The best acrylic paint sets balance useful color ranges and paint volume with the surfaces and projects you have in mind. These picks include general-purpose tubes, larger specialty colors, and an outdoor-focused kit, so compare finish and included tools before choosing.
Quick Top Products
U.S. Art Supply 72-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 72 colors in 12ml tubes.
- Works across canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
Best For: Artists and students who want a wide range of colors for mixed painting and craft projects.
U.S. Art Supply Professional 24-Color Outdoor Acrylic Set
- Includes 24 colors in 2oz bottles.
- Designed for indoor and outdoor use on canvas, rocks, and wood.
- Includes seven brushes and a color mixing wheel.
Best For: Craft painters who want a multipurpose color set with brushes for indoor and outdoor projects.
U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Professional Acrylic Set
- Contains 36 colors in 12ml tubes.
- For canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
Best For: Beginners, students, and hobby painters who want a broad general-purpose palette in small tubes.
U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 12 colors in 75ml tubes.
- The palette includes cobalt blue, crimson, and titanium white.
- For canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
Best For: Painters who prefer larger tubes of core colors for mixing their own palette.
U.S. Art Supply 24-Color Acrylic Paint Set
- Includes 24 colors in 12ml tubes.
- For canvas, wood, fabric, and paper.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
Best For: Students and hobby painters who want a modest color selection plus a mixing aid.
U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Metallic Acrylic Set
- Includes 12 metallic colors in 75ml tubes.
- Suitable for canvas, wood, pottery, and rock surfaces.
- The water-based paint is intended for layering or mixing.
Best For: Craft painters and artists seeking metallic color for canvas, wood, pottery, or rocks.
U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Metallic Acrylic Set
- Includes 36 metallic colors in 18ml tubes.
- Offers pearlescent and iridescent finishes.
- For canvas, wood, pottery, rocks, and detailed model projects.
Best For: Artists who want a wide range of metallic and pearlescent shades in smaller tubes.
U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Iridescent Acrylic Set
- Contains 12 iridescent colors in 75ml tubes.
- Features color-shifting chameleon effects.
- Includes a double-sided color mixing wheel.
Best For: Artists and crafters who want chameleon, pearl, and color-shifting effects.
Broadest Everyday Palette
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 general-purpose palette here, with 12ml tubes of water-based acrylic paint. It suits artists, students, beginners, and teachers working on canvas, wood, fabric, or paper.
The paint is described as highly pigmented with a smooth consistency and covering strength, and a color mixing wheel adds a learning aid for exploring color relationships. The small tubes make the set easier to sample across many hues, though they offer less paint per color than the larger specialty tubes in this roundup.
Choose it when variety matters more than having large quantities of a few colors.
Best For: Artists and students who want a wide range of colors for mixed painting and craft projects.
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Choose this set if you want many starting colors for class projects, crafts, or varied painting subjects. Its main tradeoff is per-color volume: 12ml tubes keep the assortment broad but may be limiting when you repeatedly use the same hues.
Check that the color range suits your work and decide whether you would rather have fewer colors in larger tubes.
Outdoor Crafts and Brush Kit
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 comes in 2oz bottles and includes seven brushes, giving craft painters paint and basic application tools together. The water-based colors are intended for indoor and outdoor use, with canvas, rocks, and wood among the named surfaces.
That makes it a practical fit for decorative crafts and projects that move beyond paper. A color mixing wheel is included for learning color combinations.
The set is bulkier by volume than small-tube assortments, but the larger bottles are useful if you expect to return to the same colors across multiple projects. Consider the surface and finish needs of each project before painting.
Best For: Craft painters who want a multipurpose color set with brushes for indoor and outdoor projects.
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This is a useful option when your projects include rocks or wood and you want brushes in the same kit. The 2oz bottles offer more of each color than small-tube sets, while the palette has fewer shades than larger assortments.
Check whether the seven included brushes match the detail and stroke sizes you need, and confirm the paint finish suits your particular craft surface.
Compact 36-Color Starter 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 offers a broad palette for projects that call for a range of hues. The 12ml tubes contain water-based acrylic paint described as highly pigmented, with a smooth consistency and covering strength.
The paint is intended for canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media, making it suitable for class work and varied crafts. A double-sided color mixing wheel adds an educational component for beginners and students.
Because every color comes in a small tube, it favors trying many hues over stocking up on a few frequently used paints.
Best For: Beginners, students, and hobby painters who want a broad general-purpose palette in small tubes.
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Pick this set if you want a useful spread of colors in small tubes. It covers common studio and craft surfaces and includes a mixing wheel for learning.
The concrete tradeoff is tube size: frequent painters may use favorite colors quickly. Before buying, compare the number of shades you need with how much paint you expect to use for each project.
Large-Tube 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 large 75ml tubes and focuses on a core palette rather than a long list of premixed shades. Its colors include cobalt blue, crimson, lemon yellow, titanium white, lamp black, and other traditional choices.
The water-based acrylic paint is intended for canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media, and is described as smooth with good covering strength. Larger tubes make sense when you expect to mix colors or repeatedly use the same basics.
The smaller color count means more mixing may be needed to reach particular shades, so it suits painters comfortable building a palette themselves.
Best For: Painters who prefer larger tubes of core colors for mixing their own palette.
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Choose this set if you want larger quantities of core colors and are happy to mix shades as you paint. It offers fewer premixed colors than larger assortments, while the 75ml tubes make it more appropriate for repeated use of foundational colors.
Check whether the named palette includes the pigments you rely on, especially if your work needs specific shades straight from the tube.
Compact Core Palette 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 provides a compact range of water-based acrylics in 12ml tubes. It is intended for canvas, wood, fabric, paper, and other art media, and the paint is described as highly pigmented with a smooth consistency and covering strength.
The included double-sided color mixing wheel adds a practical reference for color terminology and theory. Compared with larger palettes, it keeps the selection manageable, though painters may need to mix more often or add particular colors for specialized projects.
It is a straightforward fit for beginner practice, class work, and general crafts where a small tube of each hue is enough.
Best For: Students and hobby painters who want a modest color selection plus a mixing aid.
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This is a sensible fit for students and hobby painters who want a compact palette. The mixing wheel supports experimentation, and the listed surfaces cover many everyday art projects.
Its tradeoff is tube volume and color breadth compared with larger palette kits. Check whether the shades include enough ready-to-use options for your subjects or whether you would rather mix colors from a smaller core group.
Shimmering Metallic Colors in Large 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 large 75ml tubes, aimed at projects where a reflective finish is part of the design. The paint is described as water-based, smooth to apply, richly pigmented, and suitable for canvas, wood, pottery, and rock surfaces.
It can also be layered or mixed for craft and model work. This is a specialty palette rather than an everyday set of standard colors, so it pairs best with other paints when a project needs both ordinary hues and metallic accents.
Choose it for larger quantities of shimmer colors, and check whether its specific metallic shades fit your intended palette.
Best For: Craft painters and artists seeking metallic color for canvas, wood, pottery, or rocks.
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Choose this set when metallic effects are central to your work and you want substantial quantities of the specialty colors. The tradeoff is palette purpose: it supplies shimmering tones rather than a broad everyday selection of standard acrylic shades.
Pair it with a conventional set if a project needs both, and check the included metallic colors against the finish and color effect you want.
Metallic Variety for Small Projects
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 uses 18ml tubes, offering a broad range of specialty shades. The heavy-body acrylic is described as richly pigmented, smooth to blend, and suitable for canvas, wood, pottery, rocks, outdoor crafts, and detailed model projects.
Silver, gold, and copper tones are included, alongside pearlescent and iridescent effects. It is designed for artists at different experience levels.
Since all the colors are metallic-focused, this set is best for decorative effects and accent work rather than as a complete everyday palette of standard acrylic colors.
Best For: Artists who want a wide range of metallic and pearlescent shades in smaller tubes.
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This set makes sense for painters who want metallic effects across a wide color range. Its 18ml tubes offer less of each shade than larger metallic paint tubes, but there are many colors to choose from.
Treat it as a specialty set for shimmer and surface effects; check whether its metallic range meets your needs before relying on it as your only acrylic palette.
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 12-color set specializes in iridescent acrylics, with large 75ml tubes of shimmering colors that shift between tones. Named effects include blue interference pearl, magic aqua/violet, and gold-to-silver iridescent.
The water-based paint is intended for canvas, wood, fabric, paper, rocks, and other art media, and is described as highly pigmented with smooth consistency and covering strength. A double-sided color mixing wheel is included.
Because its palette is built around special effects, it works best for accents, decorative projects, or artwork where changing sheen and color are central, rather than replacing a conventional set.
Best For: Artists and crafters who want chameleon, pearl, and color-shifting effects.
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Choose this set for color-shifting pearl effects and larger amounts of each specialty shade. It offers a focused selection of iridescent effects, and its tubes are large.
It is not a full substitute for a conventional palette, so check whether your project calls for these effects or whether you need standard colors as well.
How to Choose Acrylic Paint Sets
How We Picked Acrylic Paint Sets
We selected complete acrylic paint assortments intended for painting, crafts, or both, then separated general-purpose palettes from specialty finishes. The included choices cover several useful starting points: small-tube sets for exploring many colors, larger tubes for painters who use core shades repeatedly, and metallic or iridescent paints for decorative effects.
One outdoor-focused option also includes brushes for applying paint to common craft surfaces.
The sets vary widely in color count and tube size, so compare both before deciding. A higher shade count can reduce the need to mix every color, while larger tubes provide more paint per shade.
We left out a surface primer because preparing a surface is a different job from supplying a color palette.
Comparing Acrylic Paint Sets
For an everyday palette, the 24-, 36-, and 72-color sets use 12ml tubes and include a color mixing wheel. The 72-color kit offers the most premixed variety, while the 24-color option keeps the palette compact.
The 12-color core set takes another approach with 75ml tubes, giving more paint per shade but asking the painter to mix more colors.
Specialty finishes change the choice. The 12-color metallic set provides 75ml tubes, while the 36-color metallic set has 18ml tubes and a broader effects range.
The iridescent set also comes in 75ml tubes and focuses on shifting pearl colors. For crafts on rocks or wood, the 24-color outdoor kit adds seven brushes and is intended for indoor and outdoor use.
| Product | Standout features | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Art Supply 72-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Artists and students who want a wide range of colors for mixed painting and craft projects. |
| U.S. Art Supply Professional 24-Color Outdoor Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Craft painters who want a multipurpose color set with brushes for indoor and outdoor projects. |
| U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Professional Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Beginners, students, and hobby painters who want a broad general-purpose palette in small tubes. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Painters who prefer larger tubes of core colors for mixing their own palette. |
| U.S. Art Supply 24-Color Acrylic Paint SetCheck Price |
| Students and hobby painters who want a modest color selection plus a mixing aid. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Metallic Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Craft painters and artists seeking metallic color for canvas, wood, pottery, or rocks. |
| U.S. Art Supply 36-Color Metallic Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Artists who want a wide range of metallic and pearlescent shades in smaller tubes. |
| U.S. Art Supply 12-Color Iridescent Acrylic SetCheck Price |
| Artists and crafters who want chameleon, pearl, and color-shifting effects. |
Choosing Acrylic Paint for Canvas and Crafts
Match the set to the surfaces and projects you actually plan to paint. Several options name canvas, wood, fabric, and paper; the outdoor kit specifically highlights rocks and wood, while the metallic set also names pottery.
If a project uses a surface or environment that is not clearly covered, check the product's suitability for that use before starting.
Think about how you work with color. Beginners and students may value a mixing wheel and a ready spread of shades.
Painters who already mix confidently may prefer a smaller core palette in larger tubes. For decorative work, a metallic or iridescent kit adds effects that standard colors do not provide, but those specialty shades may need a conventional set alongside them.
Tube Size, Color Count, and Paint Use
Tube size affects how long each color may last, while color count affects how much mixing you need to do. The 12ml assortments provide many separate shades in a compact format; the 75ml specialty and core sets provide more paint for each included color.
The 18ml metallic tubes sit between those formats, with a broad selection focused on shimmer effects.
A broad palette can help with subjects that call for many distinct hues, but a painter who relies on a limited set of core colors may get more use from larger tubes. Consider whether you expect to paint repeated projects in the same colors or want to try a little of many shades.
That practical choice matters more than picking the set with the largest number on its label.
Who Should Buy Which Acrylic Paint Set
Choose the 72-color set for the widest standard-color assortment, or the 24- and 36-color sets for smaller 12ml palettes with a mixing wheel. The 12-color 75ml set suits painters who want larger quantities of core colors and plan to mix.
For craft surfaces and tools in one purchase, consider the outdoor-focused 24-color kit with seven brushes. Choose the 12-color metallic set for larger quantities of shimmer colors, the 36-color metallic set for more metallic variety in 18ml tubes, or the iridescent kit for color-shifting pearl effects.