"Americana acrylic paint" Topic

What are peoples opinion of Americana acrylic paint by Decoart ? I live in the uk and have only just found this american brand mainly in hobby stores. There's a wide range of colours and it's cheap as chips compared with the more usual makes, vallejo for example. Has anyone used it for miniatures and what is the general consensus of it's performance ?

I use it on terrain all the time. For figures, only occasionally. It's generally good by dries very thick.

Yeah, I use it for terrain mostly. I find it to be too grainy for figures.

Hi Rich, do you mean it obscures fine detail ? Does it not take well to being thinned down ?

I suggest buy a bottle and try it. Craft paint brands such as this can sometimes not have enough pigment to satisfy your needs but everyone is different.
I've used Ceramcoat, another brand of craft paint in the US, for over 25 years for hundreds of figures. No problem.

Hi haywire, does the graininess depend on the colour, as i find some mainstream paints can be grainy/chalky, especially lighter colours such as whites ?

I find it's really a matter of taste. I use craft paint for most all my painting; Americana, Ceramcoat, Folk Art, Apple Barrel, etc… It's what I've used for over 20 years, and it's what I'm used to, so I like it just fine. Other folks seem to find it almost impossible to work with.
As had been mentioned, craft paint does differ color to color and brand to brand, so you need to test what colors you are interested in if you are new to using it.

Here is my Reaper Bones blog where I use almost exclusively craft paint, if you want to get an idea of how it looks:
allbonesabout.blogspot.com

I use Americana routinely for figures. I use them thinned with water with a drop of liquid dish soap. Takes a little practice to get the mix that you like but just a little.

I use mostly craft paints all the time. Americana has a nice range.

Big Red, do you think a drop of alcohol would do the same job as the liquid soap ? I presume it is to break down the surface tension of the water ?

I am a big fan of Americana, Ceramcoat, Folk Art and Apple. The weakest colors appear to be red and yellow (although FolkArt Yellow Ochre is a great base color). For red, I prefer Vallejo Flat Red and Orange Red.

I have been using craft paints along with Howard Hues Vallejo, Reaper and Citadel paints for 20 years. Each line has their strong colors and weak colors but you really cannot tell the difference a year after you painted them.

I have used the cheapest thing possible for years, big fan of the Americana and Apple Barrel. Ditto on the reds and yellows, but that is a pigment issue, so @ 49cents try one out, if it doesn't work use it on terrain or throw it out.

The only money I have ever spent on true hobby paints are the various German army uniform colors (which have still not impressed me)

Great stuff guys. Re reds and yellows, i find these can be iffy with ANY make of paint. It just means a base coat is required. The overriding issue is the price, way way lower than the tiny pots of paint sold by the 'military hobby paint' suppliers. If it means a coat or two extra i think i will experiment with craft paints.

Keep in mind that a lot of craft paints and even some hobby paints are just acrylic house paint color-matched to a spec and then poured into smaller containers for resale (I know of a couple brands that this is exactly what they do). I've long used Sherwin Williams acrylics for terrain and bases since I can buy a quart or a gallon for a fraction of the cost per ounce. Also can get it color-matched to anything I want like a ground cloth or other existing terrain.

HarryB1961,

Craft paint is not alcohol based so it doesn't work. Acrylic flow enhancers do work. For reds and yellows I undercoat in white and they cover fine.

I love Americana paints. It's my go to paint for figures or terrain.

Mostly what I use is craft paint, including Americana, the only true hobby paint I own is for metallic.

The titanium white is the best white paint I have ever used.

I use Americana and Delta Ceramcoat for figures, no problem. However I also use Liquitex professional acrylic paint which has a higher content of pigment.

I use craft paints for horses, fences, buildings and other terrain items.

There's also no reason to buy a premium black or white so those too are craft paints and in the bigger bottles.

I have had no issues with Folk Art or Americana acrylic paints. They work very well. Compared to what some of the "hobby" paints for miniatures sell for (1/2 ounce bottle/ $2.99 USD), they are inexpensive and work without any issues. I have painted well over 10,000 figures with them. find the other paints I've tried overpriced and no noticeable difference. I usually buy them when they go on sale at Michael's or A.C Moore here in the USA. Not sure what they go for in UK but they have to be much cheaper.

Americana works well. There are some others that work well too. The cheaper you get with craft paint the worse they are. Buyer beware!

I'll add in my vote for Americana, I don't notice a grainyness as I make sure to thin out with a bit of water. I might try the dish soap tip, I used to use Future floor wax to help with flow.