Acrylic Paint Pouring

.

How would you like to let your creativity truly flow? 

Acrylic Paint Pouring is a technique for producing beautiful, completely unique artwork with an unpredictable, almost marble-esque pattern & a smooth, satisfying finish. 

Today, we’ll be introducing you to the world of Acrylic Paint Pouring, covering the essential materials to get the ideas flowing!

.

.

There are several factors to consider when choosing the “right” Acrylic Paint, chief amongst them being the overall consistency (or “body”) of the paint itself, as this can affect the finished pour.  Below are several prominent, popular options with the ideal consistency for starting out on your Pouring journey.

Student

Student-Quality acrylics are designed as a cost-effective alternative to “traditional” options.  Made using primarily synthetic pigments for bold, vibrant colours, their viscosity sits somewhere between traditional Soft or Heavy options, making them an ideal introductory material for Paint Pouring. 

Available both individually or in curated sets, ranges like Graduate, Galeria, Abstract or System3 feature a broad range of bold, vibrant colours ideal for experimentation.

Soft Body

Available from both Liquitex & GOLDEN, Soft Body (or Fluid) acrylics are an excellent middle ground with a range of capabilities.  As their name may suggest, they have a slightly thinner consistency than their Heavy Body counterparts, described as being closer to a “heavy cream”.

Ideal for Pouring Art, their low viscosity offers smooth blending & layering, with the use of less medium overall.  Along with this, the high pigment concentration ensures your colours remain vivid.

Inks

Made using artist-quality pigments suspended in a fluid acrylic emulsion, Acrylic Inks are a liquid medium offering exceptional versatility.

Available from Daler-Rowney or Liquitex, their milk-like consistency lends itself naturally to Paint Pouring.

.

.

Available from Liquitex, GOLDEN & others, Pouring Mediums come in a smorgasbord of sizes or finishes, dependent on your tastes.  Below are some examples to get you started.

GOLDEN Acrylics

Part of their impressive range of artists’ materials, Pouring Mediums from GOLDEN are self-levelling, low crazing extenders specially developed for use with Acrylic Colours. 

Available in secure, air-tight jars with either a velvety Matte or shining Gloss finish.

Liquitex Pouring Mediums

Sporting the widest array of options available today, the professional-quality Liquitex Pouring Medium range offers every artist the opportunity to truly express themselves through their work.

Made using a specially developed formula, their honey-like consistency provides exceptional control & adhesion for an even spread of colour.  During the drying process, these self-levelling mediums actively expel trapped air, reducing blemishes for a satisfyingly smooth surface finish.

Available in a smooth Matte, an attractive Gloss or an eye-catching Iridescent finish across a wide range of individual sizes, they’re perfect for the next step in your Pouring journey!

Pebeo Silicone Oil

A popular additive for Pouring Art, Silicone Oil produces surreal cells, psychedelic fractals & a variety of other unique, beautiful effects!

Featuring a convenient pipette built directly into the lid, only 2-3 drops of this powerful medium are needed to achieve all of this, so we would recommend using the convenient in-built pipette to apply it incrementally.  Remember, too much Silicone Oil can potentially cause "holes" to appear in your work!

.

.

Pouring Art is an incredibly versatile technique & as such, can be applied to a wide range of surfaces.  Stretched canvas as a reliable go-to, with a variety of options from ourselves, Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney and more found in our Stretched Canvas category.

However, surfaces with more tensile strength provide additional support for a wider range of techniques, so we’ve listed some suggestions below.

C&W Cotton Canvas Board

Made using 100% heavyweight cotton secured to 3mm thick MDF boards, our range of Cotton Canvas Boards offer an affordable, accessible range available in a variety of sizes.  The heavyweight 260gsm cotton canvas has been securely stretched over robust MDF boards & prepared with several layers of acid-free primer for a lightweight, easy-to-store surface suitable for vigorous applications.

C&W Gesso Panels

Available in a range of sizes, our Deep Edge Gesso Panels feature an MDF surface supported by a robust, 3.8cm deep pine wood frame & pre-primed with an acid-free, archival-quality gesso.  The highly absorbent, vellum-like finish has a warm white tone to draw attention to your work without overwhelming your composition & the 3.8cm / 1.5” depth makes it easy to achieve three-dimensional effects.

C&W Unprimed Wooden Panels

Similar to the above, our Unprimed Wood Panels offer an easy-to-use cradled support ideal for a variety of thick, heavy applications & mixed media projects.  Supported by a lightweight, 1.9cm / 0.75” deep beech wood frame, their durable birch wood surface has been hand-sanded to a smooth finish & can be left plain for a more rustic approach or prepared with a variety of gessoes, primers or mediums such as the Cowling & Wilcox Gesso Primer.

Daler-Rowney FW Mixed-Media Canvas

Available in packs of several sizes, this range from Daler-Rowney features a specially designed rigid surface ideal for liquid art techniques including pouring or ink applications.  Featuring three layers of acid-free primer, their medium grain canvas surface is stretched over a traditional wooden frame & supplemented by the addition of a rigid board beneath the stretched canvas.

.

For more on this amazing technique, click here to browse our dedicated Paint Pouring category!