Absolutely yes. You can mix mod podge with acrylic paint.
Mod podge is a well-known crafting glue – stronger than Elmer’s glue, but you can use it for so much more than just gluing.
You can use it as an adhesive and/or as a sealer or finish over finished and dry paintings. You can also use mod podge as a decoupage medium.
Considering all that mod podge does, it’s quite normal to wonder if it’s fine to mix mod podge with acrylic paint before painting since it isn’t a paint.
Amazingly, it’s perfectly fine to add some mod podge to your acrylic paint. Mod podge mixes well with acrylic paints because it’s water-based and acrylic.
Mod podge is used to seal acrylic paintings when they are completely dry. However, acrylic paint doesn’t stick well on some surfaces, and mixing mod podge with acrylic paint enhances the adhesion of the paint. This will create a nice finish once the acrylic painting has dried.
When you mix mod podge with acrylic paint, it will also thin down the paint. Don’t panic, mod podge won’t change the vibrancy or shade of your original color in any way. Let’s see how to mix mod podge with acrylic paint.
The Effect of Mixing Mod Podge with Acrylic Paint
As I said earlier, Mod podge is water-based and acrylic, it’s not waterproof. What it does is seal the acrylic paint so that it sticks fine to the surface you’re painting.
Though some acrylic paints are self-sealing, mixing them with mod podge adds extra sealing, which prevents chipping or darkening of the acrylic colors.
To make your artwork waterproof, I recommend that you apply a clear acrylic sealer on your artwork once it’s dry. In a nutshell, mixing mod podge to your acrylic paint does the following:
- It improves the consistency of the acrylic paint by making it flow more fluidly and smoothly. Acrylic paints dry out too fast, adding mod podge prevents this.
- It improves the adhesion of the acrylic paints to surfaces, giving a sturdy painted surface.
- It leaves your painting with vibrant and bold colors.
How to Mix Mod Podge with Acrylic Paint?
Mixing mod podge with acrylic paint is an easy task when you follow these steps:
- Pour out your acrylic paint into a small container. Take note of the quantity. If you’re using different colors, pour different colors into different containers.
- Add 2x the quantity of mod podge to each acrylic paint in the containers. Adding too much may wrinkle and/or smudge your artwork.
- Add little water to each container and mix everything gently using a small-sized spatula until you achieve a homogenous mixture.
- If you want a lighter mixture, you can add a little more water. But be careful not to add too much water. Adding too much water will not only make the mixture too thin but also affect the pigment density and adhesion of the paint. Once you achieve the consistency of honey, you can start using your acrylic paint.
Pros and Cons of Mixing Mod Podge with Acrylic Paint
Pros
- Priming is not necessary when painting with acrylic paints mixed with mod podge. The mod podge will improve the adhesion of the acrylic paint to the surface so that the surface needs no prior priming.
- Mod podge prevents cracking and crazing of the acrylic painting.
- Being water-based and acrylic, mod podge is non-toxic.
- It gives your work a shiny finish.
- It maintains the original color of the acrylic paint.
Cons
- Mod podge is not water resistant. Mixing it with your acrylic paint doesn’t make your artwork waterproof. To make your artwork waterproof, you need to seal it using a clear acrylic sealer.
- Because mod podge is versatile, it’s quite expensive.
Conclusion
Now that you know all about mixing mod podge with acrylic paint, it’s time to give it a try. Be sure to share your results in the comments below!
Happy painting!
