Review: Liquitex ​Professional Heavy Body Acrylic and Grumbacher Academy Acrylic

I am finicky when it concerns paint. Having experimented with a wide variety of brands and mediums, I've realized how different any given selection is from another. I regularly use Liquitex as my main brand of paint for staple colors like red, black and white. Their selection of professional heavy body acrylics are perfect and reliable.​ Recently, I purchased a tube of Liquitex PHBA in Naphthol Crimson but noticed that my tube of Liquiex PHBA Titanium White was pretty much empty. After ordering a new tube online, I began searching through art materials and realized that I had two unused tubes of Grumbacher Academy Acrylics in Titanium White and Cadmium Red. In this review, I'll be comparing both brands. 

138 ml Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylic (left)
75 ml Grumbacher Academy Acrylic (right)

Price

For a 75ml tube of Grumbacher Academy Acrylic Titanium White and or Cadmium Red, the price is between $5 and $9 each or higher, depending on where you buy it, tax and shipping & handling if purchased online. I bought both of these colors for about $14 in-store. For a 138 ml tube of Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylic Titanium White and or Naphthol Crimson, the price is anywhere from $14 - $20 or higher depending on where you buy it, tax and shipping & handling if purchased online. I purchased both of these colors together online for $40.00.

Test 

I am already very familiar with Liquitex and understand its quality but before actually using this new Grumbacher paint within any of my paintings, I wanted to do a test beforehand. If I dislike the results in the ''test'', I'll be donating the Grumbacher to charity, as I often do with all art materials that I don't use. In the photo below, I have taken a 5x7 rectangle of glass from a picture frame and labeled the left side ''Grumbacher'' and the right side ''Liquitex''. I then applied a dollop of paint from each tube and made a few brushstrokes. The first three photos show the paint while wet, before it dried. The bottom photo shows the paint two hours later.

The tiny dots of white that can be seen on the surface are tiny specks of white paint.*

After two hours, the Grumbacher Academy Acrylic is still wet and malleable, while the Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylic is firm and dry to the touch. Each appears to retain brustrokes but the Grumbacher's peaks are, to me, not as defined as Liquitex. This is due to it having not dried completely but also because it is a medium body acrylic, not a heavy body acrylic. As a painter who often layers paint, a fast drying time is crucial. That being said, I do feel that had I not applied so much paint, both samples would likely have dried in a similar amount of time, give or take 30 minutes. The more depth, the longer it will take for paint to completely dry. On the other hand, If I were working with palette knives, which would require me to use heftier amounts of paint, based on this ''test'', I would definitely have to wait hours for the painting to be completely dry if I opted to use Grumbacher as opposed to Liquitex, which is really something to consider.   

Conclusion

GRUMBACHER ACADEMY ACRYLIC

Grumbacher is ''a collegiate grade, medium bodied acrylic paint'', per their website.This paint is very smooth and very easy to spread. In their own words ''colors go on like silk'' and that certainly rings true. Grumbacher Academy Acrylics also dry to a semi-gloss finish. This highly pigmented paint is also very rich and available in a brilliant array of shades. Drying time for this paint seems to vary and based on my experience can be in excess of 3+ hours. Despite this centuries long waiting time, Grumbacher Academy Acrylics have an ASTM lightfast rating of 1, which is the highest rating, meaning that this paint is highly resistant to fading, when exposed to light. Maybe it's worth the 3+ wait. Despite the ASTM rating, It has been mentioned that this paint can fade over time but as is often the case, this likely depends on how an artwork is displayed. Even if any given paint is highly resistant to fading, that should not be taken as an invitation to display it improperly or in direct sunlight. Regarding texture, this medium body paint can hold both brushstroke and texture well but not as well as Liquitex. So, all in all I give this paint a 9 out of 10. 

LIQUITEX PROFESSIONAL HEAVY BODY ACRYLIC

As Liquitex's thickest acrylic paint, their Professional Heavy Body Acrylic makes a deep impression; holding superb, well defined brushstrokes and texture effortlessly, with an impressive drying time. Per their site '' The entire {Heavy Body Acrylic} range is flexible, durable, non-yellowing, UV-resistant, water-resistant when dry, and ready for you to discover.'' With that being said, Liquitex is like the Dior of acrylic paint; It carries a hefty price tag. Given its higher quality, this is understandable. Concerning paint, cheaper is not better. The cheaper the paint, the more issues down the road relating to longevity. Liquitex paints have an ASTM rating of I or II and are considered to be permanent and lightfast for 50-100 years in gallery conditions, which is amazing. This has been my favorite brand since I tried it out a couple of years ago. With its satin finish, archival quality and thick butter consistency of highly pigmented colors, I give this paint a 10 out of 10. 

As a painter, I have my own preferences moulded from experience and taste. Since switching from matte soft-body acrylics to heavy-body acrylics some years ago, I quickly became partial to the latter after only a few brushstrokes. The difference is night and day and with so many brands out there, it's crucial to experiment to see what works and suits one's tastes. In conclusion, both paints are solid brands, each with their own strengths and amazing color selections. A person's view of any given paint rests solely in their own personal preferences. 

Also, I was not paid or sponsored or anything like that to write this review. I wrote this review and created the ''test'' above because I'm a nerd.