The best acrylic paint sets balance color variety and paint quantity with the surfaces and finishes you actually use. Compare standard colors with metallic, iridescent, and outdoor formulas, then choose the set whose extras fit your projects.
Quick Top Products
U.S. Art Supply 72-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 72 colors in 12ml tubes.
- Water-based paints have a smooth consistency and covering strength.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
Best For: Artists and students who want a wide standard-color selection in small tubes.
U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Metallic Acrylic Set
- Contains 36 metallic colors in 18ml tubes.
- The collection includes pearlescent and iridescent finishes.
- Includes silver, gold, and copper tones.
Best For: Artists who want a broad selection of metallic and pearlescent shades.
U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Metallic Acrylic Set
- Includes 12 metallic colors in 75ml tubes.
- The paints are described as smooth with rich pigmentation and coverage.
- Suitable for canvas, wood, pottery, and rock surfaces.
Best For: Painters seeking a smaller metallic palette with larger tubes for craft and canvas projects.
U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Provides 36 colors in 12ml tubes.
- Paints are water-based and highly pigmented.
- A double-sided color mixing wheel is included.
Best For: Students and beginners looking for many standard colors in compact tubes.
U.S. Art Supply 24-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Contains 24 colors in 12ml tubes.
- The paints have a smooth consistency and covering strength.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
Best For: Painters who want a compact standard palette and color-mixing guidance.
U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 12 colors in 75ml tubes.
- The paint has a smooth consistency and covering strength.
- The named surfaces include canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
Best For: Artists who prefer larger standard-color tubes for canvas and mixed-surface work.
U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Iridescent Acrylic Set
- Includes 12 iridescent colors in extra-large 75ml tubes.
- The colors have shimmering, color-shifting properties.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
Best For: Artists adding shimmering, color-shifting effects to canvas, crafts, or mixed-media work.
U.S. Art Supply 24-Color Outdoor Acrylic Set
- Includes 24 colors in 2oz bottles.
- The paint is described as weather-resistant and for indoor or outdoor use.
- A seven-brush kit has flat and round nylon tips.
Best For: Crafters who want outdoor acrylic colors with brushes for rocks, wood, and canvas projects.
Broadest Standard Color Range
U.S. Art Supply 72 Color Professional Acrylic Paint Set in 12ml Tubes - Art Painting Supplies for Adults, Artists, Students, Beginners - Canvas Portrait Paintings
This set puts 72 colors in 12ml tubes, giving artists a broad palette for canvas work, crafts, portraits, and landscapes. The paints are water-based and described as highly pigmented, with a smooth consistency and covering strength.
A double-sided color mixing wheel adds color terminology and theory guidance, which can be useful when learning to mix shades. The tubes are compact, so the large color range comes with less paint per color.
It suits projects where variety matters more than having a large amount of each shade.
Best For: Artists and students who want a wide standard-color selection in small tubes.
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Choose this set if you want many ready-to-use shades for color exploration, classroom projects, or varied subjects. Its 12ml tubes favor range over larger quantities per color.
Check whether that amount suits your expected pace of painting, and whether you want the included mixing wheel. The compact tubes make this a range-focused choice for projects where variety matters more than quantity per color.
Pearlescent Metallic Variety
U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Metallic Acrylic Paint Set - 18ml Tubes - Acrylic Paint for Canvas Painting, Wood Crafts & Rock Painting - Color Mixing Wheel
This 36-color set focuses on metallic effects, with 18ml tubes and finishes described as high-shine, pearlescent, and iridescent. The catalog notes identify silver, gold, and copper tones, alongside use on canvas, wood, pottery, rocks, outdoor crafts, and model projects.
Its color count is high for a specialty-finish set, while the tubes are a compact format. Choose it when you want many shimmering shades ready to use, and consider how much paint you need for larger surfaces before choosing a tube size.
Best For: Artists who want a broad selection of metallic and pearlescent shades.
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This is a fit for projects where the metallic finish and breadth of shades matter more than large quantities of each color. Its 36 colors give a broad selection of ready-made options, while the 18ml tubes make it a smaller-quantity choice.
Check the finish and shade mix against your project, especially if you need a particular metallic tone or expect to cover broad areas.
Large-Tube Metallic Colors
U.S. Art Supply Professional Metallic Acrylic Paint Set - 12 Rich Metallic Colors, 75ml Tubes - Craft Paint for Canvas, Wood, Rock, Model Painting
This metallic set pairs 12 colors with 75ml tubes, making it a larger-tube option for specialty metallic paint. The paints are described as smooth, highly pigmented, and suitable for canvas, wood, pottery, rocks, and model painting.
The notes also call out high-shine colors and a heavy-body formula. Its palette is focused, so it suits projects where a core group of metallic shades is enough and more paint per selected color is preferable.
Confirm that the set's specific color selection suits your intended finish.
Best For: Painters seeking a smaller metallic palette with larger tubes for craft and canvas projects.
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Pick this set when you want metallic paint in larger tubes and can work with a focused palette. It is positioned for canvas and craft surfaces, including wood, pottery, and rocks.
Before buying, check whether the available metallic shades match your project and whether you want a heavy-body paint for the way you apply and layer color.
Compact 36-Color Starter Palette
U.S. Art Supply 36 Color Professional Acrylic Paint Set in 12ml Tubes - Art Painting Supplies for Adults, Artists, Students, Beginners - Canvas Portrait Paintings
This standard acrylic set offers 36 colors in 12ml tubes, along with a double-sided color mixing wheel. Its water-based paints are described as highly pigmented, smooth, and able to provide covering strength.
The notes name canvas, wood, fabric, and paper among the usable surfaces, and mention portraits, abstracts, landscapes, and scenery. The compact tubes keep the set oriented toward palette variety rather than large paint quantities.
It can suit students, beginners, and artists who want a broad selection for practice or mixed projects.
Best For: Students and beginners looking for many standard colors in compact tubes.
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This set suits learners and hobbyists who want many color options for a broad palette, with a mixing wheel for color practice. The 12ml tubes make it less suited to work that uses a lot of one shade.
Consider whether ready-made variety or larger quantities per color matter more. Confirm that the named colors and surfaces match your planned work.
Smaller 24-Color Standard Set
U.S. Art Supply 24 Color Professional Acrylic Paint Set in 12ml Tubes - Art Painting Supplies for Adults, Artists, Students, Beginners - Canvas Portrait Paintings
This 24-color set comes in 12ml tubes and includes a double-sided color mixing wheel. Its water-based paints are described as highly pigmented, smooth, and offering covering strength.
The notes identify canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media, with portraits, abstracts, landscapes, and scenery among the example projects. Its compact tube format and focused palette make it a reasonable choice for someone who wants a varied starter selection but does not need a wider range of preset colors.
Best For: Painters who want a compact standard palette and color-mixing guidance.
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Choose this option if you want a standard palette with a mixing aid and do not need a wider color range. The 12ml tube format makes the main choice how many ready-made shades you want.
If your work uses a few colors repeatedly or covers larger areas, consider whether larger tubes would better suit your projects.
Large-Tube Core Acrylic Palette
U.S. Art Supply 12 Color Set of Acrylic Oil Paint 75ml Tubes - High Opacity, Strong Tinting Strength, Oil Paints for Canvas Painting, Wood & Media
This set includes 12 standard acrylic colors in 75ml tubes, a larger format than the 12ml tubes in several other standard-color options here. The water-based paints are described as highly pigmented, smooth, and offering covering strength.
The notes name canvas, wood, fabric, and paper, and give a dozen shades including cobalt blue, crimson, titanium white, and burnt sienna. A 12-color palette asks for more mixing than a broader set, but the larger tubes can suit projects that revisit core colors.
Check whether the named palette covers the shades you use most.
Best For: Artists who prefer larger standard-color tubes for canvas and mixed-surface work.
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This option is for painters who want larger amounts of a focused standard palette. The 75ml tubes distinguish it from the smaller-tube sets, while the 12 colors mean you may rely more on mixing to reach additional shades.
Review the named colors against your usual work and decide whether those larger quantities matter more than having more colors ready to use.
Color-Shifting Iridescent Effects
U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Iridescent Acrylic Paint Set Large 75ml Tubes - Luminescent, Chameleon, Color-Shifting Pearl Colors, Crafting Paints - Iridescent Paint Acrylics for Canvas, Wood, Rock, Paper
This set centers on iridescent effects rather than a standard palette. It includes 12 water-based colors in 75ml tubes, with shades described as luminescent, chameleon, and color-shifting.
The notes list interference pearls and combinations such as aqua/violet, green/blue, and gold/silver, and name canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and rocks as suitable surfaces. A double-sided color mixing wheel is also included.
The specialty finish gives artists distinctive effects, but it is less suited as a sole source of conventional colors. Check whether these shifting shades complement the rest of your palette.
Best For: Artists adding shimmering, color-shifting effects to canvas, crafts, or mixed-media work.
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Choose this set to add shimmering or color-shifting finishes to art and craft projects. The 75ml tubes offer a larger quantity per shade than the compact metallic set, while the iridescent color range serves a different purpose from standard acrylic palettes.
Check the named colors and finish carefully, and consider whether you already have conventional colors for the parts of a project that do not call for an iridescent effect.
Outdoor Crafts with Brushes Included
U.S. Art Supply Professional 24 Color Outdoor Acrylic Paint Set, 2oz Bottles, with 7 Brush Kit - Vivid Colors for Painting Canvas, Rocks, Wood Crafts, Toys
This outdoor-focused set combines 24 colors in 2oz bottles with a seven-brush kit. The paints are described as weather-resistant, water-based, and suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
The notes name canvas, rocks, wood, fabric, paper, and toys among the intended surfaces or projects, and identify flat and round nylon brush tips. A color mixing wheel is also included.
Its bottle format and brush kit distinguish it from the tube sets, though the product record does not specify drying or sealing instructions for outdoor projects. Check the care and surface preparation needs for your particular craft.
Best For: Crafters who want outdoor acrylic colors with brushes for rocks, wood, and canvas projects.
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This set fits craft projects where indoor and outdoor use, bottle-format colors, and included brushes are useful together. Its 2oz containers are identified as bottles, unlike the tube formats elsewhere in this roundup.
The weather-resistant description may suit decorative work, but check the instructions for your chosen surface and whether a separate sealer or preparation step is needed. It is less specialized in finish than the metallic and iridescent options.
How to Choose Acrylic Paint Sets
How We Picked Acrylic Paint Sets
We selected paint sets that provide acrylic colors for artwork or crafts, then separated them by palette size, tube or bottle quantity, finish, and included tools. Standard-color sets work for broad painting needs, while metallic and iridescent collections serve projects where shimmer or color-shifting effects are central.
The outdoor set adds brushes and a weather-resistant formulation for craft surfaces. The primer set is excluded because it is intended to prepare surfaces before painting rather than provide a general palette of colors.
The most useful comparison starts with what you paint. Canvas and mixed-media artists may want standard colors and room to mix.
Rock, wood, and model projects may benefit from a specialty finish or a set that includes brushes. For classwork or experimenting, a color wheel can also be useful.
Comparing Acrylic Paint Sets
Color count and paint quantity point to different priorities. The 72-color set maximizes ready-made standard shades, while the 24- and 36-color sets reduce the palette size but keep the same 12ml tube format.
The 12-color standard set has 75ml tubes, which provide more paint per listed color. For metallic effects, compare the 36-color set in 18ml tubes with the 12-color set in 75ml tubes: one favors shade variety and the other larger tubes.
Finish matters as much as color count. The iridescent set is built around shifting, luminous effects, while the metallic collections focus on high-shine and pearlescent finishes.
The outdoor set offers a different combination: 24 colors in 2oz bottles, a brush kit, and a weather-resistant description. The product comparison table below brings those distinctions together.
| Product | Standout features | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Art Supply 72-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Artists and students who want a wide standard-color selection in small tubes. |
| U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Metallic Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Artists who want a broad selection of metallic and pearlescent shades. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Metallic Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Painters seeking a smaller metallic palette with larger tubes for craft and canvas projects. |
| U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Students and beginners looking for many standard colors in compact tubes. |
| U.S. Art Supply 24-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Painters who want a compact standard palette and color-mixing guidance. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Artists who prefer larger standard-color tubes for canvas and mixed-surface work. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Iridescent Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Artists adding shimmering, color-shifting effects to canvas, crafts, or mixed-media work. |
| U.S. Art Supply 24-Color Outdoor Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Crafters who want outdoor acrylic colors with brushes for rocks, wood, and canvas projects. |
Choosing Colors and Tube Sizes for Canvas and Crafts
Think about how often you use individual shades. Small tubes across a wide palette let you explore many colors, but repeated use can make larger quantities more practical.
A 12-color, 75ml set favors a focused palette and more paint per selected shade. A 24-, 36-, or 72-color set in 12ml tubes provides more ready-made choices in a compact format.
Consider whether you need a complete everyday palette or a targeted effect. Standard acrylic colors can cover varied subjects, while metallic or iridescent sets add a particular finish.
If you are choosing outdoor craft paint, check surface preparation and finishing directions for your specific project; the included brush tips and bottle format may also affect how you prefer to work.
Who Should Buy Which Acrylic Paint Set?
Choose the 72-color option if you want the broadest standard palette, or the 24- and 36-color sets if you prefer fewer compact tubes. The 12-color standard set suits painters who want larger tubes and can mix from a core group of shades.
Choose the 36-color metallic set for more specialty shades, the 12-color metallic set for larger metallic tubes, or the iridescent set for color-shifting effects.
For craft projects that call for indoor and outdoor use, brushes, and bottle-format paint, consider the outdoor acrylic set. Match the surfaces, finish, tube quantity, and included tools to your actual work, then check any project-specific preparation or finishing requirements before you start.