Review – Meeden Heavy Body Acrylic Paint

Backstory time. Last year, amid one of the busiest seasons of her life, some idiot thought it would be a great idea to make all the Christmas gifts. That idiot was me. The good news is, I succeeded. The better news is that it inspired me to get back into acrylic painting.

Now, acrylics are historically the medium I’m most familiar with. My earliest art training started with acrylics, then progressed to oils, but I always came back to my roots. And then, in my early thirties, I discovered watercolours, something I had no clue how to use. I poured myself into figuring out how to let go of my inner perfectionist and embrace the fluid nature of watercolour (which wasn’t and still isn’t easy, but that’s a story for another day).

Though I continued with the odd acrylic painting, my focus was firmly on watercolour, and that’s okay. But the Christmas thing brought me back to my roots, and my fingers itched for the acrylics. Of course, thanks to years of disuse, I had large gaps in my collection.

When it comes to acrylic paint, I’ve always been a Liquitex girlie, but since we moved to Cochrane, popping into Michaels when I need new paint isn’t as quick as it used to be. Meanwhile, thanks to all my artsy friends out there, I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about Meeden on my Insta feed.

I’d never heard of Meeden until we moved to North America, but a bit of research showed good reviews and overall positive user experiences. Plus, the stuff I see on their Instagram is really cool-looking, and several artists I trust recommend their products—a good enough endorsement for me.

So, when I purchased the NicPro paintbrushes in January, I decided it was the perfect time to try Meeden acrylic paint. I chose their heavy body paint in the 24-colour set on Amazon, which was on sale at the time.

Before we get to the official review, this isn’t a sponsored post. All opinions are my own, and I purchased the paint with my own money.

MEEDEN Heavy Body Acrylic Paint 24-Colour Set

The heavy body paint features high viscosity that allows for detail work as well as texture building.
The set includes 24 colours in 60ml (2oz) tubes:
- Titanium White
- Light Pink
- Vermilion Red
- Scarlet
- Crimson
- Orange
- Burnt Sienna
- Burnt Umber
- Lemon Yellow
- Yellow Pale
- Mid Yellow
- Yellow Ochre
- Yellow Green
- Olive Green
- Sap Green
- Viridian
- Blue Pale
- Cerulean Blue
- Cobalt Blue
- Ultramarine
- Phthalo Blue
- Dioxazine Purple
- Payne’s Grey
- Mars Black
Opacity ratings:
- Opaque: Titanium White, Light Pink, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Mid Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Olive Green, Sap Green, Blue Pale, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Payne’s Grey, Mars Black
- Translucent: Crimson, Orange, Lemon Yellow, Yellow Green
- Transparent: Vermilion Red, Scarlet, Yellow Pale, Viridian, Ultramarine, Phthalo Blue, Dioxazine Purple
Lightfastness ratings:
- Excellent lightfastness: Titanium White, Light Pink, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Lemon Yellow, Yellow Pale, Mid Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Yellow Green, Sap Green, Viridian, Blue Pale, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine, Phthalo Blue, Dioxazine Purple, Payne’s Grey, Mars Black
- Very good lightfastness: Vermilion Red, Scarlet, Crimson, Orange, Olive Green
Fast drying time—the paint dries in an average of fifteen minutes.
The durable, satiny finish is water-resistant once dry.
The high adhesion rating makes it suitable for multiple surfaces.
The box comes with a swatch card printed on the side.
Tight, well-designed packaging ensures the product arrives in excellent condition.
The set retails for CAD 55.95 ($3.89/100ml) at the time of writing this post, but I purchased it on sale for $45.95

My Review

I’m blown away. It’s that simple.

The set offers an excellent range of colours. That said, I’d have skipped out on a yellow or blue to have a larger tube of white or Payne’s Grey, but that’s just personal preference. This is still an excellent starting point for new artists, but it’s also a great addition to an old hand’s collection. Especially at only $2.33 per tube.

The paint applies so smoothly! It’s super easy to layer and build, and there is ample blending time despite the faster-drying characteristic of acrylics. I’m also extremely stoked with the pigmentation and true vibrancy of the paint.

The higher viscosity means excellent coverage, and I often only need one layer where I might’ve needed more with different brands.

Now, the paint does have a heavier body than other mid-range brands, though the premium brands like Winsor & Newton do offer products that would definitely build texture more easily. I don’t mind since I’m not so much about the impasto, but that might be something to consider if you’d like to feel your paintings.

The packaging was excellent, and the paint arrived unscathed.

Overall, I’m so happy with this product that I guarantee I’ll purchase Meeden art supplies again.