Write an article based on this "Apply a small amount of paint to your palette. Add water to your paint. Mix in a thinning or anti-congealing agent. Check the consistency with your palette knife. Add gesso to the paint and water mixture."

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You might also use a mixing container, like a bowl or plastic container. Keep in mind that acrylics dry in 10 - 30 minutes, with professional grade acrylics often taking longer to dry than student grade. As this is a quick-drying kind of paint, using too much from the tube can result in expensive waste. To avoid this, always start with a small amount, adding more on an as-needed basis. When only thinning your paint slightly, take your brush and wet it in clean water. Too much moisture can leave your acrylic paint looking thin; too little may not have much of an effect at all. To significantly thin your paint, pour water into a container with your paint and use your brush to mix the water and paint together.  Be sure you thoroughly distribute the water throughout your acrylic. Failing to do so can result in clumping or an uneven color. Have paper towel on hand for blotting brushes once you are ready to begin painting. Too much moisture on your brush, or too much remaining moisture after you've cleansed your brush of a previous color, can severely thin your paint, which can lead to drips forming in your painting. You can use one of these substances in place of water for a more controlled thinning of your paint. You can buy ready-to-use thinning/anti-congealing agents at your local art store. These will keep your paint from drying out too fast and thin it in the process. Always add your thinning agent according to its directions, but generally, you should apply your agent in small amounts using your brush. The composition of each of these thinning agents will likely react differently depending on the kind of acrylic paint you are using. It's best if you add your agent little by little, until it has the desired effect. You should have a section of spare canvas or a surface on which you can check the consistency of your paint. As you thin your acrylics, you'll find tint and thickness also change. Take your palette knife and spread paint after adding your thinner to check if the consistency is as desirable as its hue. Gesso is a primer for the painting surface. It makes acrylic and oil paints adhere better to canvases and other surfaces. But you can also use gesso to thin and extend the paint, tinting your paint slightly with the color of the gesso. You can add gesso by stirring it in with your paint using a clean paintbrush. Using gesso with water or another thinning agent may cause your paint to become too thin.