How to make the most fascinating Acrylic Pour ever.
Any beginner may create fantastic works of art straight away by learning how to create an acrylic pour! It can take some trial and error to get amazing results, but that is the whole point of this style. Experiment as much as your heart desires, there are no real rules to creating as long as you are enjoying what you are doing. However, with that said there are techniques and formulas for the paint that will help you in the pursuit of quality results.
I started painting with fluid acrylic about 6 years ago after watching a ton of videos and content on Youtube. A couple of my favorite Acrylic Pouring artists are Rinske Douna and Olga Solby. Both of these ladies are amazing artists and show new techniques weekly on their channels.
I still find myself getting lost in their work when I’m having artist’s block. For now, check them both out while I start developing my own process videos for you to view.
Before we get started let’s gather up our pouring supplies and do some prep work.
When you first get started you don’t have to have all of the items listed below. This is only a small sample of the materials I have so far gathered in my quest to create fascinating acrylic pours.
At the very minimum, you will need to get:
Your preferred acrylic paints
Some canvasses to experiment with
Blue Masking tape to protect the backs of the canvasses
Gloves if you prefer to keep your hands paint-free
Cups or Squeeze bottles to mix your paint in
Stir sticks to mix with
Craft Torch
Gesso to prime your canvas
Plastic drip cloths or a pouring tray to catch excess paint
Small cups or stands to place the canvas on to dry (not needed if using a tray)
A scale or some other preferred measuring tool
A pouring medium; Floetrol, Liquitex, Artists Loft
Here is a brief summary of the key steps in my process!
STEP 1: Mix your paints with your pouring medium. The ratio you need to use depends on a variety of factors such as what type of paint you’re using, what type of medium you’re using, and even the weather. There are a bunch to choose from and various ways to mix them. Pouring mediums and how you mix them are an integral part of the process of getting a great result.
STEP 2: Decide what pouring technique you want to try. There are many different acrylic pouring techniques out there, and with tons of new acrylic pouring techniques popping up all the time, it’s hard to keep up with them these days! Once you get some basic techniques down and understand how to mix your paints you can even create your own techniques as I have. For your first pour, I recommend a simple dirty flip cup or a ring pour.
STEP 3: Prepare your paints and canvas. Deciding what technique to use makes the difference on whether you are going to put all your paints in one cup layered, one cup layered slightly mixed, or directly onto the canvas. For a dirty pour, you will layer the paint in a cup.
STEP 4: Prep your canvas by adding a layer of Gesso before you work on it. Most canvases are pre-gessoed but every professor I had in Art School recommended adding another layer to really make sure the paint wouldn’t soak into the weave of the canvas. Remember we are working with Liquid Paints, an added layer of protection really helps.
STEP 5 (Optional): An extra step I take is covering the back of the frame with masking tape. This is to keep it clean from all the paint dripping off and adds a sense of professionalism (not needed for your experiments).
STEP 6: Now it’s time to paint! Watch the magic unfold as you finally pour your paint onto the canvas and tilt it around. You will use the craft torch once you are happy with your composition to pop the air bubbles in the paint. Be careful not to burn the paint.
Check out my latest dirty pour here.