From Marion Boddy-Evans,
Your Guide to Painting.
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Acrylics are water-based paints, which means they can be mixed with water to thin them down and you clean your brushes with water. They’re made from pigment mixed with acrylic resin and emulsion. Acrylics are very fast drying and can be use in thin, watery glazes or impasto.

How do I know acrylic paints are the right choice for me?
Only you can decide what’s right for you and for your lifestyle. For me the attractions are how quickly acrylics dry and that I don’t have to use any solvents, just water.

• For a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of acrylics as opposed to oils, watercolors, and pastels, see Q&A: How to Decide What Paint to Use.
• For opinions from artists who’ve decided to use acrylic paints rather than oil, read Should I Use Acrylics or Oil Paint?

What brand of acrylic paint should I buy?
Any of the major brands will do. Many make acrylic paints in a fluid or liquid version as well as with a paste- or butter-like consistency. Artists will have their own preferred brand based on things such as the colors available and the consistency of the paint. You should be able to check the of lightfastness of the pigment on the tube by, for example an ASTM rating (American Society for Testing and Materials).

My favorite brand of acrylic paint is Golden, because of their magnificent colors, followed by Liquitex because the consistency is great to use with a palette knife and they come in plastic tubes which are incredibly robust. But I’ve a lot of Winsor & Newton because they’re what my local art store stocks. When I travel I look out for unusual or useful colors (such as Golden’s range of neutral greys) or bargain buys. Some people insist that you shouldn’t mix brands of acrylics, but the research I’ve done on the issue hasn’t raised any problems with doing so.
(See also: Which Brand of Acrylic Paint is Best?.)

What colors should I get?
For a list of recommended acrylic colors, see Basic color Palette for Acrylics.

Should the acrylic paints I buy be artist’s quality or will student’s quality do?
Student colors are cheaper for a reason -- they’ve more filler in them. Rather buy a few quality colors than a whole range of cheap colors. Yes, you may be less inhibited about experimenting if you’re using cheaper student colors, but you can’t beat the vibrancy from quality artist’s paints. Tip: Look for paints labeled ‘hue’ or ‘imitation’, for example ‘cadmium yellow hue’. These are made from cheaper modern pigments rather than the more expensive traditional pigments and are very similar in color to the genuine thing.

How many brushes do I need for painting with acrylics?
You’ll need stiff-bristled brushes for thick acrylic paint and soft-bristled brushes for watercolor effects. You’ll be faced with an array of sizes and shapes (round, flat, pointed), and you also get different length handles. If you’re on a tight budget, start with a small and a medium-sized filbert (a flat, pointed brush). I love filberts because if you use just the tip you get a narrow brush mark, and if you push down you get a broad one. Tip: When buying very wide brushes, save money by buying a good-quality household decorating ones. Look for brushes that aren’t too thick, or cut off half the hairs.

Modern synthetic brushes can be of excellent quality, so don’t restrict your selection to only those brushes made from natural hairs such as sable. Look for brushes where the hairs quickly spring back up when you bend them. With brushes, you tend to get what you pay for, so the cheaper it is the more likely the hairs are to fall out. Be meticulous about cleaning your brushes as if acrylic paint dries in a brush, it can be extremely difficult to get it out.

Go to Acrylic Painting -- Getting Started Part Two for answers to questions such as what support to use with acrylic paints, what palette, and what should you wear.