How to Make Acrylic Paint Dry Faster? 7 Easy Tricks Anyone Can Do

When people ask how to make acrylic paint dry faster and why it even takes long for acrylic paint to dry, they make a face when I say: “It depends”.

I know this is vague but there really isn’t a straight-up answer because it depends on many factors.

I won’t overwhelm you with fancy language and technical terms or too much info.

In this article, you’ll learn something about the drying time of acrylic paint and how to make acrylic paint dry faster because we’ve all been impatient with this when we want to finish something quickly, especially in art journaling.

That’s why my focus here will be on art journaling/paper and not professional painting on canvas.

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• The kind and brand because you buy them for yourself and before a purchase decision, you can do a bit of research to see which kind dries the fastest. 

• The factor you have the most control over is the amount of paint you apply. The thicker the layer, the more time it needs to dry completely, even if the surface is dry, the paint beneath that can still be wet. If you try it with your finger and it isn’t firm, it’s not dry.
  
  On the contrary, if you apply a very thin layer, it can dry really quickly, in a matter of seconds. This usually happens when I paint with a dry brush and little paint (the technique is called dry brushing).
  
  It doesn’t have to be dry brushed for it to fry quickly. You can apply a thin layer, just enough to cover the surface and make it even on the whole surface.
  
  
• You also have control over the surface. If you’re painting on paper or canvas, it might not dry as fast as on glass or wood, especially because paper soaks in some of the humidity and thus frees up the paint of the wetness quicker. But then the paper has to get dry, too.
  
  The other side of the paper might still be wet then, so if you want it to dry faster, don’t leave it on the table, but put it upright, or if you paint in an art journal, keep the page upright by using something from your desk to keep it that way.
  
  
• Also, you have the greatest control over the amount of water you use. I usually don’t use any water with my acrylic paints because I love their creaminess and thickness (but this is also dependent on the brand and quality). 

Other factors are a bit harder to influence, like humidity and temperature and it would take you a lot of time to deal with that. So, control what you can control and relax about other things.

However, when I art journal, I never wait for 3 days, unless I need to because I don’t have time to create. I’d say that my student-grade acrylic paint dries out completely after 30 minutes or so, but I continue creating even before that.

If it doesn’t smear or I can’t scrape it easily, and it’s not wet under my fingers, I consider it dry and can continue.

Painting in thick layers will take longer to dry, so if you don’t have much time or you’re not making anything specific, apply a thin layer of paint.

For this, I always use a dry brush and spread the paint in a thin layer. Only if I see that the paint hasn’t covered all the areas evenly, I add another thin layer to those places, again with a dry brush.

Similar to using a dry brush, try using acrylic paint without mixing it with water, that’ll keep the color rich but also it’ll take less time to dry.

If you add water to your paint, it becomes wetter, the paper will then soak that water and it will take longer to dry. So, even when the paint is dry on the surface, the paper might not be and it can also curl.

Work in a dry environment

If you’re waiting for acrylic paint to dry for a long time, maybe it’s because it’s slowly raining outside and there’s a lot of humidity, especially if you live in an area with high humidity.

If you’re impatient to wait, maybe you can do something to make your working area drier, like dehumidifiers or even turning on your AC. Additionally, you can make a draft by opening a few windows to make the air circulate freely.

Work in a warm environment

It’s as simple as it sounds: acrylic paint will dry faster in a warmer environment. But if it’s warm and still humid, this could mess things up a bit.

However, since you’re probably not creating a piece for a museum and have a deadline, you’ll be fine in any environment. Arm yourself with some patience and wait for it to dry.

Just be aware that if it’s humid and cold, they’ll probably take more time to dry. Now that you know the reason, you can use that waiting time for something else.

For example, I sometimes make myself some tea. or even make the whole dinner and come back to my painting when the paint is dry.

Use a hairdryer 

This is a neat and simple tip.

Be careful not to overheat the paint, so here are some tips:

• keep the hairdryer on the lowest setting
• don’t hold it too close to the painting
• don’t hold it too long, do it in stages: point it to your painting for a few seconds and pause, and then again until you see the paint is dry on touch (if the layer is thick, give it more time than even after drying it with a hairdryer)
• remove anything that the hairdryer might blow away (it happened to me more than once when I had to collect papers and even brushes from the floor)

But you also need to know a few tips when using it:

• don’t hold it in one place for too long, always move it around. Otherwise, the paint will crackle with bubbles
• don’t hold it too close to your paint, about 10cm would be all right

Use fast-drying acrylics

I’ve never had problems with drying time with my student-grade acrylic paint.

And most acrylic paints are made to dry fast, unlike watercolors (because you need water for them).

There are professional paints that require long drying times and they’re specifically designed to dry slower so you can work with the paint longer if you want to blend or similar.

The best way is to experiment with the paint you have and see how long it takes for different thicknesses to dry.

Conclusion – how to make acrylic paint dry faster?

Here’s a summary of the easiest things you can do to make acrylic paint dry faster:

• apply thin layers
• use a heat gun or a hairdryer
• don’t use water or use small amounts of water

The more you paint with your acrylic, the better you’ll understand how they behave and you’ll find the optimal solution for your conditions and the tools you use.

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