paint regularly to maintain strength, adhesion, and color intensity.
- Heavy-body acrylics respond best to gradual additions of fluid medium with only a touch of water at the end.
- Over-thinning with water can cause weak, chalky layers that lift, flake, or scratch off too easily.
You’re staring at a gorgeous color on your palette. It’s perfect. But on canvas, it’s now either dragging like old, thick toothpaste or running everywhere like water.
How do you thin acrylic paint without wrecking the adhesion or color? There are four simple things you can do right now: a small amount of water, purpose-made acrylic mediums, your brush pressure, and our handy, quick guide below.
If you’re wrestling with streaks, patchy coverage, or gummy layers, learning how to thin acrylic paint with control will change these frustrations and everything about how your work looks and feels. Let’s give you everything you need for a smooth, even application that keeps the paint film strong.
When Water is Enough and How Much to Use
Beginner artists ask us: Can you thin acrylic paint with water? The short answer is: yes, in moderation.
For normal brushwork on a primed surface, aim for a roughly 10-30% water-to-paint ratio. That’s usually enough to loosen the pain, improve glide, and keep edges clean without stripping too much binder. Stir for far longer than you think; stray water pockets will cause streaks later.
If you want a watercolor-style wash, you can thin acrylic paint further, but treat those layers as effects, not structural coats. Extremely watery mixtures can dry weak, powdery, or become prone to lifting when you paint over them.
Why Acrylic Mediums Are Always Your Best Friend
When you’re consistently thinning acrylic paint, water alone has limits. Fluid acrylic mediums are built from the same acrylic binder as your paint, but at a lower viscosity. They:
- Reduce thickness without sacrificing strength
- Extend volume while preserving pigment load
- Improve leveling for smoother, brush-mark-free layers
- Help paint adhere on tricky but properly prepared surfaces
Mixing paint with medium instead of extra waterkeeps the acrylic network intact, so your color dries flexible, durable, and less likely to crack.
How to Thin Acrylic Paint for Heavy-Body Colors
Heavy-body acrylics respond exceptionally well to fluid medium. Start with a pile of paint, then blend in a little medium at a time until you reach a yogurt-like consistency for general painting, or cream for glazing. If you still need more slip, add just a touch of water to the medium mix.
This balance gives you the control many artists want and ask for when wondering how to thin acrylic paint for smoother blends, subtle transitions, or detail work without losing saturation.
Common Over-Thinning Problems to Watch Out For
If your layers are looking chalky, bead up on the surface, or scratch off incredibly easily, then you’re probably over-thinning acrylic paint with water. Cut back on water ratios, increase the amount of medium, and build color in more thinner layers instead of a single watery pass.
Once you practice, play, and get a feel for how to thin your acrylic paint for your techniques—washes, glazing, blocking-in, or details—your brushstrokes start doing what you intended the first time.
Want to push that control even further with artist-grade, premium acrylics and mediums? Get started with Nova Color’s quality acrylic paints from our complete collection, so every mix, blend, and glaze makes your project effortless to paint.
