Exploring Mont Marte's paints can feel like being a kid in a candy store—so many vibrant options! To help you navigate and find the best paint for you, we've put together answers to some frequently asked questions about our paints and product levels.

1. What are the differences between Mont Marte's acrylic paints?

 

We offer a variety of acrylic paints, each with unique characteristics:

 

Dimension Acrylic: This premium, thick-bodied paint is ideal for artists who love texture. Its high viscosity formula is great for brushstroke retention, so your paint holds its shape when dry.  Layer and play with ultra-thick paint, exploring palette knife applications, impasto techniques, and more to create expressive, sculptural designs.

 

Satin Acrylic: Known for its silky consistency and semi-matte finish, Satin Acrylic is our most pigment-rich formula. The colours are super vibrant with excellent coverage and a creamy texture. It's versatile and suitable for various surfaces, including canvas, wood, and paper.

 

Acrylic Colour: This Signature range gives creators a balance between quality and affordability. With a smooth, classic acrylic paint consistency and quick drying time, it's great for both beginners and experienced artists working on diverse projects. Plus, it comes in a huge range of colours and sizes, making them great gift sets as the cornerstone of any creative setup.

 

Crafters Colour: Designed with crafters in mind, this range offers a smooth, light consistency that's easy to work with on various surfaces. It's ideal for DIY projects, decorative crafts, and general art applications. Build up thin layers to increase opacity or thin with water and mediums for a glaze effect.

 

Vivid Colours: This set includes 80 vibrant colours in 3.5ml pots, so you have a broad spectrum of colour for creative expression. The paints have a smooth consistency and are fast-drying, making them great for designers and beginner artists exploring a wide range of hues. The formula is best applied in thin, even layers and these paints can be built up to increase opacity.

 

For a detailed comparison, check out our guide to Mont Marte acrylic paints.

2. Watercolour cakes, pans, and tubes… what’s the difference?

 

Watercolour paints come in a few different forms, each with its own perks:

 

Tubes: These are soft, paste-like watercolours that are super pigmented and easy to blend. They’re perfect if you like bold washes or need to cover large areas. Just squeeze some out onto a palette and mix with different quantities of water to create different translucency effects. A big pro to tube watercolours is the fact you can easily mix different colours together just like acrylic paints – squeeze two different colours onto the palette, mix, add water, and away you go!

 

Pans: Small, dry squares of paint that are activated by adding water. They’re ultra-portable meaning you can create on the go, with a compact design that’s easy to store. These paints ultimately provide a very similar effect to tubes, but mixing needs to be done in a mixing well with activated paints.  

 

Cakes: These are very similar to pans but typically larger and often found in sets aimed at beginners or kids. Most of our cake sets are found across our Signature and Discovery ranges and just come with the paint (no mixing wells, brushes, etc.). However, we do also have a Premium Metallic Watercolour Cake Set with high-quality shiny pigments, mixing wells, and a water brush pen for all-in-one creating. Cakes are also handy for quick, no-fuss projects and are easy to transport.

3. What are Water Mixable Oil Paints, and why use them?

 

Water Mixable Oil Paints provide the rich, lustrous finish of traditional oil paints without the need for harsh solvents. They can be thinned and cleaned up with water, making them more environmentally friendly and suitable for artists sensitive to chemicals. This range is great for those who love the depth and blending capabilities of oils but prefer a more convenient clean-up.

4. I see ‘Signature’ and ‘Premium’ a lot on Mont Marte products. What’s it mean?

 

Mont Marte categorises products into levels to cater to different skill sets, price ranges, and project needs (we hope it helps you find what you’re looking for!):

 

Play: Designed for children and families, this level is great for durable and affordable products that encourage exploration and creativity. The formulas are all non toxic and kid-friendly so little artists can create safely.

 

Discovery: Focused on affordability, the Discovery range is ideal for those starting their artistic journey, providing quality materials at accessible prices. It’s a great entry-level range for people wanting to explore art with minimal financial investment. When it comes to paints, they’re ultra-affordable with smooth application and can be layered to build opacity.

 

Signature: Striking a balance between quality and value, the Signature range suits hobbyists and artists seeking reliable tools for various projects. The creative results are consistent and the ranges are often large so you have lots of colour options. It’s an ideal stepping stone for creators looking to invest more into their supplies without purchasing professional-grade products.

 

Premium: Aimed at artists, designers, art students, and professionals the Premium range features high-quality materials and pigments. When it comes to paints, notable Premium lines include our Water Mixable Oils, Dimension Acrylics, Satin Acrylics, and more. Though this level is focused on quality, as always, the price point is accessible for the results you can create. If you’re into art, this range is probably a good fit!

 

For more info on our product levels, check out our guide to Mont Marte product levels.

5. What’s the difference between metallic and foil paints?

 

Metallic paints contain shimmering particles that reflect light, giving your artwork a lustrous, shiny finish. They’re perfect for adding subtle glimmers or creating full-on dazzling effects. Our metallic paints come in acrylic, fabric, and watercolour paint formulas, making them versatile so you can work on surfaces like paper, canvas, wood, textiles, and more.

 

Foil paints, on the other hand, mimic the look of metal leaf or foiling but in a liquid or adhesive paint form. They create a smooth, high-shine effect that’s almost reflective. Foil paints often require an extra step, like applying a base coat or sealant, to achieve their signature mirror-like finish. Use metallics for soft, glowing accents and foil paints when you want a bold, polished shine.

6. Can you wash fabric paint?

 

Yes! Mont Marte Fabric Paints are designed to be washable once set. After painting, let the design dry completely, then heat-set it with an iron (use a cloth to protect your design while ironing). Once set, your artwork will stay vibrant, but we do recommend washing inside-out on a cold cycle to best protect your design. This means your custom clothes, tote bags, fabric shoes, and more can be cleaned so you can wear them out again and again!

7. What’s the difference between gouache and acrylic? It’s sort of like watercolour but also not!

 

Gouache is like the best of both worlds, sitting somewhere between watercolour and acrylic. It’s water-based, like watercolour, but more opaque, so you can layer lighter colours over darker ones. It dries to a matte finish and can be reactivated with water, making it super versatile for bold designs or soft, detailed work. Gouache is ideal for illustrations, graphic art, and anywhere you want a vibrant, smooth look without the gloss of acrylics or the translucency of watercolour.

 

 

Now you’re basically an expert on our paint ranges, it’s time to stock up! Browse our paint category to explore acrylics, oils, watercolours, gouache and more.

 

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #montmarteart or tag us @montmarteart on Instagram or Facebook the next time you get creating. We’re excited to see what you come up with!

For art ideas, explore our Projects and How-tos. If you’re looking for more answers to commonly asked questions, jump into our FAQs collection.   

 

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