My paint by numbers paints have become thick. How can I soften my paints?

Sometime due to a busy schedule in life, many people couldn't finish their painting project, some even didn't start the painting until a year later. By the time, they managed to get back to painting, they discover that the acrylic paints have thicken or dried up.

So what to do in that situation? Can the paints be soften and returned to its original condition?

As long as the paint has not become a hard rubber, most of the time you can return it to its original condition or at least a usable condition.

Here are the steps by steps:

Step 1: Add a few drop of water into the paint pot. Stir and mix the water with the paint together for a few seconds.

Step 2: Add a few more drop of water and dip the paint under the water. Make sure to balance the amount of paints left with the amount of water, so that it's not too watery. Leave the lid open overnight.

Step 3: In the next morning, you will notice that the thick paint has absorbed some of the water overnight and has become very soft. Stir and mix the paint together. There you have it, you will have a usable paint again.

Tip 1: Acrylic paint is a water based paint, so it mixes well with water and will soften a thickened paint once mixed with water and allow time to absorb in the water.

Tip 2: Acrylic paint can usually last between 6 - 12 months. So ensure that you complete your painting within this timeframe. But for some reason if you are unable to complete the painting, a suggestion is to add some water into the paint pot to keep the paint wet and moist. Close the paint pot lid tight. This will ensure that the paint stays wet when you are coming back to paint it again in a few months time.

Hope this helps.