Prime method for decanting paint from a container

Try these 5 basic acrylic pouring techniques. Keep notes of how your pour turned out, things you think of during the pour, and observations on what you want to change the next time you pour. Once you’ve mastered these, try our 16 Advanced Acrylic Pour Techniques.

5 Basic Acrylic Pour Techniques to Master

Painters find inspiration for their art in everyday life. Muses are discovered in the natural world, in family and friends, and in the mysterious and fantastic. In the 21 st century, the internet gives acrylic pouring artists an excess of material to emulate.

Fluid acrylic paint pouring techniques very widely depending on the artist, medium, pigment, and painting surface. The most basic acrylic pouring techniques are the traditional pour, the puddle pour, the dirty pour, the tree-ring pour, and the flip cup pour. While common, each of these fluid acrylic pour methods can produce amazing artwork.

When you master the subtleties of these basic pour techniques, you will find that the more involved techniques become easier to be successful with. Basic Acrylic Paint Pour Techniques

NOTE: During this article we will be referring to canvas as the painting surface for uniformity’s sake. You can use any painting surface you like with each of these methods. Some surfaces may require a priming or gesso coat before painting.

NOTE: Each of these paint pouring technique explanations assumes that you already know how to mix your acrylic paint to the “pouring” consistency used in most fluid acrylic pours. If this consistency needs to be changed it will be noted in the pouring technique explanation.

Traditional Pour

Traditional Pour Technique Example

The traditional acrylic pour is the most basic of all acrylic pouring techniques. This pour involves mixing paint in separate containers and then pouring the paint onto the canvas color by color.

The colors can be poured in a variety of different methods to create completely different pieces of art.

• easy to do
• painting has pure veins of color
• control of where each color goes

• colors do not interact with other colors very much
• harder to create complex designs.

• try sprinkling the paint on with your paint stick or a spoon rather than pouring everything.
• layer colors on top of each other at different intervals to create new colors and designs.
• use common shapes and patters to give some uniformity and familiarity to your pours.

Puddle Pour

Puddle Pour Technique Example

The puddle pour is a more uniform method based on the traditional pour. Rather than pouring the colors randomly on the canvas, you pour “puddles” of each color. You expand each of these puddles by pouring additional colors into the center of the puddle.

You can either pour large quantities so that the paint is very pronounced, or small quantities so that you get lots of color variation as the puddles expand.

• you have control of which colors interact with each other
• easy to create solid color patters

Puddle Pour Cons

• colors do not interact with other colors very much
• very little chance of cells or other interesting features

• try pouring many small puddles with multiple colors. Then when you tip and move your canvas to spread the paint those different puddles run into each other and create abstract shapes.
• on the flip side, if you use enough paint you can keep all your puddles naturally circular and you don’t have to tip and move your canvas at all.

What you will need

Surface

First up, think about the space you might like to hang or place your artwork. Then, choose a size that will work well in that area. You can go for a thick edge canvas, or even a thin edge canvas. If you want to take your artwork up a notch, try a round panel. These could be a canvas panel or even a thicker edge round wooden panel (you can prime this first with an acrylic gesso to really make your colour pop).

Acrylic Paint or Ink

Most acrylic paints will do the trick but we recommend a light body acrylic such as Matisse Flow Formula Acrylic Paints as it is easier to mix with the pouring medium. Worth noting when selecting your colours is the opacity or transparency of the colours you choose, since they will result in different effects once dried.

Alternatively, or for a more fluid effect, you can use an acrylic ink like Liquitex Acrylic Inks which are highly pigmented and will remain very vibrant once mixed into your pouring medium.

Pouring Medium

You can’t go past Liquitex’s Pouring Fluid Effect Medium. When combined with your acrylic paint or ink it creates a smooth and seamless mixture that will give your artwork a high gloss finish.

Other Supplies:

• Cups or containers for mixing
• Palette knives or paddle pop sticks (uncoloured) for mixing
• Drying rack
• Table cover or drop sheet
• Gloves
• Apron
• Silicone Oil (optional for creating ‘cells’)

Method

1. When using paint, mix approximately one tablespoon of paint or ink to one cup of Liquitex Pouring Medium. If using ink, add approximately 3-4 drops of the Liquitex Acrylics Inks to one cup of the Liquitex Pouring Medium.
2. Premix any custom colours prior to adding the medium.
3. Mix the colour and pouring medium using either a palette knife or paddle pop stick. Try to prevent bubbles by slowly and gently stirring and allow it to sit for 10 minutes after it is combined.
4. Prop your surface up on a few cups or on an old cooling rack to allow the paint to drip of the sides. You want your surface to be as flat as possible, consider using a spirit level to achieve this. We recommend covering the surface of your table or bench underneath, you could use a drop sheet or sheets of paper palettes (reverse side) and create a secondary artwork with your excess!
5. Pour your mixtures directly onto your surface. To help move that paint around and blend your colours, pick up your surface and tilt it in different directions, forcing the paint to move around and cover the surface.
6. Continue to pour as many colours as you like onto your artwork and manipulate the paint around by tilting it until you are happy with the outcome. Keep in mind that the paints may continue to move around on your artwork a little while it’s drying which is why it’s important to have a perfectly level surface so that all of your beautiful patterns don’t slide off your surface and onto the table!
7. Set back down on the cups or drying rack and allow up to 1-2 days drying time.

You can continue to add to your piece once dried, building up additional layers with further pours!

TIP: While your artwork begins to dry, you can use a heat gun or blowtorch on a low heat to pop any air bubbles that might be on the surface of your painting.

Tips and Techniques

“Dirty Pour”

If you’ve started to jump on the acrylic pouring trend then you may have already heard the term “dirty pour”. For this technique, follow steps 1 – 4 of the above, after which, all of your chosen colours are poured first into a single cup (but don’t mix it!). You then flip the cup top down onto your surface. Wait 3-4 seconds for the paint to move inside the cup then lift it up allowing the paint to flow out from the cup. Then proceed with moving the mixture around the surface.

Creating Cells

To create the cell like effect you can see in the image above, you can try adding a few drops of Helmar Silicone Oil to your individual colour and medium mixture prior to pouring.

Share your acrylic pour artworks with us! Tag us at #createwitheckersleys