The Vallejo Company was established in 1965, in New Jersey, U.S.A. In the first years the company specialized in the manufacture of Film Color, waterbased acrylic colors for animated films (cartoons). In 1969 the company moved to Spain; in those years many important cartoon studios were based in Europe. The special qualities and unique formula of Film Color soon became known, and the product was used by most of the important studios on the continent.
In 1972 Amadeo Vallejo developed Acrylic Artist Color, the first acrylic for fine arts manufactured in Spain, and one of the first acrylic colors for artists produced in Europe. In this period, Vallejo also introduced Liquid Watercolor-colors for graphic design. In the year 1981, following suggestions by professors of the Fine Arts University of Barcelona, Vallejo presented Acrylic Studio- a range of high quality acrylic colors for fine arts in large size packaging (200 ml./6.76 fl.oz. and 500 ml./16.9 fl.oz. sizes, the first such presentation in artist colors worldwide) at a reduced and unified price. With this range, a result of the most careful selection of permanent artist pigments, avoiding the most expensive colors, such as cadmiums and cobalts, Vallejo created the line of colors which was to become a benchmark for the industry and the beginning of a new period of expansion for Acrylicos Vallejo.
