As more and more professional artists worldwide are making the switch to Natural Acrylik Paint, the question... "Are Natural Acrylik Paints truly archival and professional quality?" is showing up more and more in our inbox - and for good reason. As artists, we want to make sure that our supplies will create paintings that stand the test of time and won't fade, yellow, darken, crack or get cloudy.
Over the past century, the words "Natural" or "Earth-based" or even 'Eco-friendly" have unfortunately adopted the negative connotation of lesser quality, less durable, or not for professional artists. The surprising reality is that the opposite is actually true. Earth and mineral pigments are the most durable, UV resistant, and archival pigments available. And plant-based binders have stood the test of time, from cave paintings, illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages through the Renaissance and continuing on to the present day.
While mainstream acrylic paints have only been in existence for about 70 years, there have been a few age acceleration studies that have shown that they could last for potentially longer than even oil paintings. For this reason, we set our standards even higher in creating a plant-based acrylic paint that behaved exactly like mainstream paints and was even more archival, light-fast and professional quality.
How would we do this?
After working for 6 years with 8 different coatings/paint chemists we were able to formulate a professional quality, supremely archival, plant-based paint that behaves exactly like acrylic paint. After studying what is in mainstream acrylic paints we discovered that they are filled with many additives that give the paints different qualities, but also reduce the longevity and radiance of the paint. The more the additives, the less archival and pure. We were on a mission to use an archival plant-based binder (as opposed to petroleum-based) and as few additives as possible that are bio-based and not carcinogenic or hazardous.
What are the additives for?
Most people know that acrylic paints are not great for the Earth because they are petroleum-based and essentially plastic, but what most don't know is that the petroleum-based resin is actually the least toxic part of the paint. The extreme toxicity is added in the form of additives which give the paint certain qualities and make it behave in a certain way. Most of these additives are volatile and will evaporate into the environment as they dry.
Acrylic paint additives will alter the...
- Viscosity (thickness)
- Texture and "Body"
- Drying speed
- Flow and resistance – how it brushes across a surface
- Gloss or Matte
They are also used as....
- Defoamers - Remove foaming and air bubbles
- Dispersants - Keep pigments dispersed so they are well mixed and don’t separate out
- Preservatives - biocides
- Stability – prevent cracking/flaking
- Neutralizing agents - Adjust the PH – many chemical additives don’t work unless the paint is a certain PH
- Wetting agents
- Surfactants
To learn more about the high toxicity of these additives, check out "Is Acrylic Paint Really Toxic?"
The purpose of this article, however, is not toxicity but quality and longevity. Again, the more additives, the more chance for paint degradation. Our goal was to find bio-based, durable additives that performed at the same level as the toxic additives. And also to keep the additives to a bare minimum while doing extensive testing to ensure the integrity of the paint is kept as good or better than mainstream professional acrylic paints. We also developed the paint to be PH neutral, which meant that we did not need to use "neutralizing agents" to adjust the PH. These agents are a high factor in causing degradation or chemical reactions in mainstream paints over time.
Artist, Josh Tiessen
What about a preservative?
The reason that most of our products come in a "mix your own" kit is because as soon as a paint is in liquid, pre-mixed form, it needs a preservative or stabilizers to keep mold or bacteria from growing and to give it a long shelf-life in the store. For pre-mixed and tubed paints we knew we needed a preservative, which is commonly the most toxic part of a paint. We conducted extensive tests to find a natural and yet very efficient preservative to keep the shelf life long and stable.
What about fading and light-fastness?The natural earth and mineral pigments that are used in the natural acrylik paints are the most archival, light-fast, humidity resistant and durable pigments available. Due to continuous demand from our customers we also developed several primary colors that use synthetic pigments - but only after extensive research into ensuring the light-fastness and toxin-free aspects of the pigment. Our proprietary plant-based binder blend was also chosen because of its durability and resistance to sunlight, yellowing and degradation. Accelerated ageing tests have shown no clouding, yellowing or darkening of colors and our R&D team stand by the highest standards of paint quality as they continue to formulate more mediums and products for the natural acrylic painter.
Stay tuned for the release of Fluid Natural Acrylik Paints, Natural Modeling Paste, and Natural Matte Medium, coming at the end of 2024 through beginning of 2025!