Sunday, February 11, 2018

Acrylic Pour Painting...

So we tried Acrylic Paint Pouring in advanced art club....
They loved it, everyone had a lot of fun.

1. You will need a drip pan and something to keep the canvas up off the pan.
I got these at the Dollar Tree. The pans come in a set of 2 for $1 and the grills are also in a set of 2 for $1. Can't beat the price and they are reusable. You can order from Dollar Tree and they will send it to your house or school. However on-line you have to order in bulk. If you want just a few you will need to go into the store.
Click HERE for the racks at Dollar Tree
Click HERE for the pans at Dollar Tree
I also use these trays to do shaving cream prints in.
I ordered 2 cases of these trays last year and I still have most of them.  

I am allergic to Acrylic paint so I keep gloves for the kids to wear if they want to use them.

I use canvas art boards because they come in bulk and are much cheeper then regular canvas. I do this project with art club, students pay $50 to be in art club all year so that covers a lot of fun things we art able to create. We are not allowed to use school supplies for art club so I have to charge a supply fee. The $50 also covers a club tee-shirt.


I use Floetrol to thin the acrylic paint. You can get this at Lowes or on Amazon.

You will also need little plastic shot cups to mix paint in.
I get these on Amazon. I like to use the clear cups so I can see the colors better.

You will need some type of Silicon lubricant. I use Treadmill oil, which you can get on Amazon or
 WD-40 Silicone, which I get at the Ace Hardware Store.

Since I am working in bulk with 30 kids at a time I got these great 8oz bottles on Amazon.
My paint formula is:
1/2 liquid Acrylic paint. I use Golden but it can be any kind you like.
1/4 water and 1/4 Flotrole 
This formula is a guesstament because it will depend on the type of acrylic paint you use. 
You want the end result to pour a little heavier than milk. 

So now we are ready to start...

I usually start with a little white in the bottom and then add a few drops of silicone.

Then start adding colors in layers...

I put a couple more drops of silicone in the middle...



A couple more drops of silicone on the top and....

then using a popsicle stick cut though the paint a couple of times. You do not want to stir up the paint, you are just cutting through it to move the silicone around.

Now you are ready to have some fun. Make sure the canvas is over the drip tray.

Place the canvas on top of the cup and then flip it over.

Do not lift the cup! 

Simply slide the cup around the canvas until there is a thin layer or paint covering the board.
Then move the cup to the center and pop it up quickly. I could not pop the cup up quickly and take a photo at the same time so you are going to have to take my word on this one!
This is called a Dirty Flip. There are names for all the different type pours.

Allow the colors to settle for a moment then slowly tilt the canvas to cover any unpainted spaces.
Do not wait too long or the paint will dry. Do not tilt too fast or you will lose your beautiful cells.
"Cells" is the term for the bubble spaces in your pour. Yes Acrylic pour painting has it's own language just like Zentangle.



You can also use a straw or canned air to blow out some additional cells.

You can also use a blow torch to bring out more cells. Do not hold the flame in one place to long. Hit it and move,  hit it and move people. You do not have to use the torch or the canned air, that is just a suggestion. 

I have a jewelry torch I got at a workshop at Donna Downey Studios. If you have
never taken a class there it is awesome. Her studio is in North Carolina and Donna and her husband are just wonderful? Click HERE for Donna's Website


And this is what your sink area will look like when you are trying to teach yourself how to do acrylic pour painting! Well that is what mine looked like anyway. If you follow my steps you will not have to bother with all that mess. I did the mess for you...Your welcome. 
Have fun!

11 comments:

  1. could I use a heat gun in place of the torch? The thought of a flame with some of my students has gray hairs popping out!

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    Replies
    1. The heat gun is to hot and burns the paint. I tried it and it bubbles up. Don’t be scared of the flame. It’s just a cooking torch. It is very easy to use. But you don’t have to use heat at all the cells still pop up.

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  2. Thanks for this instruction, a very good step by step help for beginners.

    Best regards, Thomas

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  3. Awesome blog post. It was so helpful to me. Thanks

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  4. I need help. I just tried my 2nd pour ever. And can't get cells. I used a pouring medium, water, paint and a little silicone. Nothing. Highly disappointed. And Iam gettimg lumps
    HELP !!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had to play around with it so much before I got it right. I mean a lot! The paints you use will cause there to be differences as well. I would try more silicone and no water. The blow torch helps a lot too. To be honest I did about 50 pours before I got the results I wanted. When you put the paint in the cup do not stir it up, just let it layer. I add silicone to the paint mixture and in the cup. I hope this helps. Be patient...you got this!

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    2. also try covering your board with white paint before you do the flip. That might help you as well.

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  5. I am getting air bubbles that show up after it drys and I also torch it

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    Replies
    1. Make sure you are using the torch ASAP after you pour. Also your paint may be too thick. How this helps

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