Acrylic paints become darker when dry, since the dispersion is white in nature, and after evaporation of the water it becomes transparent. They can also be used as an alternative to oil paints using well known techniques. They dry very quickly - this is their advantage over other paints. It can be applied both in a very liquid, diluted state (diluted with water), and in a pasty state, thickened with special thickeners used by artists, while acrylic does not form cracks, unlike oil paints.