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Getting started:
Acrylic pouring is incredibly messy but incredibly fun, even if you have never painted a day in your life. As long as you know some key methods and ingredients you will be able to consistently create beautiful pours.
Since originally writing this post, I have discovered an amazing ingredient that makes stunning cells without the use of a heat gun or torch.
Related: Sell Your Art
You are going to need:
- stretched canvases– You don’t want the thin canvases because they will warp.
- Acrylic paints– Apple Barrel is my budget friendly brand. Hobby Lobby carries my FAVORITE brand, Master’s Touch…and you can often find them half off. This is when I stock up on them.
- Floetrol– this can be found at any Lowe’s, Home Depot, or any home improvement store like that.
- Coconut Milk Serum– this is the ingredient that makes the cells without heat.
- Craft sticks are a must.
- Plastic cups– Do not waste your money on hard plastic cups (they crack when squeezed) or paper dixie cups (the bottom will fall out) From experience, can you tell:)
- Sheet plastic– you could use a tablecloth, shower curtain, or something similar to protect the surface you are working on. This WILL get messy. I love the sheet plastic because it is super durable, and the dried paint comes off super easy so you can use the same piece over and over.
- Scrap towels that you won’t mind ruining (to be able to wipe your hands as you are painting). These are the towels that I ordered over a year ago and they come in handy for crafting of all kinds.
This method of liquid pouring will make you question ever using a paint brush again. Kidding, not kidding. Totally up to you how much energy you want to put into it, and how meticulous you are in general with your creations.
Below is one of my favorites, just to give you an idea of what the final product can look like:
The painting damn near paints itself, but don’t fear messing with it a little bit to make the final product look the way YOU want.
Optional Items:
- Stylus Tools– These are great for touching up acrylic pours. You can create some really beautiful wisps and delicate swirls.
- Smock or apron– protect your clothes or just wear clothes you don’t care that get ruined. I have friends that take old big t-shirts, cut it down the middle in the front, and where it backwards to act as an apron.
The Acrylic Pour Painting Method:
Time to start setting up your workspace… Lay out your plastic sheeting, have your towels within reach, a cup filled with water. Grab your paints, serum, craft sticks, and Floetrol, . Put on your apron and you will be ready to go.
If this is your first pour ever, I would suggest using 3-4 colors tops until you get used to how the paints and additives flow together.
The results truly will be subjective to the brand of paint you use and the amount of serum you put in each cup. Use only ONE to TWO TOPS per color. If you use too much serum, the cool cells you achieve will just slide right off the canvas as it dries. Totally sucks when it happens, so my recommendation is to only use one single drop per color cup.
Step by step:
- Set out your 4 plastic cups for color, and one extra plastic cup for the final “dirty pour” mixture.
- Squeeze a nice 1/4 cup(ish) size of dollops of paint (of each color separately) into your plastic cups.
- Add double the amount of FLoetrol as you did paint per cup
- drop in ONE drop of serum per cup
- color one at a time
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Try crazy color combos.
Also, keep in mind that besides directly selling your acrylic pours you can also scan in and sell the photo of your paintings -or even take it a step further and digitize your work– to sell via Print On Demand Sites.
Personally I love selling professional prints for my absolute favorite works of art because I can still keep the original while also selling professional copies of them.
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