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Artist’s Loft acrylic paint is the house brand sold by Michaels, and it shows up in a lot of beginner carts for one reason: it is inexpensive and easy to find. The question most people are really asking is which Artist’s Loft acrylic paint is worth buying, and when a comparable set from Liquitex, Nicpro or Shuttle Art is the smarter purchase. This guide looks at the two Artist’s Loft products currently listed on Amazon.com, explains who each one suits, and compares four alternatives in the same price bracket.
Quick answer: For a starter palette, the Artist’s Loft Necessities 36-Color Value Pack covers the most ground at the lowest cost per color. For bulk white in a pourable soft-body consistency, the Artist’s Loft Soft Body 32 oz White is the product to look at. If you want a step up in pigment quality for about the same money, the Liquitex BASICS 250 ml Titanium White and the Shuttle Art 36-Color Set are the alternatives we would compare first.
Our Top Picks at a Glance
- Artist’s Loft Necessities 36-Color Value Pack — Best Artist’s Loft set for beginners
- Artist’s Loft Soft Body Acrylic, 32 oz White — Best Artist’s Loft product for bulk white and backgrounds
- Liquitex BASICS Titanium White, 250 ml — Best upgrade for a student-grade white
- Shuttle Art 36-Color Acrylic Set with Brushes — Best alternative starter set with larger bottles
- Nicpro 14-Color Bulk Acrylic Set, 16.9 oz — Best for murals, classes and bulk projects
- Artbreezing 24-Color Acrylic Set, 22 ml — Best compact tube set
| Product | Best For | Key Spec | Key Strength | Price Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artist’s Loft Necessities 36-Color | Beginners, color mixing practice | 36 × 0.4 fl oz (12 ml) | Wide palette, low cost | $$ |
| Artist’s Loft Soft Body White 32 oz | Backgrounds, gesso-style coverage | 32 fl oz, matte, flow consistency | Large volume white | $$ |
| Liquitex BASICS Titanium White 250 ml | Students upgrading | 8.5 fl oz tube, satin finish | Good pigment load, intermixable with Liquitex Professional | $ |
| Shuttle Art 36-Color Set | Starter set with tools | 36 × 2 fl oz plus 12 brushes and palette | Five times the paint per color vs. Necessities | $$ |
| Nicpro 14-Color Bulk Set | Classes, murals, bulk use | 14 × 16.9 fl oz (500 ml) | Large squeeze bottles, palette knife and sponge | $$ |
| Artbreezing 24-Color Set | Compact tube palette | 24 × 22 ml tubes | Lightfast and water-resistant per the listing | $$ |
How We Chose
We have not painted with these specific sets for this article. The comparison is based on the Amazon listing details and specifications as recorded in October 2026, on how each product’s format, volume and finish suits typical beginner and hobbyist projects, and on how widely each product is reviewed by Amazon buyers.
The factors we weighed when ranking Artist’s Loft acrylic paint against its alternatives:
- Paint volume per color: 12 ml pots run out fast; 2 oz bottles and 250 ml tubes last through many paintings.
- Finish and body: matte, satin or gloss, and whether the paint is soft body (flows) or heavy body (holds texture).
- Safety labeling: ASTM D-4236 conformance or non-toxic statements.
- Intended surfaces: canvas and paper only, or multi-surface for craft projects.
- Extras: brushes, palettes, color wheels and knives that save a separate purchase.
Artist’s Loft Acrylic Paint and Alternatives Reviewed
1. Artist’s Loft Necessities 36-Color Acrylic Value Pack — Best for beginners
This is the Artist’s Loft product most people mean when they search for the brand. The value pack includes 36 assorted colors in 0.4 fl oz (12 ml) pots. The listing names colors such as Titanium White, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Deep Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Orange Red and Vermillion, and describes the paint as having a smooth consistency, good coverage and conformance to ASTM D-4236.
The appeal is palette breadth at a very low entry price. Thirty-six colors let a beginner practice mixing and compare warm and cool versions of each hue without committing to larger tubes. The limitation is quantity: 12 ml of each color covers small studies and craft pieces, not a series of canvases.
Best suited for: first-time painters, students learning color theory, and crafters who need many colors in small amounts.
Key features:
- 36 assorted colors, 0.4 fl oz (12 ml) each
- Listed as high-gloss finish
- Smooth consistency and good coverage per the listing
- Conforms to ASTM D-4236
- Michaels house brand (Artist’s Loft Necessities)
Pros:
- Lowest cost per color in this comparison
- Broad palette for learning to mix
- Compact set is easy to store and carry
Cons and limitations:
- Very small pots run out quickly, especially white
- Student-grade pigment load, so dark colors may need extra coats
- Gloss finish is not ideal for everyone
Buying consideration: Pair this set with a separate large white such as the Artist’s Loft 32 oz or Liquitex BASICS 250 ml; you will exhaust the included white long before the other 35 colors.
2. Artist’s Loft Soft Body Acrylic Paint, 32 oz White — Best for bulk white and backgrounds
The second Artist’s Loft product on Amazon is a 32 fl oz jar of soft-body white. The listing describes it as a flow paint with a matte finish, non-toxic, fast-drying and low odor, intended for indoor arts and crafts.
A one-liter jar of white has a specific audience: painters who block in backgrounds, under-paint canvases, mix large quantities of tints, or run classes where white disappears fastest. Soft body means it spreads easily with a brush or roller and can be thinned for pouring, but it will not hold impasto texture.
Best suited for: painters and teachers who go through a lot of white for grounds, tints and large surfaces.
Key features:
- 32 fl oz (about 1 liter) jar
- Soft body, flow consistency
- Matte finish
- Non-toxic, fast-drying, low odor per the listing
- Indoor use
Pros:
- Large volume at a mid price tier
- Matte white is a useful ground for most acrylic work
- Flows well for backgrounds and tinting
Cons and limitations:
- Only white is listed in this format on Amazon
- Soft body will not hold brush texture
- Jar packaging exposes more paint to air once opened
Buying consideration: Decant into a smaller squeeze bottle for daily use and keep the jar sealed; a liter of acrylic can skin over if left open between sessions.
3. Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint, 250 ml Titanium White — Best for students upgrading
If you want to know what sits one rung above Artist’s Loft on the quality ladder, Liquitex BASICS is the usual answer. This 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) tube of Titanium White is described as thick and creamy with a satin finish, a good pigment load, and the ability to retain peaks and brush strokes.
The listing also notes that BASICS is intermixable with Liquitex Professional acrylics and mediums and conforms to ASTM D4236. For a beginner that matters: you can keep the same white as your skills and budget grow, rather than replacing the whole palette.
Best suited for: students and hobbyists who want a dependable heavy-body white that will still fit a professional palette later.
Key features:
- 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) tube
- Heavy body, retains peaks and brush strokes
- Satin finish, good pigment load
- Intermixable with Liquitex Professional colors and mediums
- Conforms to ASTM D4236, fade resistant
Pros:
- Best-established student line in this comparison
- Holds texture for impasto, unlike soft body
- Single-pigment white that mixes cleanly
Cons and limitations:
- One color only; you still need a palette
- Thicker body needs medium for pouring or glazing
Buying consideration: Buy this white alongside any of the 36-color sets; it handles the heavy lifting while the small pots supply the hues.
4. Shuttle Art 36-Color Acrylic Paint Set with Brushes and Palette — Best for a starter set with larger bottles
Shuttle Art’s set is the most direct alternative to the Artist’s Loft 36-color pack. The color count is identical, but each color comes in a 2 oz (60 ml) bottle, roughly five times the volume of a 12 ml pot. The box also includes 12 brushes and a palette, plus metallic gold and silver among the 36 colors.
The listing describes creamy, highly pigmented paint that blends and layers well, dries fast, and is water-proof and fade-resistant when dry. It is listed for canvas, wood, rock, ceramic, fabric, glass, clay, leather and plastic and conforms to ASTM D-4236.
Best suited for: beginners who want the same palette breadth as Artist’s Loft but enough paint to finish real canvases, and crafters painting on mixed surfaces.
Key features:
- 36 colors in 2 oz (60 ml) bottles, 72 fl oz total
- Includes metallic gold and silver
- 12 brushes and a palette
- Gloss finish, multi-surface
- ASTM D-4236, non-toxic, acid-free
Pros:
- Far more paint per color than the Artist’s Loft value pack
- Brushes and palette included
- Reinforced cardboard packaging
Cons and limitations:
- Bottles take more shelf space than pots
- Included brushes are basic
- Gloss finish may need a matte varnish for some projects
Buying consideration: If your budget allows the step up from the Necessities pack, this set is the better value per ounce and removes the need to buy brushes separately.
5. Nicpro 14-Color Large Bulk Acrylic Paint Set, 16.9 oz — Best for murals, classes and bulk projects
Nicpro’s bulk set is for people who paint big or paint with groups. It includes 14 colors, each in a 16.9 oz (500 ml) squeeze bottle: essentials such as White, Mars Black, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and Burnt Umber. A palette knife, art sponge and color wheel are included.
The listing describes a rich, creamy consistency for blending and layering, a quick-dry formula that resists light, water and fading, and adhesion to canvas, rock, wood, glass, ceramic, fabric, leather, plastic, clay and metal. It is also described as certified non-toxic.
Best suited for: teachers, mural painters, paint-party hosts and anyone who prefers mixing their own secondary colors from a bulk primary palette.
Key features:
- 14 colors in 16.9 oz (500 ml) squeeze bottles
- Palette knife, sponge and color wheel included
- Fast-drying, fade-resistant per the listing
- Multi-surface adhesion
- Non-toxic certification stated
Pros:
- Huge volume for the price tier
- Squeeze bottles are easy to dispense
- Core palette teaches mixing
Cons and limitations:
- Only 14 colors, so convenience shades are missing
- Heavy to store and ship
- Overkill for small-canvas hobbyists
Buying consideration: Compare total ounces, not the color count. Fourteen 500 ml bottles contain more paint than several 36-color sets combined.
6. Artbreezing 24-Color Professional Acrylic Paint Set — Best for a compact tube palette
Artbreezing’s 24-color set offers a middle ground: tubes rather than pots, with 22 ml of paint in each. The listing describes a pigment-rich formula that blends smoothly, dries quickly, and is lightfast and water-resistant, with intended surfaces including canvas, wood and paper.
The same brand offers 36- and 48-color versions of the set if you want more range. For a sketchbook painter or someone who works at small scale, 24 tubes of 22 ml strike a sensible balance between palette and storage.
Best suited for: small-scale painters, travelers and anyone who prefers tubes to pots or bottles.
Key features:
- 24 colors in 22 ml tubes
- Lightfast and water-resistant per the listing
- Quick drying, smooth blending
- Listed for canvas, wood, paper and clay
- 36- and 48-color versions available
Pros:
- Tubes keep paint fresher than open pots
- Nearly double the volume per color of the Artist’s Loft pots
- Compact footprint
Cons and limitations:
- Less established brand than Liquitex
- No brushes or palette included
- Listing gives no finish type
Buying consideration: Choose this if you prefer tube packaging; otherwise the Shuttle Art set gives more paint per dollar.
Buying Guide: How to Choose Artist’s Loft Acrylic Paint or an Alternative
Student grade vs. craft grade
Artist’s Loft sits in the student and craft bracket, which means lower pigment concentration and more fillers than professional lines. That is fine for learning, decor and crafts. If you intend to sell work or need archival lightfastness, treat these sets as practice paint and budget for artist-grade colors later.
Pot, bottle or tube
Pots (like the Necessities pack) are cheap but expose paint to air every time they open. Bottles (Shuttle Art, Nicpro) dispense easily and suit crafts. Tubes (Liquitex, Artbreezing) keep paint freshest and squeeze out exact amounts. Pick the format that matches how often you paint.
Soft body vs. heavy body
Soft body acrylic, such as the Artist’s Loft 32 oz white, flows smoothly for backgrounds, washes and pouring. Heavy body, such as Liquitex BASICS, holds brush strokes and palette knife texture. Most painters eventually want both.
Finish type
Listings for these sets range from matte (Artist’s Loft white) to satin (Liquitex) to gloss (Shuttle Art, Artist’s Loft Necessities). A varnish can unify the final finish, but mixing paints with different sheens in one painting can look patchy before varnishing.
How much white you really need
White is used for tints, highlights and grounds, and most 36-color sets include only one small white. Budget for a large white from the start; it is the most common reason beginners run out of paint mid-project.
Surface compatibility
Craft-oriented sets from Shuttle Art and Nicpro list wood, rock, ceramic, fabric and glass. Liquitex BASICS lists paper and canvas. If you plan to paint jars, rocks or furniture, choose a multi-surface set.
Put the Paint to Work
Once you have a set, our collection of simple acrylic painting ideas for beginners is the quickest route to using the whole palette. For home projects, see how to make DIY wall art with acrylic, and if you are thinking of painting glass, read whether acrylic paint works on glass jars before you start.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Judging a brand by its smallest set. Twelve-milliliter pots will always feel thin; the volume, not the brand, is the limit.
- Buying 36 colors and no extra white, then running out after the second painting.
- Mixing gloss and matte paints in one piece without planning to varnish, which creates uneven sheen.
- Using soft body white where you want texture, or heavy body paint where you want a smooth pour.
- Leaving pots and jars open during a session; craft acrylics dry fast and skin over quickly.
- Expecting craft-grade paint to be lightfast enough for work you intend to sell or exhibit.
FAQs
Is Artist’s Loft acrylic paint good quality?
It is a student and craft-grade paint. The listings describe smooth consistency and good coverage, and the Necessities set conforms to ASTM D-4236. It suits learning, decor and crafts, but pigment load is lower than artist-grade lines.
Who makes Artist’s Loft paint?
Artist’s Loft is the house brand of Michaels, the US craft retailer. The 36-color value pack on Amazon is sold under the Artist’s Loft Necessities label.
How much paint is in the Artist’s Loft 36-color set?
Each of the 36 colors comes in a 0.4 fl oz (12 ml) pot, which is enough for small studies and crafts rather than large canvases.
Is Liquitex BASICS better than Artist’s Loft?
Liquitex BASICS is a step up in pigment load and body, and it is intermixable with Liquitex Professional paints. It costs more per color, so many beginners use BASICS for white and a cheaper set for hues.
Can I use Artist’s Loft acrylic paint on wood or glass?
The 32 oz white is listed for indoor arts and crafts, and craft acrylics generally adhere to primed wood. For glass, a surface prep step and a sealer are usually needed; see our glass jar guide linked above.
What is the difference between soft body and heavy body acrylic?
Soft body flows and levels, making it good for backgrounds and pouring. Heavy body holds brush and knife marks. The Artist’s Loft 32 oz white is soft body; Liquitex BASICS is heavy body.
Final Recommendation
If you want Artist’s Loft acrylic paint specifically, the Necessities 36-Color Value Pack is the one to buy for a first palette, and the Soft Body 32 oz White is worth adding if you paint backgrounds or teach. For most beginners, though, the better-value route is the Shuttle Art 36-Color Set, which gives the same palette breadth in 2 oz bottles with brushes included, paired with a tube of Liquitex BASICS Titanium White. Choose the Nicpro bulk set only if you paint large or with groups, and the Artbreezing 24 tubes if compact tube storage matters more than volume.
