Aquarylic Color
7 things Aquarylic Color does differently from acrylic paint
A paint medium of its own between watercolor, acrylic and oil — and what that means for you at the painting table.
At first glance the two bottles look alike. Both paints are water-based, solvent-free and dry waterproof. As soon as you dip your brush in, you notice the difference: Aquarylic Color is silky and fluid, Acrylic Paint is creamy.
Aquarylic Color is not thinned-down acrylic but a paint medium of its own that we developed, with a specially developed, solvent-free binder. In short: Aquarylic Color flows like watercolor, looks like oil and is waterproof like acrylic.
Here are seven differences you see right away when painting — each with a simple technique that helps you make use of it.
1 No fillers, just pigment
Aquarylic Color contains no fillers. The color effect comes directly from the pigment. That is why all 67 standard shades are transparent or semi-transparent: 36 transparent, 31 semi-transparent, none opaque. Acrylic Paint ranges from transparent to opaque, depending on the shade.
The transparency is not a flaw. It comes from the fact that nothing stands between pigment and light. The light passes through the paint layer, hits the ground and comes back. That creates the depth you know from glazes.
How to test it yourself:
- Draw a pencil line on paper or canvas.
- Paint a shade across it.
- With glazing shades the line stays visible; with opaque ones it disappears.
The opacity is printed on the back of every bottle and on the product page. So you know before you buy how a shade behaves.
2 One medium, two finishes
Applied neat, Aquarylic Color dries glossy. Applied as a glaze, it dries satin matte. Acrylic Paint dries satin matte. With one bottle of Aquarylic Color, you control the finish through the way you apply it.
The paint is silky and fluid and leaves no brushstrokes. It flows on the ground like watercolor, comes close to oil in its sheen and holds like acrylic once dry. You can use it with a brush, a palette knife or for pouring.
- Like watercolor: let it flow heavily diluted on paper or canvas.
- Like acrylic: apply it neat with a brush or palette knife and keep working once it is dry.
- Like oil: neat and rich for accents and highlights that should shine.
Tip: Set yourself a simple rule for a painting, for example background glazed, foreground neat. Then the difference between gloss and satin matte works for your composition.
3 Dilute without the color fading
With Aquarylic Color, water is not the enemy of color. It hardly loses any color intensity when diluted and does not flocculate. It flows much like watercolor. You can dilute it with water or with alcohol.
When diluted like watercolor, you have 15 to 30 minutes of open time — depending on the amount of water. During that time you let gradients run into each other and soften edges.
- Shake the bottle vigorously before use. The pigment can settle.
- Mix three stages of the same shade on your palette: neat, slightly diluted, heavily diluted.
- Paint the three stages side by side on a scrap piece. That shows you how far a shade goes before you start on the painting.
4 Layer upon layer, without lifting
Aquarylic Color dries waterproof. The next layer does not lift the one below. That is the basis for glazing and multi-layer techniques: you lay thin layers on top of each other and build depth without stirring up the layer underneath.
The shade does not shift as it dries. What you see wet is what you see dry. That makes layers predictable and remixing easier.
If you want a transparent shade to look stronger, apply several layers. Keep an eye on the ground: on a white ground, transparent shades appear lighter.
- Let each layer dry before you add the next.
- Lay two glazes on top of each other instead of mixing both shades. You get a third shade with more depth.
- Try a toned ground. It changes every glaze that lies on top of it.
5 Painting over oil paint, too
You combine Acrylic Paint with watercolor, gouache and acrylic. Aquarylic Color can also be combined with traditional oil paint. You can apply it to dried oil paint without lifting it, and you can also work wet-in-wet with oil paint.
There are two things you should know. When mixed with oil paint, it does not form a completely homogeneous mass, because the two paints have different viscosities. And Aquarylic Color dries faster than oil.
- Set highlights with Aquarylic Color on a dry oil painting.
- Use a dried oil painting as the ground for a new glaze.
- Test every combination on a scrap piece first.
Find out more in the article Combining Aquarylic Colors and oil paints.
6 Lightfast — and with shades you’ll only find here
63 of the 67 standard shades of Aquarylic Color reach the “excellent lightfastness” rating. That is 5 out of 5, equivalent to Blue Wool Scale 8. Four shades are rated “very good”, that is 4 out of 5 and Blue Wool Scale 7: Bordeaux, True Violet, Lavender and Lavender Dark. We do not carry paints with lower lightfastness. The rating is on the back of the bottle, on the product page and in the color charts.
Some shades are only available as Aquarylic Color: Deep Yellow and all nine pearlescent shades. Pearlescent is the exception to point 1 — eight of the nine shades are opaque, Antique Gold is semi-opaque. All nine are excellently lightfast.
- If you paint for a bright room, choose shades with excellent lightfastness.
- You’ll find the color charts with opacity and lightfastness for each shade under Downloads.
- Protect the finished painting with Final Varnish. It has UV protection and protects the colors from yellowing and fading.
7 From Bludenz, in your size
We develop, mix and fill ourselves in Bludenz. Labeling and packing are done there by hand. Because we fill ourselves, there are refill sizes and many shades in several lines. A family business from Vorarlberg.
Aquarylic Color comes in 67 standard shades, 5 neon shades and 9 pearlescent shades. The sizes: 30, 120, 250 and 500 ml, pearlescent in 30 and 120 ml. All pigments are vegan.
The medium was developed by the artist Angelika Domenig. For many years she taught at academies. Working with her course participants revealed the need for a medium that bridges the techniques. Developed out of practice. Made in Bludenz.
- Test a new shade in 30 ml.
- Restock your basic shades such as Titanium White or Deep Black in 250 or 500 ml.
- Many color names also exist as Acrylic Paint — often with a different opacity. Signal Red is semi-transparent as Aquarylic Color and opaque as Acrylic Paint.
The quickest way to understand the seven differences is to paint them yourself. Three primary colors, white and black are all you need.
To try it out: the Aquarylic Color Starter Set
Aquarylic Color Starter Set
Reviews come from customers after a confirmed purchase (Loox) or are verified by Trusted Shops.- 5 × 120 ml: Titanium White, Lemon Yellow, Quinacridone Magenta, Phthalo Blue Cyan, Deep Black
- PDF guide: Mixing colors
- Video course (1.5 hours): “Limitless possibilities with the primary colors” with Angelika Domenig
Three primary colors plus white and black — enough to try out glazing, dilution and layering from this article yourself.
€84,00Single prices instead of €133,00incl. VAT, plus shipping
Frequently asked questions
Is Aquarylic Color suitable for beginners?
Yes. You don’t need any prior knowledge — just a love of color. The transparency feels unfamiliar at first if you have been painting opaquely so far. That is why the Starter Set includes a PDF guide and a video course that show you how to handle the medium.
Can I combine Aquarylic Color with acrylic paint?
Yes. Aquarylic Color can be combined with watercolor, gouache, acrylic and traditional oil paint. Both lines are water-based and dry waterproof. For example, you can underpaint opaquely with Acrylic Paint and glaze over it with Aquarylic Color.
Is Aquarylic Color suitable for airbrush or encaustic?
For airbrush, yes: with a medium needle you can work undiluted; with a finer needle you dilute slightly. You clean the device with water. Aquarylic Color is not suitable for encaustic — use Chalk Paint for that.