The best acrylic paint sets balance color variety and paint quantity with the surfaces and finishes you actually use. These picks range from compact everyday palettes to larger collections and metallic or iridescent paints, so consider your project before choosing.
Quick Top Products
U.S. Art Supply 72-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 72 colors in 12ml tubes.
- Water-based paint has a smooth consistency and covering strength.
- A double-sided color mixing wheel is included.
Best For: Artists and students who want a broad palette for varied canvas and craft projects.
U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Provides 12 colors in 75ml tubes.
- The colors include cobalt blue, crimson, and titanium white.
- The water-based acrylics suit canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
Best For: Painters who prefer larger tubes of a focused set of traditional colors.
U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Contains 36 colors in 12ml tubes.
- Paint is suitable for canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
- A double-sided color mixing wheel is included.
Best For: Students, teachers, and beginners who want a wide range of colors for practice.
U.S. Art Supply 24-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 24 colors in 12ml tubes.
- A double-sided color mixing wheel comes with the set.
- The water-based paint suits canvas, fabric, paper, and wood.
Best For: Beginners and hobby painters who want a moderate color selection plus a mixing aid.
U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Metallic Acrylic Set
- Includes 12 metallic colors in 75ml tubes.
- The colors have a high-shine finish.
- Suitable surfaces include canvas, wood, pottery, and rock.
Best For: Artists and crafters seeking metallic paints in larger tubes for decorative projects.
U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Iridescent Acrylic Set
- Provides 12 iridescent colors in 75ml tubes.
- The paint has color-shifting properties and shimmering effects.
- A double-sided color mixing wheel is included.
Best For: Artists who want shimmering, color-shifting effects for canvas and craft surfaces.
U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Metallic Acrylic Set
- Includes 36 metallic colors in 18ml tubes.
- The set includes silver, gold, and copper tones.
- Finishes include pearlescent and iridescent effects.
Best For: Crafters and artists who want many metallic and pearlescent shades to sample.
U.S. Art Supply 24-Color Outdoor Acrylic Set
- Includes 24 colors in 2oz bottles.
- A seven-brush kit includes flat and round nylon tips.
- The paints are intended for indoor and outdoor use.
Best For: Crafters painting rocks, wood, and other projects who want brushes in the set.
Largest Everyday 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 72-color set is the broadest everyday palette here, with 12ml tubes of water-based acrylic paint. Its colors are described as highly pigmented with a smooth consistency and covering strength, and the paint suits canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media.
A color mixing wheel is included for exploring combinations and terminology. The small tubes make it easier to keep many colors on hand, though they offer less paint per color than larger tubes.
It fits artists, students, and beginners who value range over larger quantities of a few core colors.
Best For: Artists and students who want a broad palette for varied canvas and craft projects.
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Choose this set when having many colors available matters more than getting a larger tube of each shade. It covers common painting and craft surfaces, and the mixing wheel offers a useful learning aid.
Check the full color selection before buying if you need particular named pigments; the notes do not enumerate the palette. The 12ml tube size also makes it a less natural fit for projects that repeatedly use a few colors in volume.
Large Tubes for Core Colors
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 12-color set uses 75ml tubes, giving each selected shade substantially more paint than the compact tube collections. The water-based acrylics are described as highly pigmented, smooth, and strong in coverage, with colors including cobalt blue, crimson, lemon yellow, titanium white, and burnt umber.
The paint is suited to canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other media. Its smaller palette asks you to mix more colors yourself, but the large tubes make it a practical choice for repeated work with a familiar core range.
Best For: Painters who prefer larger tubes of a focused set of traditional colors.
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Pick this option if you expect to use a core group of shades often and want 75ml tubes rather than many small portions. The selection includes familiar mixing colors, while the 12-color count means you will need to blend for shades outside the set.
Review the color list to confirm it suits your work, and check separately for brushes or a palette if those are part of your setup needs.
Broad Palette for Classes and Practice
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 36-color collection comes in 12ml tubes and is aimed at artists, students, beginners, professionals, and teachers. The water-based acrylic paint is described as highly pigmented, smooth, and covering, and it can be used on canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media.
A double-sided color mixing wheel adds terminology and color theory guidance. The many shades give learners room to experiment without mixing every color from a short primary palette, while the compact tubes keep the amount of each color modest.
Best For: Students, teachers, and beginners who want a wide range of colors for practice.
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This is a useful middle ground for learners who want more ready-made colors than a small starter palette provides. The mixing wheel supports practice, and the paint covers several familiar surfaces.
The main tradeoff is tube size: choose a larger-tube set if your work consumes a few colors quickly. Since the palette is not itemized here, confirm the color names if you need a particular shade for a class or project.
Compact 24-Color Starter 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 pairs 12ml tubes with a double-sided color mixing wheel. Its water-based, acid-free acrylic paint has a highly pigmented, smooth consistency and covering strength.
The paint suits canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media, making the collection flexible for painting practice and craft projects. The set provides a manageable range of colors in smaller tubes for varied projects.
Best For: Beginners and hobby painters who want a moderate color selection plus a mixing aid.
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Choose this set if you want a moderate selection for learning, casual painting, and mixed craft use. It includes the same type of mixing aid as the larger color-count options, but has fewer shades to reach for without blending.
The small tubes make sense for trying colors across projects; if you already know that a handful of colors are staples, consider a set with larger tubes instead. Check the palette details for any essential shades.
Metallic Finish in Larger Tubes
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 acrylic set contains 12 colors in 75ml tubes, combining a focused palette with larger quantities per shade. The paints are described as high-shine, richly pigmented, and smooth blending, with uses spanning canvas, wood, pottery, and rock.
The metallic finish brings reflective color to decorative work and models. It is a specialized palette rather than an all-purpose basic set, so it may work best alongside standard acrylic colors when a project needs both ordinary hues and metallic accents.
The notes do not identify the full set of included shades.
Best For: Artists and crafters seeking metallic paints in larger tubes for decorative projects.
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Select this set when metallic effects are a regular part of your work and you want larger tubes for those colors. It suits canvas, wood, pottery, and rock projects, but the specialized finish makes it less suitable as the only paint set for broad everyday color needs.
Check which metallic shades are included before purchase, especially if you need a specific gold, silver, or other hue.
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 focuses on iridescent rather than conventional flat colors, with 12 water-based acrylic paints in 75ml tubes. Its shades include interference pearls and color-shifting combinations, such as blue to gold and blaze red to gold.
The paint is described as highly pigmented with a smooth consistency and covering strength, and it suits canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and rocks. A double-sided color mixing wheel is included.
Choose it for shimmering accents or effect-led work; a standard palette may still be needed for ordinary opaque color coverage.
Best For: Artists who want shimmering, color-shifting effects for canvas and craft surfaces.
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Choose this collection for shimmering, shifting accents and projects where the finish itself is part of the design. Its named effect colors and larger tubes make it more specific than a standard set, and it covers multiple familiar art surfaces.
If you need a conventional palette for portraits or broad color mixing, pair it with standard acrylics. Consider the desired surface and effect, since individual-color opacity is not detailed.
Many Metallic Shades in Smaller Tubes
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 metallic set comes in 18ml tubes, offering more shade choices than the larger-tube metallic option while reducing the amount of each color. The paints have a high-shine finish and include silver, gold, and copper tones, with pearlescent and iridescent effects.
They are intended for canvas, wood, pottery, rocks, outdoor crafts, and detailed model painting. The collection is made for beginners and experienced artists alike.
Its specialized finish and small tubes suit accent work and color exploration more than projects that require large volumes of a few metallic shades.
Best For: Crafters and artists who want many metallic and pearlescent shades to sample.
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This option suits projects where choosing among many metallic or pearlescent shades matters more than having a large volume of each one. It covers common art and craft surfaces, including detailed models, and includes familiar metallic tones.
The smaller tubes are a tradeoff if you repeatedly use one or two shades. Review the included color names to see whether the specific finish you need is present.
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 24-color outdoor acrylic set uses 2oz bottles and includes a seven-brush kit. The water-based paints are described as weather-resistant and suitable for indoor and outdoor projects, including canvas, rocks, wood, crafts, and toys.
The bottles provide substantially more paint per color than small tubes, and the flat and round nylon brush tips support different strokes. A color mixing wheel is also included.
It is a practical fit for varied craft projects, though the weather-resistant wording should not be read as a specification for every surface or exposure condition.
Best For: Crafters painting rocks, wood, and other projects who want brushes in the set.
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Choose this set if the brush kit and outdoor craft focus match your projects. The 2oz bottles offer more paint per color than smaller tube sets, and the included mixing wheel adds another useful tool.
Its weather-resistant description is relevant to exterior crafts, but the exact conditions and surfaces are not detailed. Confirm the paint's suitability for your intended object and exposure before relying on it outdoors.
How to Choose Acrylic Paint Sets
How We Picked Acrylic Paint Sets
We selected sets that provide acrylic paints for painting and craft projects, then separated them by their practical strengths: everyday color range, tube or bottle quantity, specialized finish, and included tools. The choices include compact and large palettes for canvas and mixed media, plus metallic, iridescent, and outdoor-focused options.
We excluded the airbrush primer because its purpose is surface preparation rather than supplying a usable range of painting colors.
The records identify several sets with 12ml tubes, effect paints with 75ml tubes, metallic paints in 18ml tubes, and an outdoor set in 2oz bottles. Those differences shape how much paint you get per shade and whether the set suits practice, repeated use, or a particular finish.
Color counts alone do not show whether a palette includes the exact shade you need.
Comparing Acrylic Paint Sets
For broad everyday variety, the 72-color set offers the most listed shades, while the 36- and 24-color collections provide smaller palettes with the same 12ml tube size. The 12-color standard set uses larger 75ml tubes, a useful tradeoff for painters who rely on a core group of colors and mix the rest themselves.
Finish-specific sets serve different purposes. The 12-color metallic set has 75ml tubes, while the 36-color metallic option uses 18ml tubes and offers more metallic and pearlescent choices.
The iridescent collection uses 75ml tubes for color-shifting effects. The outdoor craft set stands apart with 2oz bottles, seven brushes, a mixing wheel, and weather-resistant paint; check that its intended use matches your surface and conditions.
| Product | Standout features | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Art Supply 72-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Artists and students who want a broad palette for varied canvas and craft projects. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Painters who prefer larger tubes of a focused set of traditional colors. |
| U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Students, teachers, and beginners who want a wide range of colors for practice. |
| U.S. Art Supply 24-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Beginners and hobby painters who want a moderate color selection plus a mixing aid. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Metallic Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Artists and crafters seeking metallic paints in larger tubes for decorative projects. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Iridescent Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Artists who want shimmering, color-shifting effects for canvas and craft surfaces. |
| U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Metallic Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Crafters and artists who want many metallic and pearlescent shades to sample. |
| U.S. Art Supply 24-Color Outdoor Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Crafters painting rocks, wood, and other projects who want brushes in the set. |
Choosing a Palette for Canvas and Crafts
Think about whether you want ready-to-use color variety or larger portions for mixing. A large selection of small tubes can reduce the need to mix common shades, but it means less paint per color.
Larger tubes suit repeat use of specific colors, though a shorter palette puts more work on mixing.
Match the intended surfaces to the paint set. Several sets name canvas, wood, fabric, and paper; the metallic paints also call out pottery and rocks.
If you are painting objects for outdoor use, the outdoor set specifically mentions weather-resistant paint, but the exact exposure conditions are not stated. Consider checking the paint's fit for the surface and project before committing to a finish.
When to Choose Metallic or Iridescent Acrylic Paint
Metallic acrylic paint adds a high-shine finish, with one set favoring larger 75ml tubes and another offering 36 colors in 18ml tubes. The larger-tube choice makes sense when you expect repeat use of a few metallic shades.
The broader 18ml collection fits projects that benefit from sampling more tones, including silver, gold, and copper.
Iridescent acrylic paint is a different effect: its colors shift and shimmer, with examples such as blue to gold and red to gold. These effect paints can add accents to canvas or crafts, but the listed details do not establish the opacity of each color on every surface.
If you need broad ordinary coverage as well, combine the effect set with a standard acrylic palette.
Which Acrylic Paint Set Fits Your Projects?
For beginners and students, the 24- or 36-color sets provide multiple shades and a color mixing wheel for learning. Choose 72 colors if having the broadest listed everyday selection is the priority, or the 12-color, 75ml set if you prefer larger tubes and do not mind mixing more.
For decorative projects, choose between the 12-color metallic set with larger tubes, the 36-color metallic set with more shades in smaller tubes, and the 12-color iridescent set for color-shifting effects. For rocks, wood crafts, or projects that call for brushes in the package, consider the outdoor set.
Before buying, check the included color names and confirm the surface and finish suit your planned work.