Acrylic Pouring Techniques – A Comprehensive Guide

Do you wish to create those captivating pieces of art that you have seen artists make by pouring colorful acrylic paints? Well, I understand the urge; their beauty is certainly undeniable. But the problem with pouring is that it is too random, and you never know what you’ll end up with. Right?

But do not worry, because that is exactly what you’ll learn in this comprehensive guide. As a matter of fact, by the time you finish reading this guide, the problem of randomness will turn into an advantage. 

In this guide, I will cover everything related to acrylic pouring techniques from the most basic concepts to the most advanced techniques. Therefore, beginners as well as experts can benefit from this alike. 

Now without further waiting, let’s first understand what the acrylic pouring technique really is

What Is Acrylic Pouring?

Acrylic pouring is an art form that involves pouring paints mixed with additives to make appealing abstract designs and visuals. It is basically an abstract fluid art. 

In acrylic pouring, as the name suggests, the artist relies on pouring, moving the medium, and manipulating the paint’s consistency to make designs. 

The process of making it is just like its results, ‘random’. This is also the best thing about abstract art that makes it so subjective. There are no absolutes; only inspirations to learn from and follow. It is just a play between your imagination and the art equipment. Talking of equipment, let’s see what you need to try acrylic pouring art. 

Equipment For Acrylic Pouring

Though it might seem like you only need paints and a surface, there goes a lot of stuff into paints to make them look like they do. Here’s everything you’d need to make a simple acrylic pouring art. 

As you can see, the equipment names here are too general. That’s because there is no one type of paint, medium to any other tool for all types of acrylic pouring. The options are as vast as the abstract art itself. 

Understanding Acrylic Pouring Tools In Detail

To understand what tools you’d need beside you before venturing into this art form, let’s look into each category. 

Types Of Acrylic Paints

There are three types of acrylic paints used in the acrylic pouring technique

1. Heavy Body Acrylics: 

These paints have a thick, dense consistency. This viscous flow makes them an ideal paint type to work with a brush as they capture each stroke of the brush and freeze it in time. 

Although they are too thick to be used for pouring in their raw form, their sharp and permanent colors make them desirable for such art work. Therefore, artists mix different paints and solutions to make them thinner and usable for pouring techniques.

Though it may seem like a lot of hard work, the dedication is worth the results if you have the patience and skill to use it. However, if you simply want to play with the paint on medium, as is the case in acrylic pouring, then they won’t work. 

2. Soft Body Acrylics: 

These acrylic paints have a viscosity in between the heavy body acrylics and fluid acrylics. They are not neither like water nor retain the texture of brush strokes on it. However, they make ideal acrylic pouring paint with minimal mixing with additives. 

Soft-body and heavy-body acrylics look the same visually, the difference is in how they behave to the artists’ demands. Heavy body paints are much more difficult to mold and move at command. On the other hand, the soft-body ones are much easier to work with.

3. Fluid Acrylics:

These are the least viscous of all the acrylic paints and have almost a watery flow and consistency.

Moreover, they are also available in ready-to-use form without any need for further mixing and stirring. This also allows first-time users to try acrylic pouring with no prior experience.

The only limitation is that their ready-to-go form has limited variety – a basic necessity for creative artists. Therefore, they are then mixed with other paints to get the desired color and shade.

Different Acrylic Painting Surfaces

Different surfaces have different textures and adherence properties for the paint. This makes the flow of paint different on each surface. Therefore, each artist has their favored surfaces for different acrylic pouring technique.

Here is an overview of some famous surfaces used for acrylic pouring painting. 

1. Canvas: Canvas is the most famous painting surface not only for abstract painting but for all types of paintings. It is a coarse cloth that is stretched on a frame. This is the most preferred surface for beginners as well as expert artists. However, it is relatively costly compared to other options. 

2. Paper: No, not the paper torn from your school notebook. There are dedicated papers for acrylic paintings. They come in all shapes, sizes and thickness. A paper of a larger size and thickness can make a great surface for acrylic pouring. This is a great option especially if you are just starting out and need to make lots of mistakes before finally making a serious attempt. 

3. Wood: Wood panels contain internal ridges and grooves that when paint follows, make natural designs and eye-catching patterns. This removes the need for manually directing the paint. However, if you do not want that, the wood can be smoothed simply with a layer of acrylic gesso. 

4. Acrylic Sheets: Acrylic sheets are a surface specifically made for acrylic paints and therefore work best with these types of paints. They offer a sleek surface for the paints to flow. They can be transparent to opaque depending upon the artist’s choice. 

5. Glass: Glass works just like a transparent acrylic sheet but is much cheaper. They are used in techniques like reverse painting and mixed media collage. They come in all thicknesses and tints. The color of the glass can produce beautiful effects when combined with paints and the right lighting. 

6. Metal: Metal provides the sturdiest surface and frame for acrylic pouring. The surface can be made even smoother with a layer of gesso. 

8. Mixed Media Surfaces: Mixed media surfaces combine more than one type of surface and elements to be used in acrylic pouring. It creates beautiful effects with multiple backgrounds and paints. This gives space for a wide range of experimentation to make art. 

Acrylic Pouring Paint Additives 

Acrylic paints are not usable in their original form, there are a lot of additives and blends that make the color and consistency right for the canvas.

1. Pouring Medium

Pouring medium is the simplest and most commonly used additive used in acrylic pouring paints. Unlike other additives, this is specifically formulated to be used for diluting acrylic paints. 

Using it is simple – open the bottle cap and add the medium into the paint while constantly checking the consistency of the paint. Stop adding any further when you feel the consistency is now exactly as needed.

It is because of its simple and easy-to-use nature that it is a must-have additive when starting acrylic pouring painting.

However, the pouring medium only changes the thickness of the paint, without changing its color or adhesion to the surface, and flow. To change these factors, you need some other additives.

2. Flow Improver

Flow improver, well, improves the flow of acrylic paints. It basically increases the paint adhesion to the surface, promoting better coverage of the surface, increased flow, and smoother pour. It also avoids paint splashes when poured onto a surface.

3. Acrylic Retarder

Acrylic paints are normally thick, which helps in controlling their movement to make desired patterns. However, this thickness makes them prone to drying out quite quickly.

So, instead of choosing either control or longevity, we can simply use an acrylic retarder, and choose both. It slows down the drying time of the paint, allowing you to play with the paint until it creates the best pattern and design.

5. Alcohol

Paint, as you know, has surface tension, which helps us make continuous unbroken patterns. But if you wish to make patterns with blocks and sections, then adding alcohol in the isopropyl alcohol does the job.

It breaks the surface tension of the paint and appears as streams on the surface of the painting, making enchanting web-like patterns.

5. Silicone Oil:

Simply laying out paints on a canvas is sometimes too bland, what about a twist? Silicon oil does exactly that. Just as oil forms bubbles in the water that arise to the top, silicone oil does the same in acrylic paints, but permanently.

The designs are not entirely random. The formation of bubbles and cell-like patterns on the surface of the painting can be controlled by adjusting the pouring height, paint thickness, and drying time.

6. Water

Water reduces the consistency of the acrylic paint, but unlike the pouring medium, it also slightly thins the color and adhesive properties of the paint. Only a very small amount of water is added normally.

Acrylic Pouring Design Tools

Though it may appear that using design tools is not really an important aspect of the acrylic pouring technique because after all, anything can be used for this purpose. Right? Well… yes and also no.

While anything can be used for this purpose, each and everything produces specific designs that no other thing can form exactly similar.

Using a fork will make a different design than using a spoon. You can only find out what works best for you by experimenting with different tools.

As mentioned earlier, it can be anything. A few commonly used ones are palette knives, paintbrushes, combs, straws, droppers, pipettes, sponges, string, yarn, and spray bottles.

Getting The Pouring Technique Right

It is correct that abstract art is all about going with the flow and doing whatever you feel like doing creatively. However, you will notice that your abstract art pieces as a beginner look different from those you made after a month of painting.

This is because you are getting the technique right. However, there is no need to waste all that time and expensive paints through hit and trial. You can get your technique right simply by understanding the points below.

Mastering The Consistency 

Paint consistency is probably the most important factor when it comes to getting perfect results in the acrylic pouring technique. You can master consistency as quickly as possible by doing the following

• Check whether the consistency is right or not by pouring a few ounces of paint on a spare surface.
• If it is thicker than required, add pouring medium, or water. 
• If it is thinner than required, add heavy-body acrylic paint. 
• Repeat, until the right consistency is achieved. 

If you are wondering what the right consistency is, then it is simply whatever gives you the best results and pleasure while playing with the acrylic pouring technique. 

Understanding The Color Theory

Art is about expressing yourself, and the right combination of colors does one hell of a job in doing that. Since abstract art does not always involve any definite or recognizable shapes, color is all we are left with to express our creative imagination. 

Understanding the color selection, their combinations, and contrast can help you better decide where to use which colors to express what. 

However, doing so is not simple. Understanding the colors is an important subject in itself. The color “theory” is still an under-research science that explains how certain combinations of colors are more appealing and expressive to human perception than others. 

Though “why” may be a philosophical question, we can take benefit from the “what”. Learning what colors evoke which emotions, and using the colors to evoke desired feelings is common in abstract art.

Acrylic Pouring Techniques 

Okay, so you’ve learned everything you need to know before attempting acrylic pouring, but are there any techniques for practically pouring on the surface? Yes, there are. 

They are categorized as basic and advanced acrylic pouring techniques to cater to the skills of both beginners and experts. 

Basic Acrylic Pouring Techniques

Basic acrylic techniques are comparatively simple processes that involve pouring paints in specific patterns and manipulating them. The outcomes are still random, and the artist has little control over the final result. 

– Dirty Pour

In this technique, you just fill the cup with the desired color acrylic paints one after the other, making layers. And then pour it onto the canvas with any hand movement. 

Two things here will decide the final design. The colors; their combinations and quantity, and the other thing is the hand movement. While both of these things are in your control, the end result is still more or less random. However, after some practice, you can predict the design pattern.

You can also make other changes to the design as well. With tools like a fork, spoon, etc. you can make different patterns to the otherwise natural movement and drying of acrylic paint. 

– Flip Cup Pour

This technique also uses a cup, but with a twist. The twist is that you fill up a cup and place the canvas “on” it. Then turn the whole setup upside down. Now slowly move the cup upwards at your preferred pace. 

Here, again, two things decide the design, but further changes can be made manually with tools. The first is the colors and the other is the pace with which the cup is moved upwards. 

– Swipe Technique

In this technique, you lay out lines, or any shape, of the desired colors in any combination. Then use a tool like a palette knife or a piece of cardboard to swipe the paints across the whole surface. 

This creates a flowy pattern and is effective in making fluid designs.

Advanced Acrylic Pouring Techniques

Advanced acrylic pouring techniques use more than just specific hand movements and paints. Here, you will need additional tools to manipulate the results. This manipulation helps in controlling the end results to a greater degree. 

– Dutch Pour

In this technique, diluted acrylic paints are poured on the surface. The pour may be a direct, concentrated puddle, or any other way. Then a hairdresser is used to spread the paint on the whole surface. 

It creates intricate patterns when paint moves with the pressure of air. Moreover, the artist controls the direction and movement of the paint, predicting the end result. 

– String Pull Technique

Here, the poured acrylic paint is spread on the whole surface with a piece of string stretched by both hands. 

This technique might sound similar to the swipe technique, but it is not. This is because, with thread, only a small amount of paint is swiped. Each string pull creates a different combination of colors and hence a different unique design. 

– Puddle Pour

In puddle pour, you pour all the colors on the canvas one by one, making a puddle of paint. The different colored acrylics make a captivating circular design that is then spread on the whole canvas by tilting and moving the canvas. 

You might end up spilling the paint in the start, but with experience, you’ll learn how to make beautiful designs with the right moves. The design is different every time depending on the tilt movement and paint color combinations. 

Finishing Touches

Okay, the painting done, but it’s still lacking that shine you see in those acrylic pouring paintings at the displays? I understand. What your painting is lacking is actually the finishing touch.

The finishing touch is simply applying a varnish to a thoroughly dried acrylic pouring painting. This not only makes it glossy, shiny, and polished but also solves another problem. 

As we know, the paint stays on the canvas because it has some adhesive properties. These properties are however true for the exposed side of the paint as well, which can catch dust, spores, and other contaminants. Therefore, it must be sealed. 

Good thing that another name for acrylic varnish is sealant. The finishing touch for acrylic pouring painting is literally just a touch of varnish or epoxy resin. 

Conclusion:

Now that you know all the prerequisites of the acrylic pouring technique, it must be obvious that there are no absolutes here. There are infinite techniques, ways, and methods to do the technique. Just like other abstract arts, the possibilities are endless. The only condition is that you have to try it yourself. So, without any further wait, start your Artventure now!