Acrylic Paint Pouring

Dive into pools, puddles and wet-look rivers of color with our ultimate guide to POURING. From flawless Dutch pours
to dripping with Acrylic Inks, discover how to create and manipulate infinite streams of acrylic in a range of finishes and effects.

For the optimum finish use Liquitex Soft Body Acrylic and Liquitex Pouring Medium - our acrylic medium designed specifically for pour painting techniques. You'll get endless flowing color, in a choice of high gloss, matte, satin and iridescent, that dries without cracking.

Puddle Pour

Create perfect puddles of flat color using Liquitex Basics Pro Matte Pouring Medium...(read more) With a matte puddle pour you can achieve natural-looking organic effects with some precision. First coat your painting surface with pouring medium to give an extra cushion, then pour your pre-prepared colors mixed with mediums. Watch the pools expand and settle as you pour fresh colors wet on wet into their centers. Add a further layer of pouring medium around the edge and experiment with tools and tilts.

High Gloss Drip Pour

Use Liquitex Basics with Pro Gloss Pouring Medium for flowing vertical streams of acrylic color...(read more) Want to create a flawless, high gloss drip pour? Watch how we use Liquitex Basics with Pro Gloss Pouring Medium to create flowing vertical streams of acrylic color across the canvas. Here we use jam jars to mix and pour – you can use all kinds of vessels to create different intensities. Play with angles, experiment with timing and pouring multiple colors at once to achieve different layered effects with a crack-free, ultra smooth finish.

Acrylic Ink Pour

Liquitex Acrylic Ink will create fine streams of liquid color with no smudging or fading...(click to read more) Play with different consistencies and fluid mediums to get different results. The ultra-fluidity and high pigmentation of Liquitex Acrylic Ink will create fine streams of liquid color with no smudging or fading. Or try mixing Acrylic Ink with Pro Glazing Medium to create pours of superb vibrancy and transparency.

Dirty Pour

Use Liquitex Basics color with our Pro Iridescent Pouring Medium to create the perfect pearly metallic pours...(read more) Layer it up and turn it out. This is the DIRTY pour. Watch and find out how to use Liquitex Basics color with our Pro Iridescent Pouring Medium to create the perfect pearly metallic pours. Mix your colors into the medium (around 5% color to 95% medium is good) in separate jars, then layer up in one pot, put your painting surface on top, turn them over and see it flow. This technique creates sublime puddles of poured color with fantasy blends you can then drag out with a fork, or tilt to move around the surface. Leave to dry to a super-stable, high lustre, iridescent finish.

Dutch Pour

Use air to move poured paint and create unique soft blends and dramatic shapes...(read more)

Created by an artist from the Netherlands, the Dutch pour technique uses air to move poured paint on a surface to create unique soft blends and dramatic shapes. You can work with a hair dryer (with funnel attachment on), airbrush, canned air, straw or air compressor.

POUR PAINTING TIPS

  • Mixing a custom color? Do this before adding to the medium to ensure uniformity in the pour.
  • If you’re pouring with different colors, prep them all together so they’re all on hand when you start.
  • Take a heaped tablespoon of your color and mix with a cup of Liquitex Pouring Medium, stirring slowly with a palette knife. You can do this in a bowl or directly in your pouring vessel.
  • Blend gently to avoid making bubbles and let it sit for 10 minutes for any to
    disappear. into your pouring vessel if needed - a funnel can be handy here. You can use all kinds of holders, from a cup to squeezy bottle or jug. Experiment to get different effects.
  • Ready your painting surface. Prep it as you would any other work with gesso or a primer. Lie it on a secure, level worktable away from dust, fans and AC blowers as you want to stop airborne particles settling on the surface while its wet. Then pour the mixture slowly from your vessel onto your surface. Watch as it pools and moves. Experiment with
  • Use pouring medium not water. Unlike water, Pouring Medium will preserve the strength of your acrylic film and make sure it flows and dries fully.
  • Always allow at least 1-2 days of dry time depending on the thickness of your paint.

DRIP PAINTING WITH STRING GEL

Feeling inspired by Jackson Pollock’s spin and drip paintings? Experiment with pouring, dripping and brush techniques for different results.

Graphic Shapes with String Gel

Experiment with Liquitex Basics

String Gel & Pouring Medium

MORE IDEAS

  • Pour different color pools into each other when wet to achieve sharp dots or concentric circles Turn your support on its side and pour from top edge to create rivers of color and
    drip effects. Play with angles and quantity for different results.
  • Take a palette knife or fork and drag or blend multiple colors across the surface for a marbled effect.
  • Pour over dry layers for interesting color build-up effects.
  • Turn puddles into acrylic skins by pouring onto a glass surface. Treat the surface with a mold release or quick release spray for easy removal when dry. Peel off carefully when fully dry; then sew, glue, hang or roll for different sculptural effects.