What makes acrylic paint opaque?
Acrylic paint is normally somewhat transparent. To make it opaque so that it will cover up what is underneath, it must be mixed with white paint. Even if the desired colour is to be fairly dark, there must be some white mixed in to make it opaque. When mixing opaque colours, do not dilute with water or liquid medium, as these will only make the mixture semi-transparent. Opaque paints can be mixed with gels to make them thicker. How can the drying time be slowed? One of the advantages of acrylics is the fast drying time. New layers of paint can be painted over previous layers quite quickly. However, there are times when slower drying is preferred so that blending or other techniques can be used. Two substances can be added to the paints to extend drying time: retarders or glazing medium. Of the two, the glazing medium seems preferable because it actually has a longer drying time and will eventually form a hard film. If one uses too much retarder in the mixture, the paint remains tacky a
