The best acrylic paint sets depend on whether you need broad color choice, larger paint tubes, or a specialized metallic or iridescent finish. These picks span compact practice sets, expansive palettes, and outdoor craft paints, so match the format to your projects and how often you paint.
Quick Top Products
U.S. Art Supply 72-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 72 colors in 12ml tubes.
- Made for canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
Best For: Artists and students who want a broad palette for varied canvas and craft projects.
U.S. Art Supply Professional 24-Color Outdoor Acrylic Set
- Includes 24 colors in 2oz bottles.
- Includes seven brushes with flat and round nylon tips.
- Designed for indoor and outdoor painting on canvas, rocks, and wood.
Best For: Crafters painting rocks, wood, toys, and other indoor or outdoor projects.
U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Acrylic Paint Set, 75ml
- Includes 12 colors in 75ml tubes.
- Features core colors such as cobalt blue, titanium white, and burnt umber.
- Suitable for canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
Best For: Painters who prefer larger tubes of core colors for canvas and mixed craft surfaces.
U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Contains 36 colors in 12ml tubes.
- Suitable for canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
Best For: Students and beginners who want many colors in compact tubes for practice.
U.S. Art Supply Professional 12-Color Metallic Acrylic Set
- Includes 12 metallic colors in 75ml tubes.
- The finish is described as smooth and high-shine.
- Intended for canvas, wood, pottery, and rock surfaces.
Best For: Artists adding metallic effects to canvas, wood, pottery, or rock projects.
U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Metallic Acrylic Set
- Contains 36 metallic colors in 18ml tubes.
- Includes pearlescent and iridescent finishes.
- Includes silver, gold, and copper tones.
Best For: Crafters who want a wider range of metallic and pearlescent effects in small tubes.
U.S. Art Supply 24-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 24 colors in 12ml tubes.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
- The paints are intended for canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
Best For: Beginners and hobby painters seeking a compact general-purpose palette and mixing aid.
U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Iridescent Acrylic Set
- Includes 12 iridescent colors in 75ml tubes.
- Features color-shifting chameleon effects.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
Best For: Artists who want shimmering, color-shifting effects for canvas and craft projects.
Largest 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
With 72 colors in 12ml tubes, this set offers the widest standard-color selection among these picks. The water-based paint is described as highly pigmented, with a smooth consistency and covering strength.
It suits canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and projects such as portraits, abstracts, and landscapes. A double-sided color mixing wheel adds a learning aid for exploring color relationships.
The small tubes make it easier to sample many shades, though they hold less paint individually than the larger tube sets. Choose it when palette variety matters more than having large amounts of each color on hand.
Best For: Artists and students who want a broad palette for varied canvas and craft projects.
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Choose this set when you want many colors available before mixing, especially for varied class or craft projects. Each color comes in a 12ml tube, so frequent painters may prefer a larger-tube set for more paint per color.
Check whether the palette's particular shades suit your planned work; the full color list is not specified here.
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 24-color set is geared toward craft work across indoor and outdoor settings. It has 2oz bottles and includes a seven-brush kit with flat and round nylon tips.
The paints are water-based and described as weather-resistant, with canvas, rocks, wood, crafts, and toys among the intended surfaces. A color mixing wheel adds a simple learning tool.
Its outdoor focus and larger bottle format distinguish it from the smaller tube sets, while the specific weather conditions and surface preparation details are not given. Consider it when craft versatility and included brushes matter more than a broad artist-tube palette.
Best For: Crafters painting rocks, wood, toys, and other indoor or outdoor projects.
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Pick this set for crafts that may be displayed outdoors and when having brushes in the box is useful. Its colors come in 2oz bottles, and the set includes brushes for varied strokes.
Before using it on a particular outdoor object, check whether that surface needs preparation or a protective topcoat; those details are not specified here.
Large Standard-Color 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
The 12-color palette comes in extra-large 75ml tubes and focuses on familiar working colors, including cobalt blue, crimson, titanium white, and burnt umber. The water-based acrylics are described as highly pigmented, smooth, and capable of good covering strength.
Listed surfaces include canvas, wood, fabric, and paper. This format gives you more paint per selected shade than the small-tube sets, while offering fewer ready-made colors.
It is a practical fit for painters who are comfortable mixing a narrower palette and want larger tubes for ongoing projects. The set is also described as non-toxic and acid-free.
Best For: Painters who prefer larger tubes of core colors for canvas and mixed craft surfaces.
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Choose these larger tubes when you rely on a core palette and expect to use the same colors repeatedly. The set covers common painting and craft surfaces, with a selection of vivid colors in larger portions.
Check whether its listed color names match your preferred palette, especially for projects that need particular shades without mixing.
Broad Student 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 36-color set balances a broad selection with compact 12ml tubes. The water-based paints are highly pigmented, smooth, and provide covering strength, and are intended for canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media.
It also includes a double-sided color mixing wheel, which can help students explore color terminology and theory. The smaller tubes are suited to sampling many shades or keeping a class kit manageable, though each tube holds a compact amount.
This is a flexible choice for practice, teaching, and varied projects where palette breadth matters.
Best For: Students and beginners who want many colors in compact tubes for practice.
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This is a useful choice for learners who want many ready-to-use colors in compact tubes. Its 12ml tubes make the palette broad but limit how much of each shade is available for larger works.
If you already know you use a few core colors heavily, a larger-tube set may better match that pattern.
High-Shine 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 contains 12 colors in 75ml tubes, with a high-shine finish for projects where reflective color is part of the design. It is positioned for canvas, wood, pottery, and rocks, and the notes also describe smooth application, blending, and coverage.
The larger tubes suit repeated use of the included metallic shades, while the specialized palette offers less variety in standard matte colors than a general acrylic set. Use it for decorative accents, layered effects, or projects built around metallic tones.
The exact color names are not supplied, so check the palette before buying if you need a specific metallic shade.
Best For: Artists adding metallic effects to canvas, wood, pottery, or rock projects.
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Choose this set when metallic finish is central to the project and you want large tubes for recurring use. It serves a narrower purpose than the standard-color assortments, so it is less suited as the only set for painters who need a broad everyday palette.
Since the individual shade names are not provided, confirm that its colors fit the planned work.
Most Metallic Shade Options
U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Metallic Acrylic Paint Set - 18ml Tubes - Acrylic Paint for Canvas Painting, Wood Crafts & Rock Painting - Color Mixing Wheel
The 36-color metallic set emphasizes variety within a special-effect palette. Its 18ml tubes include shades with a high-shine finish, plus pearlescent and iridescent effects, with silver, gold, and copper tones among the finishes.
The paints are intended for canvas, wood, pottery, rocks, outdoor crafts, and detailed model projects. The compact tubes offer multiple shades in manageable portions.
That makes it appealing when the effect and color choice matter more than a large quantity of each hue. The full shade names are not specified here, so check for specific colors before choosing it for a color-matched project.
Best For: Crafters who want a wider range of metallic and pearlescent effects in small tubes.
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Pick this option when you want many metallic shades and effects for accents, models, or mixed craft projects. Its 18ml tubes trade quantity per color for a broader selection.
If you plan to cover large surfaces or repeatedly use a few metallic tones, check whether the tube size suits your needs and verify the full shade list for a specific color match.
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 uses 12ml tubes and includes a double-sided color mixing wheel. The water-based acrylics are highly pigmented, smooth, and provide covering strength.
They are intended for canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media, so the palette can serve both painting practice and crafts. The compact tube format keeps each color portion modest.
The set is also acid-free and conforms to ASTM D4236 and EN71 standards. It suits a painter who wants a general palette with a color mixing tool.
Best For: Beginners and hobby painters seeking a compact general-purpose palette and mixing aid.
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This compact set fits beginners who want a general-purpose palette and a tool for learning color mixing. Its 24 shades come in a 12ml format, keeping each color quantity modest.
Consider whether you value a broad selection of shades or more paint per tube before deciding.
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 effects rather than standard opaque colors. It includes 12 shades in 75ml tubes, with color-shifting pearl finishes such as red interference pearl, magic aqua/violet, and gold-to-silver.
The water-based acrylics are described as highly pigmented and smooth, with covering strength, and are intended for canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and rocks. A double-sided color mixing wheel is included.
The larger tubes support repeated use of these special finishes, but the specialized palette is less suitable as a complete everyday color set. Choose it to add shimmer and shifting tones to work that already has a standard palette.
Best For: Artists who want shimmering, color-shifting effects for canvas and craft projects.
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Choose this set to add shifting pearl effects to paintings and crafts, especially when you expect to use those finishes often. The 75ml tubes offer more of each specialized color than compact metallic tubes, but the 12 shades do not replace a general palette.
Check the named colors if the project depends on a particular interference or shifting effect.
How to Choose Acrylic Paint Sets
How We Picked Acrylic Paint Sets
The selected sets are acrylic paints intended for canvas, craft surfaces, or both. We included general-purpose palettes, outdoor craft paints, metallic finishes, and iridescent colors because each solves a different painting need.
Color count alone does not tell you how useful a set will be: tube or bottle size, finish, included brushes, and the surfaces named for the paint also shape its fit.
The products range from 12-color sets with 75ml tubes to 72-color sets in 12ml tubes. We excluded the surface primer because its role is preparing material before painting, not providing a broad palette of finish colors.
Comparing Acrylic Paint Sets
Start with the palette and quantity together. The 72-color set offers the most standard-color options, while the 36- and 24-color general sets balance selection and compact 12ml tubes.
For fewer colors in larger amounts, the 12-color standard set uses 75ml tubes. The outdoor craft set uses 2oz bottles and includes seven brushes, making its package distinct from the artist-tube assortments.
Special finishes change the choice. The 12-color iridescent set uses 75ml tubes for shifting pearl effects; the 12-color metallic set also comes in 75ml tubes, while the 36-color metallic option trades down to 18ml tubes for more effect shades.
If you want a general painting palette, use a standard-color set as the base and add a special-finish set for accents.
| 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 Professional 24-Color Outdoor Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Crafters painting rocks, wood, toys, and other indoor or outdoor projects. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Acrylic Paint Set, 75mlCheck Price |
| Painters who prefer larger tubes of core colors for canvas and mixed craft surfaces. |
| U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Students and beginners who want many colors in compact tubes for practice. |
| U.S. Art Supply Professional 12-Color Metallic Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Artists adding metallic effects to canvas, wood, pottery, or rock projects. |
| U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Metallic Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Crafters who want a wider range of metallic and pearlescent effects in small tubes. |
| U.S. Art Supply 24-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Beginners and hobby painters seeking a compact general-purpose palette and mixing aid. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Iridescent Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Artists who want shimmering, color-shifting effects for canvas and craft projects. |
Choosing Acrylic Paint Tubes for Your Projects
Match the amount per color to how you work. Small tubes make a large palette easier to store and give you more shades to experiment with, but they offer less paint per color.
The 75ml tube sets suit repeated use of a narrower group of colors. The outdoor option uses 2oz bottles, a different container format that may be convenient for craft sessions; the notes do not provide bottle dimensions or storage details.
Check the surfaces and intended setting. Several sets name canvas, wood, fabric, and paper, while the outdoor set specifically focuses on indoor and outdoor craft painting and names rocks and toys.
The metallic colors are also intended for pottery and rocks. For a particular object, confirm preparation and finishing steps, since those details are not specified across these sets.
When to Choose a Metallic or Iridescent Acrylic Set
Metallic paints offer a high-shine finish, with silver, gold, and copper tones noted for the 36-color set. Iridescent paints shift in appearance and include named pearl and color-shifting shades.
Choose between them based on the effect you want, rather than assuming either set replaces standard colors.
The 75ml metallic and iridescent options give larger portions of each specialized shade, while the 18ml metallic set offers 36 colors in smaller tubes. Confirm the exact shade names if a project needs a specific gold, interference color, or other finish; the full metallic shade list is not supplied.
Who Should Buy Which Acrylic Paint Set
Choose the 72-color set for the broadest ready-made standard palette, or the 36-color general set for a smaller collection with a mixing wheel. The 24-color set offers a compact middle option, while the 12-color standard set provides larger 75ml tubes for core colors.
For outdoor-oriented craft projects, consider the 24-color set with 2oz bottles and seven brushes. For reflective effects, choose the 36-color metallic set for more shades or a 75ml metallic or iridescent set for larger portions of fewer special colors.
Match the set to the surfaces, finishes, and color quantities your work actually needs.