The best acrylic paint sets offer different balances of color variety, paint volume, and specialty finishes for canvas, crafts, and more. Choose a broad palette for mixing and practice, or a metallic, iridescent, or outdoor set when a project calls for a specific effect or surface.
Quick Top Products
U.S. Art Supply 72-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 72 colors in 12ml tubes.
- Works on canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
- Comes with a double-sided color mixing wheel.
Best For: Artists and learners who want a wide range of colors for varied projects.
U.S. Art Supply Professional 24 Color Outdoor Acrylic Set
- Has 24 colors in 2oz bottles.
- Designed for indoor and outdoor painting.
- Includes seven brushes with flat and round nylon tips.
Best For: Crafters who want a paint set for both indoor and outdoor projects.
U.S. Art Supply Professional Metallic Acrylic Paint Set
- Contains 12 metallic colors in 75ml tubes.
- The heavy-body paint is intended for smooth blending and coverage.
- Suitable for canvas, wood, pottery, and rock surfaces.
Best For: Painters who want metallic colors in generous tubes for crafts and canvas.
U.S. Art Supply 12 Color Iridescent Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 12 iridescent colors in 75ml tubes.
- Colors have shimmering, color-shifting effects.
- Suitable for canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and rocks.
Best For: Artists looking for color-shifting pearl effects on crafts or canvas.
U.S. Art Supply 36 Color Professional Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 36 colors in 12ml tubes.
- Suitable for canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
Best For: Students and hobby artists who want a broad set of standard colors in small tubes.
U.S. Art Supply 24 Color Professional Acrylic Paint Set
- Has 24 colors in 12ml tubes.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
- Made for canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
Best For: Beginners and students who want a modest standard palette and a color-learning aid.
U.S. Art Supply 36 Color Metallic Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 36 metallic colors in 18ml tubes.
- The finish includes pearlescent and iridescent effects.
- Includes silver, gold, and copper tones.
Best For: Artists who want many metallic and pearlescent shades in smaller tubes.
U.S. Art Supply 12 Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 12 colors in 75ml tubes.
- Has a smooth consistency and covering strength.
- The palette includes titanium white, lamp black, and cobalt blue.
Best For: Painters seeking a focused set of standard colors in large tubes.
Largest Color Selection
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 puts breadth first, with 12ml tubes of water-based acrylic paint for canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media. Its highly pigmented paint has a smooth consistency and covering strength, and the set includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
That combination suits learners exploring color relationships as well as artists building a varied palette. Each tube is relatively small, so the color count comes with less paint per color.
Consider whether you need many shades ready to use or larger volumes of fewer colors.
Best For: Artists and learners who want a wide range of colors for varied projects.
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Choose this set when palette breadth matters more than having a large amount of each color. Its 12ml tubes and range of surfaces make it a flexible option for studies, crafts, and varied painting subjects.
Before buying, consider how often you use particular colors: a wide selection is useful, but frequent painters may prefer a set with larger tubes in a smaller palette.
Outdoor Craft Projects
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 set pairs 24 colors in 2oz bottles with seven nylon brushes, giving you a substantial supply for painting canvas, rocks, wood crafts, and toys. Its water-based acrylic paint is described as weather-resistant and suited to indoor and outdoor use, so it stands out for projects that may be displayed outside.
A color mixing wheel is also included to help with mixing. The bottles hold more paint per color than the smaller tubes in many sets here.
Check whether the included brush styles suit your planned details, since the set lists flat and round tips but no brush sizes.
Best For: Crafters who want a paint set for both indoor and outdoor projects.
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This is a practical fit for rock, wood, and other craft projects where outdoor use is part of the plan. Its larger bottles and included brushes favor general craft painting over compact storage or a specialized finish.
Check the surface and intended placement of your project before choosing an outdoor paint set, and confirm that the unspecified brush sizes meet your detail needs.
Large Metallic Color Tubes
U.S. Art Supply Professional Metallic Acrylic Paint Set - 12 Rich Metallic Colors, 75ml Tubes - Craft Paint for Canvas, Wood, Rock, Model Painting
The 12 rich metallic colors in this set come in 75ml tubes, a generous format for repeated use across canvas, wood, pottery, or rocks. The water-based, heavy-body paint is described as highly pigmented, with smooth application, blending, and coverage.
Its high-shine finish suits projects where shimmer is a central part of the palette, from craft details to larger paintings. This focused metallic assortment offers fewer color choices than the broad standard acrylic sets in this guide.
Consider whether you need a dedicated shimmering palette or want more conventional colors for everyday mixing.
Best For: Painters who want metallic colors in generous tubes for crafts and canvas.
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Pick this option when metallic finishes are central to your work and you expect to use those colors repeatedly. The 75ml tubes offer substantial paint per shade, while the smaller color count narrows the ready-made palette.
Check the listed surface compatibility against your project, and decide whether the dedicated metallic colors will complement the standard paints you already use.
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 12-color set focuses on iridescent paint with chameleon-like, color-shifting pearl effects. The water-based acrylic comes in extra-large 75ml tubes and has a smooth consistency and covering strength.
It is intended for canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and rocks, making it useful for adding shimmer to a range of work. The set includes a double-sided color mixing wheel, though its special-effect palette differs from an everyday selection of standard acrylic shades.
If you need conventional colors for most of a painting, plan how these effect colors fit alongside them.
Best For: Artists looking for color-shifting pearl effects on crafts or canvas.
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Choose this set when reflective, shifting color is a defining part of the project. The large tubes make sense if you expect to apply those specialty shades repeatedly, but they do not replace a conventional palette for general color work.
Check which surface you plan to paint and whether the named iridescent shades complement your existing colors.
Compact 36-Color 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
With 36 colors in 12ml tubes, this set offers a middle ground between a compact palette and a very large assortment. The water-based acrylic paint is described as highly pigmented, smooth, and suitable for canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media.
It also includes a double-sided color mixing wheel, which can help students and beginners learn color terminology and mixing. The small tubes keep the set focused on variety rather than volume.
Consider whether 36 options are enough for your work, or whether you would rather have fewer colors in larger tubes.
Best For: Students and hobby artists who want a broad set of standard colors in small tubes.
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This set suits learners or hobbyists who want more color options than a basic palette provides. Its small tubes mean it works best when variety and exploration are more important than heavy use of a few favorite shades.
Before choosing, think about which colors you use most and whether smaller quantities will be adequate.
Starter Set With Mixing Wheel
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 uses 12ml tubes of water-based acrylic paint and includes a double-sided color mixing wheel. The paint is highly pigmented, smooth, and suitable for canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media.
Its size makes it a focused starting palette for students and beginners, while still offering enough ready-made colors for varied studies and crafts. Each tube is relatively small, so the set is best suited to projects that do not require large volumes of each color.
Consider whether you want to learn mixing with a modest palette or keep many colors available at once.
Best For: Beginners and students who want a modest standard palette and a color-learning aid.
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Choose the 24-color set if you want a smaller learning palette with a mixing aid and broad surface options. It offers a focused selection of ready-to-use shades in 12ml tubes.
Check whether the included selection is enough for your planned projects or whether you prefer a broader range of colors.
Metallic Variety in Small 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 metallic set offers 36 colors in 18ml tubes, including silver, gold, and copper tones. The heavy-body acrylic paint has a high-shine finish and is intended for canvas, wood, pottery, rocks, outdoor crafts, and detailed model work.
Its range provides metallic and pearlescent options in a compact format. It fits projects where effect-color variety matters more than having a large volume of each shade.
Check whether you need these finishes across multiple projects before choosing.
Best For: Artists who want many metallic and pearlescent shades in smaller tubes.
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This is a good match for painters who want to choose among many metallic effects in 18ml tubes. The format provides a range of metallic shades in compact quantities.
Check whether your work needs the full range or just a few staple metallics, especially if you paint larger areas.
Artist Colors in Large Tubes
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 acrylic set comes in 75ml tubes and uses water-based paint with a smooth consistency, high tinting strength, and covering strength. Its listed palette includes familiar colors such as titanium white, lamp black, cobalt blue, and yellow ochre.
The paint is suited to canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other media, so it can support paintings and crafts while encouraging mixing from a smaller set of base colors. It contains fewer shades than the smaller-tube assortments, but much more paint per color.
Check that the named palette fits your style and project needs.
Best For: Painters seeking a focused set of standard colors in large tubes.
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Pick this set when larger paint quantities and a focused palette matter more than having many premixed shades. The named colors include several familiar mixing staples, but you will need to mix more often than with a broader assortment.
Check the full palette against your preferred subjects and make sure a 12-color selection covers the work you plan to do.
How to Choose Acrylic Paint Sets
How We Picked Best Acrylic Paint Sets
We included sets that contain acrylic paint intended for painting, crafts, or art practice, and compared their palette, tube or bottle format, stated surfaces, and specialty effects. The selection ranges from compact standard-color palettes to broader assortments, outdoor craft paint, and dedicated metallic or iridescent paints.
Those distinctions affect what a set is useful for. A learner may value a mixing wheel and a manageable palette, while a craft painter may need larger bottles or a finish suited to decorative projects.
Sets with many small tubes prioritize choice; 75ml specialty tubes prioritize more paint in fewer colors.
Comparing Acrylic Paint Sets by Palette and Finish
Start by deciding whether you want standard acrylic colors or a specialty effect. The 24-, 36-, and 72-color sets provide different degrees of ready-made color variety, while the metallic and iridescent sets focus on reflective finishes.
The outdoor set adds larger bottles and brushes for craft projects, so its format and use case differ from the tube sets.
Tube size changes how you use a palette. Small 12ml tubes let you keep more colors on hand with less paint in each.
The 75ml metallic, iridescent, and standard-color options make more sense when you expect to reuse those particular shades. The 36-color metallic set in 18ml tubes sits between those approaches, with more effect colors than the 12-color metallic set but less paint per shade.
| Product | Standout features | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Art Supply 72-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Artists and learners who want a wide range of colors for varied projects. |
| U.S. Art Supply Professional 24 Color Outdoor Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Crafters who want a paint set for both indoor and outdoor projects. |
| U.S. Art Supply Professional Metallic Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Painters who want metallic colors in generous tubes for crafts and canvas. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12 Color Iridescent Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Artists looking for color-shifting pearl effects on crafts or canvas. |
| U.S. Art Supply 36 Color Professional Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Students and hobby artists who want a broad set of standard colors in small tubes. |
| U.S. Art Supply 24 Color Professional Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Beginners and students who want a modest standard palette and a color-learning aid. |
| U.S. Art Supply 36 Color Metallic Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Artists who want many metallic and pearlescent shades in smaller tubes. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12 Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Painters seeking a focused set of standard colors in large tubes. |
Choosing Acrylic Paint for Canvas, Crafts, and Outdoor Use
Check the surfaces named for a set against your project. Several options include canvas, wood, fabric, and paper, while the metallic sets also name pottery, rocks, and model painting.
The outdoor set is specifically intended for indoor and outdoor painting and includes weather-resistant paint; consider it for craft projects where that use matters.
For color learning, compare sets that include a double-sided mixing wheel. It appears with the 24-, 36-, and 72-color standard assortments and the iridescent set.
A wheel can complement a broad palette, but it does not answer whether the specific colors or finish suit your work. Look at the selected palette and intended surface before deciding.
Which Acrylic Paint Set Fits Your Projects?
Choose the 72-color set if you want the broadest standard-color selection here and are comfortable with 12ml tubes. The 24-color standard set is a more contained starting palette, while the 36-color standard set adds variety in the same tube size.
The 12-color 75ml option favors larger quantities of a focused range.
For effect-driven work, compare the 12-color 75ml metallic set, 36-color 18ml metallic set, and 12-color 75ml iridescent set. The first two offer metallic finishes in different palette sizes and tube volumes; the iridescent set focuses on color-shifting effects.
Choose the outdoor set for larger-bottle craft painting with brushes, and check that its brush tips meet your needs.