Acrylic Paints & Mediums

Dala Acrylic Paint has a thick, creamy consistency and is lightfast — Dala's own term, meaning the colour holds rather than fading. Metallic, neon and pearlescent variants share the same body and dry to a satin sheen.

Flow Acrylic is the classroom one. Dala describes it as “a perfect choice for the classroom” — smooth and fluid in a squeeze bottle, intense colour, satin sheen finish. It can be diluted with water for watercolour effects, or used with Flow Acrylic Medium for pouring.

Student Acrylic is the economy line, available in single 30ml and 75ml colours and in boxed sets.

Which Dala acrylic? The two lines differ by body and price rather than quality. Dala Acrylic is heavy body — thick enough to hold brush strokes and knife marks, which suits impasto and textured work. Student Acrylic is softer and flows more readily, and costs less. Both carry the same non-toxic, lead-free certification.

Retarder extends drying time — useful for blending, or for mixing colours on the surface rather than the palette.

Gel Medium adds body and dries transparent.

Texture Paste thickens the paint to exaggerate texture, in fine and coarse.

Gloss and Matt Glaze Mediums raise or reduce sheen. The gloss version also increases depth, transparency and flow, and can dilute paint for thin glazes. The matt version can be used as a final varnish layer.

Primers are not interchangeable. Gesso Primer has a high solid and low latex content, and Dala rates it for both acrylic and oil. Canvas Primer has a high latex content and Dala says it is more suitable for oil. Check which you need.

Flow Acrylic for classrooms, standard acrylic for the art room. Dala recommends Flow Acrylic for classroom use specifically, and the squeeze bottle is easier for a class than a tub.

Acrylics are permanent. Aprons, and older classes.

Retarder buys time. Acrylic dries fast, which frustrates students working slowly. A little retarder extends the working window.

Buy the sets for starter kits, singles for classes. Student Acrylic comes in boxed sets and individual colours — a class doing one project needs quantity of few colours.

Non-toxic and lead-free. Dala's acrylic range — including Student Acrylic — is certified non-toxic and lead-free for classroom environments.

Buy the size you use. The same Student Acrylic colour costs about R0.73 per millilitre in a 30ml tube and R0.20 in a 5-litre container. For colours a school uses regularly, the largest size is by far the biggest saving in the range.