How to create acrylic pour painting on glass:

1. Select paints and glass object 
2. Combine acrylic paint colors
3. Prepare glass for paint and clear a work area
4. Pour paint onto glass in unique patterns
5. Let dry
6. Finish with sealer or varnish

Not only will we explain the best practices for cool acrylic pour painting results but share some interesting techniques to try on different glass materials. This style of painting is freeform, allowing you to be creative and giving you different results each time so that no two pieces will be exactly the same.

How to Make Acrylic Pour Paintings on Glass

The steps for acrylic pour painting are fairly similar from material to material. They all involve combining acrylic paints and pouring them in different patterns onto an object. In this case, we will be using glass as our workpiece. Glass is particularly interesting for this style of painting because you can see the patterns from all sides (depending on the shape and finish of the glass object).

You should follow these steps to create unique acrylic pour paintings on glass:

1. Select paint: The wide variety of acrylic paints can make choices more difficult. Because glass will allow light to shine through, you will want rich and vibrant colors that will properly cover the glass (unless you want a more opaque, or solid non-transparent, look). 
2. Choose glass objects: The glass you choose will be largely dependent on the project. We recommend using clear glass to get the most color visibility, but any colored glass will do based on your preference and design.  Mirrors also work well as a glass surface although they can only be view from one side.
3. Combine acrylic paints: Pour acrylic paints into a cup or any container that will be easy to pour. The colors you pour into the cup first will often be the last to show up on the glass. The proportions of colors will dictate how much of each end up on the glass. You will also want to add some water or a flowing medium to the paint to make it runnier and easier to spread on the glass.   See our article on Preparing Acrylic Paint for Pouring for additional directions.
4. Prepare glass for painting: To allow the paint to properly adhere to the glass, you will want to make sure that the glass has been cleaned and is free of any debris or dust. This will not only create imperfections but could result in the paint not sticking or flicking off in the future. You should also keep the glass raised (and level) so that the paint can drip off the edges so that it does not pool at the bottom or around the edges.  
5. Pour paint: Make sure you pour the paint slowly to allow for the most exposure of colors. There are multiple techniques for doing this that we will discuss later. Try to cover the entire area to maximize paint usage and complete the look.
6. Allow for drying: You will need to give ample time for the piece to dry properly. Acrylic paint pours are general dry to the touch after 24-48 hours but are not completely cured for 3 weeks or longer depending on the size of the surface.  Allowing the paint to fully cure before adding additional layers or sealing the paint will help prevent crack, crazing, and other imperfections.
7. Add a seal or varnish: Because the exposed paint may look unfinished or flake off with time, we recommend adding a clear coat to seal the project. This will provide the greatest durability and give the glass a ‘finished’ look.

The procedure is quite similar for all acrylic pour painting projects, with the primary concerns for glass being, (1) using a clean surface, and (2) choosing quality paints that do not appear too translucent (unless that is the preferred style).

Different Styling Techniques for Acrylic Pour Painting

There are different styles and techniques you can try for your acrylic pour painting on glass. These will allow you to create various patterns and cool designs that can make each piece unique from one another. Because not every pour of paint into your cup will land the same, you are going to get a new result every time, even if you use the same amounts of paint.

Here are some cool pour painting techniques to try for varied results:

• Individual color pour: Instead of mixing the colors in one cup beforehand, you can pour individual colors on top of each other to create more dramatic and block coloring looks. You can move the glass to spread these colors out.
• Dirty pour: This is a common technique where colors are combined to make a more mixed color pattern.
• Direct pours: Pour the acrylic paint in one location and let the pool expand or fall to cover the entire piece of glass (movement will be dictated by the shape of the surface). On flat surfaces, this may be more difficult as the paint becomes thick and may not naturally flow to the outer ends of the glass.
• Flip cup pour: This will require a flat glass surface, where you will place the cup (filled with different paint colors) directly onto the surface and then lift it so that the paint falls out and on top of each other for a stacked paint look.
• Patterned pours: Only cover specific areas of the glass and then shift the glass to move the paint in desired directions. You can add additional paint mixtures to the open areas once arranged for a wavy appearance. Or, if desired, leave parts of the glass exposed for a stark contrast between the bare glass and paint.
• Feathered pattern: In a cup, add your base color and then add additional colors to one side of the cup, for your feathers, swirl paint in the cup and then continue to add your base and accent color to one side. Pour onto the glass with a small side to side motion. You can check out a tutorial of it in this video.

There is no ‘right way’ to do any acrylic pour painting as there are so many different design ideas and ways of achieving cool results. Some of the techniques mentioned above will give you a unique variety of options for the application. Varying the orientation of paint in the cup will often result in a different pattern every time.

Additional pouring techniques can be found in our articles 5 Beginner Pouring Techniques and 16 Advanced Pouring Techniques. 

Project Ideas for Acrylic Pour Painting on Glass

Selecting the glass object, you will be using may oftentimes dictate the best technique based on its shape and ability to hold. Any glass surface will hold acrylic paint as long as it has been cleaned and is free of dust.

These are some popular ideas for projects you can apply the acrylic pour painting style to:

• Jars and vases: These are among the most popular to paint because they provide rich designs to the outside of glass containers with large surface areas. You’ll be able to catch the details of different colors and large patterns as they run down the surface.
• Slabs of Glass: A flat piece of glass will best mimic a traditional canvas, allowing you to experiment with many of the techniques mentioned above. On a large window-like piece of glass, you can create unique waterfall techniques that use gravity to draw out the different designs and colors.
• Glass figures: The pour painting technique looks particularly interesting on a glass figure because of all the ridges and edges that the pattern runs along. It can draw the eye to certain shadows and curves that add another element of depth to your project.
• Decorative containers: Similar to jars, try this technique on decorative dishes, bowls for holding your keys, and other containers that may be displayed around a home or office.
• Mirrors: Mirrors are excellent glass surfaces to paint on.  Many mirrors have interesting frames that can either be poured on or painting a complementary color to help the pour “pop”. 

We do not recommend putting acrylic paint on glass dishware as they are not safe to consume. Acrylic paint can be used on the outside of dishware where there will be no contact with food or drinks, but this is very difficult to achieve with a pour painting technique. Acrylic paints that contain oil or enamel are toxic, while water-based are not (but they will usually wash off).

Four Tips for Best Acrylic Pour Painting Results

There are plenty of opportunities for our artwork to end up much different than we had anticipated. While following the directions for acrylic pour painting, you may still find that the results aren’t like the examples you’ve admired. We have compiled some tips that will help you achieve consistency in your projects.

It is also important to recognize that results are going to vary when applying to glass versus other surfaces. If you find a pattern you like on fabric canvas, it will most likely look different when applied to a smooth and slick surface like glass.

Our tips are going to cover four main areas:

1. Color selection and theory
2. Worksurface conditions
3. Paint composition
4. Drying protocol

These are all important factors in making your acrylic pour paintings on glass really stand out.

1.      Color Selection and Theory for Acrylic Pour Painting

One of the best parts about acrylic pour painting is choosing your colors. While this is free form and highly customizable, there is some theory and technique around the best color combinations. These are merely recommendations, but they tend to achieve more desirable outcomes.

Here are some tips for choosing colors that work well together:

• Model eye-catching objects: If you see a painting or piece of art that draws you in, consider these colors for your painting on glass. This could also be something you find in nature, such as a peacock’s feather with its rich greens, blues, purples, and golds. Colors that you are drawn to often work well together, and you can achieve similar results for your art. This pleasing color effect is also known as harmony.
• Pre-made color schemes: In the event you are having a hard time coming up with a color scheme, there are many design programs that will do this for you. Start with a color that you love and let the program apply other colors that work well with it.
• Contrast: Applying colors that vary from each other (contrast) in pours will allow for the best visibility of different designs and patterns. This could be very stark differences in color or comparisons between dark and light. You can also contrast warm and cold colors against one another.

Your color preferences will dictate how you choose to combine colors, but providing these interesting juxtapositions between various colors will allow you to create really interesting pieces of art.

2.      Work Surface Conditions for Acrylic Pour Painting

Your work surface can impact the outcomes of your acrylic pour paintings, where the pour looks one way, and the end result gives you something else. This can make pour paintings rather unpredictable, especially when you fell in love with how the pour looked. One of the most important things to consider for your work surface is keeping it level.

Whether working with a vase or a flat piece of glass, if it is not straight or level, the paint will drive toward the portion of the pieces that are tilted slightly downward. This can shift the entire pattern in one direction and alter your results. Make sure you are keeping the surface level, with small stands, or ensuring that the bottom of the glass itself is flat.

We recommend using stands for your acrylic pour paintings so that the edges of your glass piece can allow the paint to drip off rather than to pool. This pooling may lead to some areas being thicker than others or creating clumps.

3.      Paint Composition for Acrylic Pour Painting

Your paint composition has a large impact on your results. Most acrylic paints are too thick to pour without some additives. Typically, you will want to add an acrylic medium or water to thin the paints to your desired consistency.

• Many acrylic pouring mediums should be used in a ratio of 2:1, with paint making up the smaller portion of the mixture.
• Add more as needed until you come out with your desired thickness. You can check this by letting your paint stirrer drip over the cup of paint. If it incorporates smoothly into the paint, it is the right thickness. If the paint is too thin, it will create a small depression with this same test and may not adhere properly to the glass.   For 3-d glass objects slightly thicker mixtures will help cover the more vertical oriented parts of the object.

4.      Drying Protocol

The paint composition will also impact the drying process. To properly dry your acrylic pour paintings, keep these tips in mind:

• Ensure paint is not too thick: Really thick paint will have a hard time drying and will result in different texturing on the glass surface. Make sure all the paints are the same consistency so that they do not run over one another, leading to longer drying times and changes in appearance.
• Keep out of direct heat sources: While this may speed up the drying process, if the surface of the paint dries too quickly, it may result in cracking as the top layer contracts more quickly than the bottom layers.
• Wait for drying before varnish: The paintings should be completed dried before you add a sealer. Otherwise, you are trapping wet paint inside of the sealant which may also cause cracking, crazing, or rippling of the varnish or underlying paints.

Acrylic Pour Painting on Glass

The acrylic pour painting technique provides a range of possibilities for unique pieces of art. With the smooth and clear surface glass offers, you can watch the patterns and colors make their way down the canvas and result in mesmerizing finishes that can be displayed on any glass object.

The beautiful look created by the swipe technique, also known as the acrylic pour and swipe,  can be achieved by following these simple steps: Gather Your Supplies, Mix Your Paint, Pour Your Base, Swipe, Torch, and finally Tilt and Add Paint to Cover. 

We’ll be diving into each one of these steps in greater detail below.  By following these 6 simple steps you should be well on your way to becoming an acrylic swipe painting master.

Gather Your Supplies (1)

The first thing we need to do when preparing for an acrylic pour swipe is to gather all the materials that we will need.  A paint swipe is different compared to many other techniques only in that you need a tool to do your swipe with.

Swipe Pour Materials

• Paint – Review our article on the Best Acrylic Paint for Pouring.
• Pouring Medium – Glue-All or Floetrol for beginners.
• Painting Surface – Canvas or wood board
• Mixing Cup
• Mixing Sticks
• Distilled Water
• Something to catch drips – This can be plastic sheeting, a silicone mat, a disposable cooking tray or multiple other items.
• Scale – for those of you like me that want to make sure our proportions are correct
• Swipe Tool – For beginners, we recommend a wet paper towel.  See section Swipe (4) for other options.
• Silicone or Dimethicone (optional)

Mix Your Paint (2)

This step is arguably the most important step when doing any type of acrylic paint pour.  The consistency of your paint can make or break your swipe pour painting. 

For a swipe, we want the paint consistency of the swipe color to be slightly thinner than a base acrylic pour.  This ensures that the swipe paint can easily glide across the base paint without getting too caught up in each other. 

If the paints are too thick, the swipe just pulls the base paint with it instead of creating a very thin layer of paint across the swipe surface areas.  There are some artists that use thicker paints for a paint swipe, but they take more than a little practice to master so we’ll be sticking with a more common consistency.

Two Acrylic Pour Mix Recipes

Here are two of the acrylic pour recipes that we use for our swipe pour paintings.

Floetrol – Mix 2 parts floetrol to one part paint.

Elmer’s Glue-All – Create your pouring medium with 60% Elmer’s Glue-All to 40% water. Once that is done, use one part paint to two parts pouring medium.

For thick paints like heavy body acrylics, you may need to add a little more water. For craft paints and soft body acrylics, they will be close to the right consistency already but may need a drop or two more water.

Small Mound and Disappear Consistency

To measure consistency, we are using our mixing stick and pulling a good glob of paint out of the paint cup and dripping it back into the cup from about one inch away from the rest of the paint.

This consistency we are looking for is for the paint to drip onto the surface of the paint, create a small mound, and then immediately disappear.  We generally use a double-wide popsicle stick. 

A small popsicle stick would create a very small mound and disappear.  A spoon or other stir utensil will not create much of a mound at all because more paint comes off at a time.

Swipe Color Should Be Higher Weight/Density

For a beginner, we recommend you use a titanium white as your swipe color.  This color has a higher weight/density compared to other paints. See our Acrylic Paint Density Chart to determine your paint’s density.

When you swipe a higher density of paint over the top of a lower density paint, it is going to try and sink into the “lighter” paint.  This is the key to creating cells and lacing that we see in an acrylic swipe painting.

Some other colors that seem to have a higher paint density than other colors that could also be used as a swipe color are the cerulean blues, yellow and red oxides, mars black, and cadmium colors.

Get a more details explanation on why paint weight/density matters when creating cells and lacing in our article Acrylic Pour Cells: Everything You Need to Know.

Add Silicone for Cells

Most artists use pure silicone or dimethicone to help facilitate the creation of lacing and cells in their acrylic pours. 

Silicone should only be used in the base colors and not in the swipe color.  The idea is that the silicone either sits on the surface of the base coast or is coaxed up through the base coat and breaks through the swipe color on top letting the base colors show through.

Our recommendation for beginners is to use 1 drop of silicone per 2 ounces of paint.  In a 4 oz cup of paint, you would use 2 drops of silicone.  A little silicone goes a LONG way and too much will ruin your painting.

If you do not use silicone or dimethicone in your swipe base colors, you will most likely get a ton of very small cells.  The swipe color will also stay on top of the other colors in your places making it look more like a wash over the top of your painting.

Pour Your Base (3)

There are many ways to pour the base of your acrylic pour swipe.  Almost any other acrylic pour technique can be used.

Our two favorite techniques are the traditional pour and a basic dirty pour. 

The straight pour we choose to do most is just rows of different color paints all along the painting surface.  This is a great base because once the swipe is done you can see the bands of each distinct color under your swipe color.

A dirty pour can be done as a flip cup or a straight pour and gives a little more depth to the design underneath your pour.

Cover the Painting Surface

One thing you do need to do at this stage is to make sure you’re whole painting surface is covered after you are done with the pouring the base coat.

When you do a fluid acrylic swipe technique, you will find that sometimes you don’t want to tilt anything off the painting surface after you are finished.  The swipe comes out exactly how you want it.

Because of this, you want to make sure that every part of the surface is covered before you even start the swipe, including the sides of the surface.  Those are the places most artists miss on a swipe pour.

Remove Excess Paint

As with coverage, you want when you finish with your base coat you want to make sure that you don’t have too much paint on that canvas.

Swipes usually have lots of cells and lacing and those get distorted when they are manipulated too much with tilting. 

If we make sure we have tilted off most of the weight of the paint before we move on the swiping step you can avoid the need for any more major tilting.

Where Will You Swipe From?

The last thing we need to take into account is where we plan on doing our swipe from? 

For beginners, we recommend choosing one of the short sites of your painting surface.  By choosing the smaller side we will be able to swipe all the way across the surface in one long swipe.

More advanced practitioners can decide to swipe from any side, from a line in the middle of the surface, or out from the center to create a starburst effect.

Swipe (4)

As was just mentioned, the swipe can be done from a myriad of different places on the painting surface. 

To begin, we want to pour a small line of our swipe color paint along the line that we want to begin our swipe.  This does not need to be a huge about of paint as we are only going to be pulling a very thin layer of paint over the rest of the canvas of painting surface.

We have found great success by keeping our swipe line of paint between ½” and 1” wide.  This way we don’t have too much of the swipe color left after the pour as it will end up being a solid line of the swipe color which isn’t always desired.

Paper Towel Swipe

Now it’s time to do your swipe. 

The easiest swiping tool we have found is a damp paper towel.  To use a paper towel, grab a sheet that will cover the entire length of the painting surface.  If your surface is too long on the swipe side, use the long edge of more than one paper towel.

Now either wet the edge you have chosen with a water bottle or a hand sprayer.  Don’t worry about wetting the whole thing.  We want the end that you hold to remain dry as it is stronger and less likely to rip that way.

Ring out any excess water so the paper tower is not dripping.  Dripping water in your paint will cause the paint to run and will most likely ruin your pour.

Swipe with a Light Touch

Now lay the wet end of your paper towel along the line of swipe paint that you have laid down.  Only allow the wet end of the paper towel to sit in the paint and make sure that the paint touches the paper towel along all the length of the painting surface.

Now with a very gentle touch pull the paper towel along the rest of the canvas.  Keep the side of the paper towel you are holding well above the surface of the paint. 

This keeps it from touching the paint and it keeps an upward pull that helps the side touching the paint from sinking down into the base coast and pulling too much paint with the swipe paint.

You want the paper towel to glide along the surface of your pour and to deposit a very small layer of swipe paint along the top.

Don’t worry if your swipe paint doesn’t fully cover.  You will be coaxing out your cells with the torch later or you can swipe again to get better coverage or change the pattern of the results.

Other Common Swipe Tools

As we eluded to in the materials section, there are a plethora of different tools you can use the do a swipe.

The most commons ones that we have seen are a long palette knife, a frosting spatula, a transparency sheet, wax paper, or plastic wrap (saran wrap). 

Each one takes a little practice to master so you aren’t pulling too much paint with your swipe.  Try practicing a few times with your swipe tool of choice to get a better feel for how it works for you.

Torch (5)

With acrylic paint pouring, torching is most often used to pop any air bubbles in the painting surface.  With an acrylic swipe pour, we also use the torch to coax additional cells out and to facilitate the creation of lacing.

Very gently use your torch or heating device to warm the surface of the painting.  This will allow the silicone to slowly work its way to the surface.

In addition, heating the swipe paint on top of the canvas will make it less viscous and allow it to move more freely.  With heavier paints, this heating causes the paint to converge on itself as it is pulled down through the lighter paint. 

This leaves a little bit of the swiped paint on the surface which is the reason for the webbing or lacing that you see in many acrylic pour swipes.   

There is lots more information about the effects of torching your acrylic pours in our blog post Why Do You Torch Acrylic Pours?

If you are still in need of a heating device for your acrylic pouring, we’ve also taken the time to test a few out and have our recommendation for you here. 

Heat the Paint Slowly

Be very careful when you are heating the surface of your swipe.  The idea is only to slowly heat up the paint to help facilitate different effects.  If you put your flame too close the surface or leave it for too long you will burn your paint and ruing your artwork.

Tilt and Add Paint to Cover (6)

The last step is to tilt any excess paint that the swipe created.  This will generally be the swipe paint on one side of the painting surface or a buildup of paint on the opposite side of the canvas.

If you do need to remove any paint, tilt your surface very slightly and let the paint take its time running off.  This way you aren’t disturbing the center of your fluid pour.

For those paintings that just aren’t what you expected, try tilting off the parts you didn’t like.  Just keep in mind that any cells or lacing will get deformed with said tiling if done for too long or at too steep of an angle.

Don’t Forget the Edges . . . Again

As always, check your edges before you call your piece complete.  If you have any bare spots, you can use additional paint from the drippings or any excess paint you have in your cups.

Take one of your stirring sticks or a palette knife to the underside of all the edges to remove the dripping paint.  Any paint that is dripping will gradually pull the on the sides which pulls the paint from the top also.

BONUS – Admire Your Work!

You’ve done it.  You now know how to do the acrylic paint swipe technique.  Now it is time to take a good look at your newest creation. 

If this was your first attempt at a swipe, it may not be the greatest thing you’ve ever created.  That is OK though.  We don’t learn by doing this perfectly every time.  We get better every time we paint and there is always something to learn.

Take a moment to reflect on what worked and what you wish you could change.   Write it down so you don’t forget the next time you do a swipe pour.

You came, you saw, and you created.  What more can you ask for?

David Voorhies

Can you do an acrylic pour painting on paper?  There are many different types of paper that you can use for acrylic paint pouring.  Watercolor, acrylic linen, canvas, Yupo, and photo papers are just a few of the types of paper that will work with fluid acrylic pours.  

While certain types of paper can definitely be used for pouring, some do require additional considerations to get the most out of our painting experience.

Paper Types and How They Affect Your Painting

Just as there are a wide variety of surfaces beyond a simple canvas to paint on, there is also a wide variety of papers to choose from and each will affect your painting differently.  Below is a condensed quite on some of the most popular papers used for acrylic pouring.

**Some other less common options for paper-like painting surfaces are card stock, parchment paper, or contact paper.  Each of these has some additional considerations that make them less than ideal for regular painting.

Cardstock is not protected against moisture like the above papers.  Parchment paper is a great way to create paint pour skins for use in jewelry and other crafting applications.  Contact paper requires some work to get it to lay flat while you pour but can be especially useful for decorating places like kitchen drawers and other flat surfaces.

It is important to remember too that like the difference between painting on a canvas versus smooth wood, the type of paper you use will affect how much paint you need for full coverage. Canvas paper, for example, will take more paint than a piece of photo paper with the same surface area as it has more texture for the paint to fill.

Please refer to our article here on how much paint is required for an acrylic pour.

Dry times are also affected by the surface on which you are painting.  Since paper cannot absorb as much moisture as wood or canvas, you will generally see a slightly longer drying time with paper.

Adjusting Your Techniques to Paint on Paper

When using a paper-like Yupo or photo paper, the paper maintains its rigidity enough to allow some tilting and traditional methods of pour painting, though beware they will still flex and bend more than your canvas. But to do a pour painting on watercolor or linen paper, you may need to change up your painting style.

Securing your paper is one of the things that is the most different from pouring on canvas. Many artists choose to tack their paper down to another surface. This will allow you to paint without fear of the paper sliding around as you pour or tilt.

You can use painters tape to tape it to your surface, creating a small border around your painting (which you can trim off later if you desire), or you can stick it to the surface using double-sided tape or glue dots found in the scrapbooking aisle.

From here, paint pouring on paper works the same as on any other surface.  Select the technique you want to use and paint away. 

If you need some inspiration for your pour, you can refer to our blog post about ideas and inspiration.  You can also review our list of the 5 basic and 16 advanced acrylic pouring techniques.

Advantages and Uses of Fluid Painting on Paper

While using paper may require a little bit of finagling to master, it has so many uses and advantages. We always have to time my painting by how much drying and storing space we have, and canvases take up a lot of both. With paper, we could paint every night and always have enough room to dry and store more paintings. 

Painting on paper is also easier on the wallet. The paper is cheaper than canvas and requires less paint. If we want to try out some new colors or techniques we use paper to try them out a few times before moving to the final project on a more substantial surface.

Having your artwork on paper also allows for additional uses of your art that would be difficult with a canvas or hardboard. You can turn your pour painting on paper into a book cover, a journal entry, a background for a photo, whatever you can imagine. With paper, the possibilities are endless. 

Overcoming the Challenges of Pour Painting On Paper

Pouring on paper requires a little more than just paint and printer paper. One of the main challenges of printing on paper is that it absorbs the moisture of the paint very quickly and can thus get very soggy, causing the paper to break apart, wrinkle, bubble, or warp. 

This, in turn, makes it hard to tilt and spread the paint around. The acid found in plain printer paper can also cause it to yellow and brown over time. We do not recommend using printer paper for any painting you want to last more than a few years. 

And though you may not always be able to tilt your paintings, you can always use other techniques and tools that allow your paper to remain flat on the table while you pour your masterpiece. 

Another option is to put your paper on a drying rack.  This allows you to tilt with the rack and not have to deal with the pliable paper surface directly. 

Once you have completed your tilting with a drying rack, we recommend lifting corner and running your finger along all the edges to remove the excess paint.  This keeps the paint from gluing your paper to the rack when it dries.

Bonus Tip: Try gesso-ing your paper as you would a painting, albeit with much less gesso. We have yet to try this, but we have seen other artists use it, particularly to allow them to paint in journals, and it seems to work fairly well.

How much paint to use for an acrylic pour on paper?

Painting on paper requires less paint than a canvas of the same size because there is less surface area (no sides). It can also be affected by the type of paper and its absorbency.  

With harder painting surfaces you don’t have quite as many issues with the paint being a little thicker than normal. Be sure to tilt off the majority of the painting and to keep the paint as uniform as possible across the paper surface so that it dries evenly.

If sections drying faster than others it will cause bending and warping.

Can you torch a fluid pour on paper?

Because paper is highly flammable, we would not recommend torching paper paintings like you would on a regular canvas.  Flames can be used at a distance and only on areas where the paint is 100% covering the paper.  Otherwise, you risk setting your paper on fire.

A heat tool or a very low-intensity blow dryer is a better alternative for acrylic pours on paper.   Use the low fan setting if you don’t want your paint to get pushed around too much.

Practice on Paper

We think practicing your acrylic paint pours on paper is one of the best things an artist can do to learn and master new techniques.  Being able to replicate a technique a dozen times on a relatively cheap painting surface when compared to canvas is invaluable both practically and financially for an artist.

Our last word of advice to those using paper as their painting surface is to save your paintings.  Write notes on the back with any lessons you learned, the paints used, or any oddities that may have happened during your paint session. 

These notes will help you to remember the lessons that you have learned and will allow you to refer back to them at a later date when/if you ever want to review your previous work.   

Also, because paper is so much smaller than other painting substrates, you should be able to collect 50 – 100 or more paintings and have them all fit into a 2-4” school binder.

Acrylic pour cells come in many different shapes and sizes.  They can form naturally, or they can be artificially coaxed from within a painting by using additives, exposing the paint to small amounts of heat, or by layering paints with different densities and textures.  Creating cells can add additional depth and character to your paint pour artwork.

We here at LeftBrainedArtist have done some extensive research into acrylic pour cells and are sharing everything we’ve learned.  We hope it provides beneficial and helps you get your cell-making-mojo churning.

What are Cells in Acrylic Pouring?

Acrylic paint pouring is, to define it as concisely as possible, mixing paint in a freeform fluid state to create art.  As with many other liquids, when you mix fluid acrylic paints together, you get various effects including color mixing, layering, and cells.

So, what exactly are cells in acrylic pouring?  As the name implies, they are effects in acrylic paint pouring that take the shape of cells similar in appearance to those you would see in biology. 

To better illustrate the comparison between cells in biology and painting consider this:  the nucleus contains the center color, the cytoplasm inner filling usually containing multiple combinations of colors, and the cell membrane is the distinct border. 

The cells can take many different shapes and come in various sizes, which we’ll go into more detail later in the article.

Why do Artists Want Cells in Their Pour Paintings?

Many artists have a love-hate relationship with cells in their acrylic pour paintings.  Cells can bring amazing eye-catching color combinations and variations to a painting.  They can also cause unwanted distractions in a painting.

One of the true beauties of acrylic pouring is a randomness of how fluid paints interact.  The nature of the acrylic paints and the mediums make predicting the outcome quite uncertain.  Cells are a prime example of this uncertainty.  There are ways to coax cells from a painting but some of their creation seems to just be dumb luck.

We believe one of the main reasons that cells are so popular in acrylic pouring is that they are loved by the audience.  People that we have shown our art to seem always to be entranced by the arbitrariness and fine intricacies of acrylic pour cells. 

Cells also tend to be micro-cosmic representations of the artwork.  The underlying principles that direct how cells form inherently pull colors and textures from multiple different layers of paint and smashes them all together creating mini paintings in each cell.

What Causes Cells in Acrylic Pouring?

There are many ways to create cells in a paint pour.  The most common ways we have found come from manipulating the density of the various paints, specific pouring mediums, various fluid pour techniques, and special additives.

Cells and Paint Density

Every paint has a different density based on the pigments that are used and the binder that those pigments are suspended in (this is how acrylic paints are made).  These differing densities mean that each paint weights more or less than other paints when comparing the same volume of each. 

An easy example would be to take a one-inch square of gold and a one-inch square of cardboard and compare the weight of each.  The gold would weight more than the cardboard even though the volume (one inch cube) of each is the same.

In physics, the measurement of the difference in densities between two objects, or liquids in the case of acrylic paints, is called the specific gravity.  In most cases, this comparison is done between water and another object.  This way there is a common benchmark when calculating specific gravity.

Dense objects like a rock will sink when tossed into a body of water.  Less dense objects, like a small piece of wood, will float on the water.

This exact same phenomenon happens with acrylic paints.  More dense paints like titanium white will “sink” into less dense paints like charcoal black.  This happens because the white is denser than the black and has a greater specific gravity.  This interaction of materials with different densities is called the Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

To create cells, you can use this physical property of fluid acrylics to manipulate how the paints will rise and sink when combined by stacking more dense paints on top of less dense ones.  When paints rise and sink, they gather small bits of the paint they are moving through.  When bubbles of lighter paint move up to the top of the painting, they create cells. 

Additional information about paint density can be found in our articles about the Origins of Acrylic Pouring and Muddy Paintings.

How to Measure Paint Density

To accurately calculate the density, you will need to measure the mass of the paint (weight in grams) and divide that by the volume (measured in milliliters).  A quick explanation of this calculation can be found in this YouTube video.

Measuring the density of paint is a very painstaking process.  It is not reasonable for most artists to figure these out for all their paints.  However, we can get a general idea of the weight of paints based on this documentation provided by Golden Paints or use our Acrylic Paint Density Chart.

Pouring Mediums and Cells

Using different pouring mediums can also help in the creation of cells.  The two main considerations for pouring mediums in cell creation is their densities, as was explained in the previous section, and the chemical properties of each medium.

We have put together a list of a few common pouring mediums that we have experience creating cells with.  We have also included a few that other notable acrylic pour artists have had success with.

• Floetrol – This paint conditional works great as a pouring medium.  It has a medium consistency and does tend to create cells.
• Water – Paint thinned slightly with water only can help create small cell activity.  You can’t use too much as it will cause there to be not enough binders in the paint and it will crack. 
• Isopropyl Alcohol – Just like this water, you can only use a little bit of this, or it will cause problems when the paint dries.  A little goes a long way.  The higher the percentage of alcohol the less you will need.  Find 99% Isopropyl Alcohol on Amazon here.

Pouring Techniques that Create Cells

There are multiple different acrylic pour painting techniques that lend themselves well to creating cells.  Additional explanations about each of these pour techniques can be found in our articles on 5 Basic Acrylic Pour Techniques and 16 Advanced Acrylic Pour Techniques.

• Dirty Pour – The dirty pour cup is created by pouring multiple paints together.  The density of the different paints can organically create cells as the heaver paints fall the bottom of the cup and the lighter ones rise to the top.  By pouring the paint into the cup from high up or pouring more paint in at a time you can also force the paint to mix which also creates cells.
• Flip Cup Pour – The flip cup pour starts with a dirty pour cup of paint.  The cup is then flipped over all at once on the painting surface instead of poured out.   If you want to get even more cells, cover the canvas lightly with a single color of slightly more fluid acrylic pour paint before doing the flip cup.
• Strainer/Colander Pour – Start with a dirty pour cup and pour it through a strainer or colander onto the canvas.
• Bottle Pour – Cut the button 2 inches off a one- or two-liter bottle.  Turn this bottle bottom upside down and pour your paint onto the bottle so it separates into multiple streams over the bottle bottom.  As the paint flows into each other at the bottom of the bottle it will create cells between layers.
• Swipe Pour – This is one of our favorites.  Pour your paint onto your canvas using any of the techniques you have learned.  Then pour a single color along one of your edges.  Now gently take a spackle knife or a painter’s knife and pull that new paint lightly across the other paint on the canvas.  The new paint will flow over the previously poured paint and create an amazing webbing effect.
• Dutch Pour – Cover your canvas lightly with white paint.  Now pour a few additional colors into the center of the painting surface.  Once this is done around the outside of the paint you just poured, pour a good helping of the white.  Now blow the white paint from all directions over on top of the colored paint.  Most people use a hairdryer to do this.   Once this is done blow from the center of the new pile of paint to the edges of the canvas.  Because you are forcing the paint to flow over each other you will get cells to form.

Using Additives to Create Cells

One of the most popular ways to create fluid acrylic cells is by using additives.  These additives are generally much lighter than the paint and will rise through the paint layers bringing little bits of each color of paint to the surface and thus creating cells.

Getting Cells from Silicone and Dimethicone

Silicone and Dimethicone are the preferred methods by many artists to create cells.  These additives are relatively inexpensive and can be found at most general stores in one form or another.   Only a drop or two per 2 to 3 ounces of paint will go a long way in creating cells.

This can be added to the individual cups of paint before mixing or it can be added directly to a dirty pour cup in between any layer of paint.

The more vigorously the paint is stirred after the silicone or Dimethicone is added can affect how small (stirred rapidly and vigorously) or large (barely stirred at all) the cells become. 

Our favorite version of silicone and Dimethicone can be purchased online here and here.

NOTE: When using oil additives, if you are getting bare canvas spots on the outside of your paintings we recommend you read our article about 3 Ways to Prevent Bare Canvas Spots on Your Acrylic Paint Pour.

Use Alcohol to Create Cells

We mentioned using alcohol as a medium previously.  You can also add alcohol to other paint mixtures and mediums to cajole cells to come out.  You can use anywhere from a few drops to 5 to 10% of the total mixture.

Alcohol helps create cells because it “lightens” whatever paint it is added to.  In addition, when the alcohol quickly evaporates from the paint it helps pull colors together in small quantities (a.k.a. cells).

Most cells created by isopropyl alcohol tend to be small and numerous.

Create Cells with Rain-X

Using the popular window treatment Rain-X has gained additional popularity of late.  This product is a hydrophobic, or water-resistant, repellent.  It essentially repels liquid molecules.

You can use this in small quantities while mixing your paints, but we believe it is better used by lightly spraying or sprinkling directly on to already poured paint. 

When the Rain-X hits the paint it immediately makes the top layer of paint separate and shows the paint underneath it.  This creates cellular formations.

You can find a small bottle of Rain-X at your local automotive store or at any superstore like Walmart of Super Target.  You can also find it online.

Create Cells with Coconut and Other Oils

Many different common household oils can be added to your acrylic paint pours to help facilitate the creation of cells.  100 percent coconut oil is one of the others that we would recommend trying.

Keep in mind that ALL additives will need to be completely cleaned off your dried panting surface before you can add any topcoat or varnish.  Failing to do so will cause the varnish to either become patchy or to not adhere to the dried acrylic paint.

Using Different Paint Types to Create Cells

There are various paint types that have been known to help create cells in acrylic paint pours.  We’ve listed a few of the ones we have experience with or that we know trusted influencers in the pouring community have endorsed.

• DecoArt Satin Enamel – When added in small quantities to some paint it does tease out cells.  We don’t recommend using more than about 10-15% as it can cause your paint to crack.  The cells that are created from adding this sating enamel general take the form of puffy clouds.  Many artists that use it to create cells call the result “cloud pours”.  You can find DecoArt Satin Enamel on Amazon here.
• Heavy density paint colors like titanium white and cadmium yellow – These are necessarily specific paint brands but because they are made of heavier organic, non-organic, or synthetic materials they “drop” through lighter paints and help create cells.
• Metallic paints – These paints are generally heavier than other paints and have the same effects mentioned above with the difference in densities.
• Flat paints – This can be things like house paint, or paint brands that don’t have a lot of shine combine with more traditional shiny paints have a good chance of creating cells.

Torching to Coax Out Cells

Another great method of creating cells is to use heat on the surface of your paint.  When using heat as a cell creator you need to be very careful to not burn or dry out the paint or it will ruin your artwork.

Many artists use a torch to pop any bubbles that might be lurking in their paints.  Besides removing pesky bubbles, torching a painting causes the top surface of the paint to heat up. 

Warming up acrylic paint causes it to break the surface tension of the paint.  This allows the paint to flow more freely and can allow the underlying layers of paint to rise through the top layer.

You can find more information from our article Why do you Torch Acrylic Pours and see our choice for The 3 Best Torches For Acrylic Pouring.

Change the Shape and Size of Acrylic Pour Cells

Now that we’ve shown you a few ways to manipulate your fluid acrylic pour to create cells, now it is time to make those cells look like you want them to look.  This is probably one of the most difficult parts of cell creation and will take a bit of practice to master.

How to get Big or Small Cells

Adjusting the size of cells in an acrylic pour isn’t an exact science.  However, with a little planning, a little patience, and a little luck, you stand a good chance of getting the results you expect.

Small Cells

Small cells are the easier of the two to produce.  Here are a few ways to get small cells.

• Torching closely but very quickly.  If there are layers of paint underneath the top layer it will most likely come out when you do a quick short torching.
• Wait till after you have tilted most or all the paint off the canvas before torching.
• Use small amounts of alcohol in your lightest paints:  greens, purples and some blues are usually a good bet to be on the lighter, less dense side.
• Use one of the additives mentioned above but really mix it well into your paint just before you pour it into your dirty pour cup or onto your canvas.  Because the oil gets mixed so well you get smaller droplets coming to the surface and therefore smaller cells.
• Tilt and stretch the paint as quickly as possible after putting it on the canvas.  Cells the form after the paint is already stretched and thinned are generally smaller.

Large Cells

You stand a good chance of getting larger cells doing one or more of the following:

• When you torch your pour, do so from very high up and only slowly heat up the top layer of paint.  That will let the paint below heat up slightly also and help it come up through the top layer more slowly.
• Torch as soon as the paint is on the canvas and before you tilt and stretch.  That way small cells at the beginning grow with the tilting and stretching.
• When using silicone or Dimethicone only use small amounts and don’t mix in more than one or two small swipes.  The bigger drops of oil in the paint will stay together and move together thus creating bigger cells.
• Let the paint sit for a bit before you start to tilt it.  This allows the paint to shift and move under the surface and let cells form naturally before you stretch them out.

How to Change the Cell Shape

Changing the shape of cells is no easy task.  Because the nature of cells in acrylic pouring is based on so many different factors you can only create the best environment possible to get the results you are looking for.

Circular

For perfectly round cells you will need to make sure you don’t have too much cell action happening.  When there are tons of cells, they are going to run into each other and deform as they do.  Having a few cells there and there is a better recipe for circular cells than having a whole ton of them.

Introducing an additive by dripping it or flicking it onto the paint after it has already been stretched will also allow the oil to work in a confined area and produce more regular looking cells.

Square or Rectangle

The only way we know to get squared cell is to use the chameleon technique where you put an additive on top of the canvas in a very uniform way with a comb or by hand.  That way each cell grows at the same time and connects with their neighbor cells and create more rectangular forms.

Oblong and Elliptical

These are cells that have been stretched along with the paint underneath them.  This can also be achieved by having a cell fall off the side of the painting surface as it will deform slowly as it drips down the side.

Caterpillar Cells

We have seen these randomly across various paintings, but we haven’t had very good luck in recreating them ourselves.  The caterpillar cell is one that is almost chopped in sections as it starts to grow and ends up looking like the segmented body of a caterpillar.

We most often see these types of cells on a floating flip cup with silicone where the flip cup is rotated and moved across the canvas as the paint is slowly leaking out of the cup where it creates a gap between the lid and the canvas.

UPDATE: We recreated this with great effect by preparing a dirty pour cup and adding one or two drops of silicone on the top of the paint. Then take a stick or stirring device and “push” the silicone down into the cup. Now quickly do your pour and you will most likely get caterpillar cells. Good Luck! Check out our PVA Glue video where we duplicate this on one of the pours here.

How to Reliably Create Cells in Your Acrylic Pour?

The most reliable way to create cells in your acrylic paint pour is to use silicone or another oil additive.  This will almost guarantee that you get cells in your fluid painting.

We recommend that you try each of these different cell making techniques one by one. And then when you are familiar with each, try mixing and matching different cell creation approaches.

We hope that we have answered all the questions that you have about creating cells in your acrylic paint pour.  If there are still things you want to know, please let us know in the comments below and we’ll be sure to respond to all those that we get. 

Most people have the same experience with their first pour. They buy a ton of stuff they don’t really need: they mixed the paint up too quickly and in the wrong proportions, and then they poured it out, expecting perfection, only to get an odd-looking dud. You are not alone.

Like anything worthwhile, fluid acrylic pouring takes practice and patience. I’ve been painting off and on for just over a year and I feel like I am still just scratching the surface of possibilities with acrylic paint pouring. This article will walk you through 16 advanced acrylic pour techniques: their pros, cons, and a few variations of each.

If you haven’t already, we recommend you first review our post 5 Basic Acrylic Pour Techniques to Master before moving on to the more advanced techniques.

We hope this guide for advanced acrylic pour techniques will help jump start your paint pouring experience.

In this post we’ll be introducing some additional props to help create different effects.  We’ll also be more systematic about how we pour to create new and interesting pours.

NOTE: During this article we will be referring to canvas as the painting surface for uniformity’s sake. You can use any painting surface you like with each of these methods.  Some surfaces may require a priming or gesso coat before painting. 

NOTE: Each of these paint pouring technique explanations assumes that you already know how to mix your acrylic paint to the “pouring” consistency used in most fluid acrylic pours.  If this consistency needs to be changed it will be noted in the pouring technique explanation.

Strainer or Colander Pour

One of the more popular advanced pours is the strainer or colander pour.  This technique is created by doing a dirty pour but instead of pouring directly onto the canvas, you pour into a colander or strainer that is sitting on the canvas.  The paint flows out of the strainer from all the different holes and creates a kaleidoscope effect.

This technique is best with a colander or strainer that has larger holes.  Small holes don’t let semi-thick paint flow through very well and causes the paint to mix more than desired creating muddy colors. 

We purchased this pair of strainers from Amazon and have been very happy with the results.  We filled the bottom of one with hot glue so that the paint could only come out the sides of the strainer which we think creates a better effect.

Be careful when removing the strainer so that you aren’t dripping paint all over the canvas.  We prefer to cup our hand under the strainer as we lift it up to prevent unwanted dripping.

Strainer Pour Pros

• the strainer pour makes a flower petal like effect that is very pretty
• properly layered dirty pour cups can create amazing color transitions

Strainer Pour Cons

• if too little paint is used you lose the flower petal effect from the tilting and stretching
• some paintings can look busy

Strainer Pour Variations

• use a funnel instead of the strainer or colander.  You can block the hole with your finger or lay the funnel end down and hold it on the canvas to block it.  Use your funnel as the dirty pour cup or pour in an already prepared dirty pour.  Try keeping the funnel in one place and moving around to test which method you like better
• use solid colors one by one instead of a dirty pour cup

Multi-Canvas Pour

Creating a set of paintings that are related but have their own look is an inevitable progression to a painter’s repertoire.  The multi-canvas pour is a unique and interesting technique to create a set of similar pour paintings on different sized painting surfaces.

The multi-canvas pour technique is created by stacking multiple canvases of progressively smaller sizes on top of each other with the largest on the bottom and the smallest on the top.

Use a dirty pour cup of paint and pour it onto the center of the smallest canvas on the top of the pile.  The paint will run off onto the next canvas and so on until all the canvases are covered.

Once you have poured your paint and are satisfied that it will cover all the canvases, remove the layered canvases. Each one will need to be moved to its own area and be tilted to spread the paint over the rest of the canvas.

Be sure to include the right amount of paint for all three canvases.   You can get a better idea of how much you’ll need by following the fluid pouring paint chart here.

Multi-canvas pour pros

• create a set of similar paintings in different sizes
• watching the pour flow down the canvases like a chocolate fountain is very satisfying

Multi-canvas pour cons

• can be difficult to pull each canvas up once they are all covered in paint
• dripping while extracting the upper tiers of canvases can cause unintended features
• getting the right amount of paint on each canvas takes some trial and error 

Multi-canvas pour variations

• Try putting tacks or push pins like these we use from Amazon into the bottom of each canvas so they are elevated off the previous canvas.  This lets the paint go underneath providing better paint coverage on the bottom canvas layers.  This also allows you to wait till the paint stops dripping before pulling the canvases apart

Bottle Pour

For the bottle pour, you’ll need a plastic bottle from your favorite soft drink.  Cut the bottle in half 3” or so from the bottom of the bottle.  We recommend you keep the top half of the bottle and experiment with it on a funnel pour.

Make a small cup of paint that will be enough to create a puddle as wide as the bottle bottom that you are using.  This will make up the center of the painting.  This can be the same color as the rest of the painting or a completely different set of colors.  We recommend you experiment with both.

Now that you have your bottle bottom, place it upside down in the middle of your canvas.  The cut side should be lying on the canvas and bumpy bottom side should be face up.  You can now pour either a traditional pour with individual colors or a dirty pour cup of paint directly in the center of the upside-down bottle bottom.

Try pouring in one steady stream or pouring in a small tight circle.  The paint should flow off the bottle via the little rivulets.  The number of humps on the bottle will determine how many “petals” the paint makes as it flows down onto the canvas.

Once you are done pouring your paint, leave the bottle for a minute or two before removing it to allow the paint to settle.  You can use a popsicle stick or a painter’s knife to slowly lift up an edge so that you can pull it off the canvas.   As you pull the bottle bottom off the canvas, try to put your hand or something underneath so that you don’t get drips all over your painting.

Bottle pour pros

• the bottle pour technique makes beautiful flower like paintings
• bottles are easy to come by and you can change it up to make different patterns

Bottle pour cons

• getting the center of a bottle pour to look right can be difficult
• use too little paint and the flower looking effects will distort when you tilt the canvas to move the paint around

Bottle pour variations

• try using 3 different dirty pour cups of paint; one for the center, one for the outer edges of the petals, and one for the inner petal 
• after pulling the bottle up and before you tilt your canvas, use a knife or popsicle stick to pull pain from the petal in the center or from the center into the petals.  You can do this at the natural joints created by the bottle pour or in the middle of each petal.  This helps join to two different paint pours together
• try using a cookie cutter instead of a bottle bottom.  Place the cookie cutter on the canvas and slowly pour your paint into the cutter
• use a small ball or sphere in place of the bottle bottom.  Place it in the center of the canvas and pour the paint onto the top of the ball/sphere.  The paint will cover the ball/sphere and fall onto the canvas.  An old magic 8 ball toy or a upside-down light cover work well for this type of pour

Web Pour

This is the technique we have fallen in love with the last few months.  The web pour is created by using a squeeze bottle, or something similar, and squeezing or pushing paint underneath other paint that is already on the canvas.  If done properly this creates a webbing effect that is simply amazing.

Some other common names for the web pour are an “infusion pour” or an “injection pour”.

To begin with a wave pour, you need to have a base pour already on your canvas.   This can be tilted and spread already, or it can be pre-tilted.  You’ll have to experiment to find out which works best for your purposes.   Try a flip cup, dirty pour, traditional, or even a puddle pour as your base.

We also recommend putting some filler paint around your main paint base.  This filler paint allows your squeezed paint to flow a little more freely underneath the main pour you are trying to get the webbing from.

Now that you have a base pour, take your squeeze bottle, insert the end underneath the paint where you want the webbing to appear.  Keep in mind as you squeeze the paint will travel in the direction the nozzle is pointed. Now squeeze the bottle slowly and move the nozzle into the paint or side to side under the existing paint.

The more paint you squeeze in, the bigger the webbing is going to be initially.  Tilting and spreading the pour after inserting the additional paint underneath will also help to widen and stretch the webbing.

The key to making this web pour technique work is the consistency of the paint you are squeezing underneath.  Too thin and it mixes with the pour on the canvas instead of creating webbing.  To thick and you get big sections of paint but not much webbing.

Web Pour pros

• The web pour technique creates some of the most beautiful fluid acrylic pours that we have seen

Web Pour cons

• very difficult to master
• there are so many variables that come in to play to make the web pour technique viable

Wave Pour or Intentional Pour

We call the wave pour technique the “intentional pour” because you are intentionally trying to create a specific image with your paint pouring. 

In the case of the wave pour, you are using a traditional pour and placing the colors on the canvas in a way that gives the pour the look of a wave.

First, prepare all the colors you want to show up in the painting.  We have had great success with white, silver, dark blue, sea green, and a light blue. Make sure to experiment with your own colors.

Once the colors are mixed up pour small ribbons of each of the non-white colors in the shape of the wave you want.  You can also think of it as the shape of the NIKE swoosh symbol.  The colors can overlap and intermingle.

Now pour your white all around the outside of the “wave-like” pattern that you have created.  Make sure the white covers the rest of the canvas.

With a painter’s knife or a small wet paper towel you are going to very carefully spread only a small top layer of paint from the bottom of the wave up to the crest.  You don’t want the colors to mix too much.  You can repeat as necessary to make sure all the paint is swiped along the wave body. 

Try pushing the swoosh part of the wave into the white a little bit.  You can even go the opposite directly and pull the white into the wave which will look like bubbles or froth on the wave.

Don’t mix too much as that will cause your painting not to have enough depth of colors.

Wave pour pros

• these pours are very popular and when done correctly sell quite well
• color selection is relatively easy

Wave pour cons

• these pours take practice
• don’t expect to get it right the first time

Wave pour variations

• try creating a jellyfish.  Coat the whole canvas white then pour a small half circle of blues at one end of the canvas.  Then pour small tendrils on paint from the half circle across the canvas.  Use your painter’s knife or a wet paper towel to spread the half circle paint into the body of the jellyfish.  Do the same with the tendrils but don’t spread them too much to either side

Layered Pour

The layered pour takes more time than other acrylic pour techniques as it requires that we let the paint dry between coats.  The idea is to layer on multiple thin coats to get different effects in each coat.  There are two main ways to do a layered pour. 

1. The first is to just coat your canvas completely using any of the methods in this blog.  Allow the paint to completely dry and cure.  We recommend reading our blog post about the drying times of acrylic pours here. 
   
   Pour a thin layer of a paint medium (with no acrylic paint in it) that dries clear, such as gloss medium or Floetrol, over the painting.  Then add more paint over small pieces of the surface.  This way the medium will dry see-through and the new paint will cover the base layer of paint in small areas.
   
   This layering give depth to a painting and allows you to use two completely different sets of pours that don’t mix at all because they are dried in separate layers.  You can do this process as many times as you want if you let each layer dry and cure properly.
2. The second method is very similar to the first.  Instead of using a layer of see-through medium and then only painting spots, you are going to use non-opaque paints in a very thin layer so that when dried, you can see the base layer through the new layer. 
   
   Most student and professional level paints show their opacity on the container.  For the second layer you want partial or no opacity.  You can also look on the manufacturer’s website.  For craft paints, you may need to test the opacity/transparency yourself by using this downloadable Paint Opacity Check PDF.

Layered pour pros

• the stained-glass effect can be stunning
• adds depth to a painting when layered multiple times

Layered pour cons

• color selection is very important
• layers must be very thin for option #2
• takes lots of time to wait for the pours to dry and cure

Two Cup Pour or Shot Glass Pour

The two cup pour or shot glass pour is a derivative of the dirty pour.  First get two cups with one cup that is smaller and that can fit 100% inside of the larger cup.  A small shot glass is ideal for this technique which is the reason it is sometime referred to as the shot glass pour.

Fill the larger cup up with your dirty pour paints.  Do not fill it all the way.  Leave enough room to insert the smaller cup inside.

Now fill the small cup up with another dirty pour.  Place the small cup inside the larger cup and push it down so that the top of the small cup is at the same level as the larger cup.

Now either flip the larger cup that has the smaller cup onto the canvas or turn the canvas over on top of the cup and flip them both together (aka. flip cup).

Wait a few second for the paint in both cups to settle and then start by removing the larger cup. Once removed, do the same for the smaller cup.

As we’ve mention before, be careful when pulling the cups off the canvas as they will drip onto your painting.

Two cup pour pros

• with the smaller cup inside the large cup on this dirty pour you get some more interesting color combination than just having two separate dirty pours

Two cup pour cons

• you can easily make a mess with the two cups if you guess your paint requirements wrong
• sometimes pulling off the second cup causes paint to get muddied in that area

Dip Pour

The dip pour is an extreme departure from what we’ve looked at so far.  With the dip pour technique we are not pouring paint onto the canvas at all.

For this pour, we need a surface to pour our paint on that is relatively hard and flat underneath.  A tabletop with a plastic sheeting is perfect.

Pour your paint onto this plastic surface using any of the basic techniques above.  Make sure it covers the approximate size of the canvas or surface that you want to paint on.

Next turn your canvas upside down and dip it into the paint.  Let it sit for at least a few seconds so the paint can adhere to the canvas surface.

You can continue to dip the painting as many times as you need to cover the canvas.  The more you dip the more the paint will mix together.  To many dips will cause the paint to muddy.

Dip pour pros

• this is a great way to create an abstract piece
• this method works will with smaller pieces like coasters or 4” X 6” canvases

Dip pour cons

• this method can be very messy
• you need a lot of room and relatively flat surface to make this work.  The plastic sheeting must be taped down or be heavy duty or it will pull away with the paint when you remove the canvas from the dip

Negative Space Pour

Negative space refers to surface of the painting around the main part of the pour.  In this case of fluid acrylic pouring, we are only putting our pour on a small amount of the painting with the rest being dominated by a uniform color.  This color is generally black or white but can be any color you want.

To create the negative space technique, cover your canvas in the chosen negative space color.  Then pour only a small amount of paint on your canvas that will not cover the whole canvas. 

Alternatively you can pour the paint onto the canvas and then coat the rest of the canvas with the negative space color. This way the two pains only interact at the edges instead of where the pour is being drizzled over the top of the negative space color.

You can still tilt your canvas to spread the paint around, but you want to leave larger sections of the negative space color intact.

Negative space pour pros

• the eye is naturally drawn to the point pour which is only part of the painting
• the negative space provides a contrast to the main pour

Negative space pour cons

• because the negative space is monotone the color selection if very important
• too much negative space be a detraction to the piece

Get additional in depth information on this technique in our blog post on Acrylic Pours with Negative Space.

Hammer Pour

The hammer pour is where you can include a little creative destruction into your paint pouring.  This method doesn’t not work well on a canvas or other soft surface as you will be striking it with a hammer or other blunt object.

This method involves putting down paint on the canvas in whatever way you want.  The puddle method is the one we would recommend beginning experimentation with. For the hammer pour we recommend you use a hard paint surface instead of a canvas although a canvas can be used if special care is practiced.

Begin by covering your hard painting surface with a thin layer of a single color of paint.  Then pour a few small puddles with a few different paint colors or with a dirty pour cup.  These puddles should be from the size of an American quarter to a silver dollar.  Spread these mini puddles across the canvas surface.

Next, use a hammer or mallet to lightly tap in the center of the paint puddles.  The harder the tap the more the paint will splash and splatter so start out slowly. Add more paint and continue to hammer away until you are satisfied with your work.

Hammer pour pros

• this technique is extremely messy

Hammer pour cons

• this technique is extremely messy

Balloon Dip Pour

For the Balloon dip pour you will need a large flat container with small sides.  This could be a cake pan, pie pan, plate, paper plate, etc. 

Cover your canvas in a thin layer of a single color of paint.  Black or white is ideal for those are you trying this technique for the first time. 

Now you can either pour your prepared paint directly into the container mentioned above or create a dirty pour cup and then pour it in the container. 

Next take an inflated balloon and dip it into the container with your colored paint.  Pull your balloon out of the paint and dab it down into your canvas in a few places to transfer the colors.

Repeat the dipping and dabbing of the balloon as many times as you think necessary to finish your painting.

Balloon dip pour pros

• because you are dabbing where you want the paint to go you have a bit of control on how the painting turns out
• this is a great method to create flowers.

Balloon dip pour cons

• can be messy
• dipping and dabbing too many times can cause the paint to muddy

Split Cup Pour

The split cup pour requires that you buy a special cup that is split into two equal sections.  7-11 has a Slurpee cup that works great for this type of project when doing larger canvases.  You can also purchase one on Amazon here. 

Prepare each side of the split cup with whatever paint method you prefer.  We recommend you layer different color paints in each side with only a few shared colors.  We like the asymmetrical look this creates in your painting.

Now either pour the paint onto your canvas or use the flip cup method to let it all come crashing out at once.

Split cup pour pros

• you can use two different sets of colors in each side to create pretty contrast
• this technique is very easy and similar to the more common acrylic paint pouring techniques

Split cup pour cons

• you may have to purchase a new container to achieve the best results for this technique

Split cup pour variations

• try pouring the colors so they come out right next to each other.  You can do this by making the divider vertical as you are pouring.  Using a split cup is another way to do the tree ring kiss pour
• try pouring the colors out one on top of the other.  Do this by pouring one side out first and then having the second color spill out on top of the first side that pours out.  By the time you finish the pour the divider in the cup will be horizontal

String Pull Pour

The string pull pour is arguably one of the most difficult pours to get right.  This pour involves using string that is covered in paint and then moved around on the canvas in various ways leaving shadows of paint where the string was.

To create the most basic string pour, cover your canvas with a thin layer of a solid color of paint.  Experimenting with white or black paint will again be the most effective way to learn this technique.

For the string pour technique, we have had good results with these medium thick yarn or a natural jute twine from Amazon.  These strings have a little more texture than a normal string which will allow more paint to stay on the string.

Now prepare a small plate or container of a single color of pour paint.  This paint should be slightly thicker than the normal pour paint so that it can stick to the string a little more than thinner paint would.

Cut a length of string equal to the smallest side of your canvas.  The string size can vary but we want to make sure the first few times you try the string pour technique that you have a manageable amount of string to work with.

Dip the string into the paint on the plate and make sure it gets coated entirely.  Now lift the string up and give a few seconds for the excess paint to drip off.

Place the string in an “S” on the canvas with the top of the “S” being about twice the size of the bottom part. Make sure the end is on the smaller side hanging off the canvas a small amount. 

Let the string sit for a few seconds.  Now take the string by the end hanging off the canvas and pull slowly directly away from the canvas.  When the string gets pulled off the canvas it creates an image like a calla lily. 

String pull pour pros

• these pours are classics and are very popular
• there are innumerable variations on the string pull pour technique

String pull pour cons

• so many things can go wrong
• paint consistency must be spot on else when the string gets dragged it leaves to much or not enough paint

String pull pour variations

• try adding multiple small string pull flowers to a single canvas
• experiment with how fast you pull the string and from what directions
• use multiple colors for different sections of the string
• drag the string across the canvas like a snake or a in a circular motion
• try to leave a heavier amount of paint on the string when you transfer it to the canvas

Blown Pour or Dutch Pour

The blown pour is an alternate method for moving the paint on the canvas by using forced air.  This forced air can be provided by a compressor and a precision release tip or by using a common straw and the power of your lungs. This technique is also called the Dutch pour.

This pour requires that you have paint on the canvas to work with already.  For beginners we recommend that you coat your canvas with a thin layer of white or black fluid acrylic paint and then create some small puddles of paint using 2 or 3 colors in each puddle. These puddles should be the size of an American nickel or dime to begin with.

Now use your forced air method above to slowly move the paint from the center of your puddle to the outside of the puddle and into the base paint.  Follow this same procedure multiple times from different sides so that the whole puddle is blown outward from its center.

You can use the blown pour technique with any of the other techniques to help move the paint where you want it to go without using a painter’s knife or other tool.

Blown pour pros

• you have control to move the paint where you want it depending on the power of the forced air and the direction it is blown
• flowers and other visually appealing images are easier to create with this method

Blown pour cons

• too much or to little forced air will not give the intended results
• the paint will flow differently with every “blow” and is difficult to control

Blow pour variations

• drop a small dot of paint on a completed pour painting and then blow it around. This can create some pretty spectacular details on a painting
• try blowing the edges of a negative space pour to move the paint out into the negative space color
• more aggressive blowing will pull the paint that has settled underneath other pain back up to the surface of the pour

Swipe Pour

The swipe pour is all about choosing the right colors and a steady hand. This technique allows you to create a “veining” across a pour with the color of your choosing.

For maximum results, whatever color you chose as your swipe color should be a little more runny than the normal fluid acrylic paint. This allows the paint to flow more easily as you swipe it across the canvas.

For beginners, we recommend pouring solid colors across the canvas in stripes parallel to the smaller side of the canvas. Leave an inch of room on one side. Pour your swipe color on that last inch of the canvas. Make sure you have quite a bit to start out with.

For the swipe, we recommend you start out with a damp paper towel that has been wrung out of any dripping water. Hold two adjacent ends of the paper towel over the top of the swipe color without letting the other end of the paper towel touch the canvas.

Move the paper town along the canvas so the bottom half (where you aren’t holding) comes in contact with the swipe paint color. Gradually “swipe” this side of the paper towel along the canvas towards the other side.

This would pull a thin layer of the swipe color of paint over the top of the rest of the canvas. You can repeat as many times as you need for the swipe color to get all across the canvas.

Finish by tipping your canvas to move the paint around as you see fit.

Swipe pour pros

• the swipe pour is one of the easiest ways to create cells
• any color can be used as the swipe color

Swipe pour cons

• getting the swipe color to move across the canvas as desired takes practice and patience
• pulling too hard or too much paint leaves a messy trail instead of the lattice like effect we want

Swipe pour variations

• you don’t have to swipe a specific color. You can swipe literally any painting
• try using a trowel, a ruler or other thin hard straight edges to swipe with. Be careful not to pull too much paint and to stay as level as possible while swiping
• you can only swipe small sections of any painting to give them some additional detail or to cause colors to interact more
• use a painter’s knife to selectively swipe from the painting onto the base color paint to create interesting artifacts on the edge of the painting

Learn more about creating cells in our article Acrylic Pour Cell: Everything You Need to Know. For a more in depth guide on the swipe technique, read our blog post Acrylic Pour Swipe Technique in 6 Easy Steps.

Combining Acrylic Pouring Techniques

One of the beauties of acrylic pouring is that the ways to create are endless.  You can mix and match any of the acrylic pour techniques mentioned in this article to crate your own unique style.  Here are a few of our favorite combinations.

• negative space dirty pour with blown edges
• layered string pull pour on top of a dried and cured dirty pour.  Try creating red/orange/purple/yellow flowers on top of a green/brown pour.
• balloon dip pour in the center of multiple small puddle pours.
• colander/strainer pour with individual colors of the rainbow.
• small flip cup pour in the center of a negative space with the web pour technique squeezed in underneath.
• multiple tree ring pours on a negative space pour.
• two or more completely different flip cup dirty pours in different parts of the same canvas with a ribbon pour throughout.
• colander/strainer pour with multiple different colors of dirty pours.

As you can see, there are many different types of pours that you can experiment with.  One of the things we like most about acrylic pouring is that if you don’t like the pour, let it dry and cure and then pour a new painting over the top.

Fluid acrylic paint pouring techniques very widely depending on the artist, medium, pigment, and painting surface. The most basic acrylic pouring techniques are the traditional pour, the puddle pour, the dirty pour, the tree-ring pour, and the flip cup pour. While common, each of these fluid acrylic pour methods can produce amazing artwork.

When you master the subtleties of these basic pour techniques, you will find that the more involved techniques become easier to be successful with.

NOTE: During this article we will be referring to canvas as the painting surface for uniformity’s sake. You can use any painting surface you like with each of these methods.  Some surfaces may require a priming or gesso coat before painting. 

NOTE: Each of these paint pouring technique explanations assumes that you already know how to mix your acrylic paint to the “pouring” consistency used in most fluid acrylic pours.  If this consistency needs to be changed it will be noted in the pouring technique explanation.

Traditional Pour

The traditional acrylic pour is the most basic of all acrylic pouring techniques.  This pour involves mixing paint in separate containers and then pouring the paint onto the canvas color by color.

The colors can be poured in a variety of different methods to create completely different pieces of art.

Traditional Pour Pros

• easy to do
• painting has pure veins of color
• control of where each color goes

Traditional Pour Cons 

• colors do not interact with other colors very much
• harder to create complex designs.

Traditional Pour Variations

• try sprinkling the paint on with your paint stick or a spoon rather than pouring everything.
• layer colors on top of each other at different intervals to create new colors and designs.
• use common shapes and patters to give some uniformity and familiarity to your pours.

Puddle Pour

The puddle pour is a more uniform method based on the traditional pour.  Rather than pouring the colors randomly on the canvas, you pour “puddles” of each color.  You expand each of these puddles by pouring additional colors into the center of the puddle. 

You can either pour large quantities so that the paint is very pronounced, or small quantities so that you get lots of color variation as the puddles expand. 

Puddle Pour Pros 

• you have control of which colors interact with each other
• easy to create solid color patters

Puddle Pour Cons

• colors do not interact with other colors very much
• very little chance of cells or other interesting features

Puddle Pour Variations

• try pouring many small puddles with multiple colors.  Then when you tip and move your canvas to spread the paint those different puddles run into each other and create abstract shapes.
• on the flip side, if you use enough paint you can keep all your puddles naturally circular and you don’t have to tip and move your canvas at all.

Dirty Pour

The dirty pour technique is a slight deviation from the traditional pour.  With this technique, after the colors are mixed in their separate containers, they are poured into a single large container.  This single larger container is then poured onto the canvas.

The colors can be poured into the larger container a little at a time in multiple layers or they can be poured one by one in their entirety. 

Dirty Pour Pros

• color get to mix in to cup before being poured on the canvas
• more colors are created during the pouring process

Dirty Pour Cons

• less control of where colors go
• color selection becomes more important so that undesired colors are not created

Dirty Pour Variations

• with the last little bit of paint at the bottom of the dirty pour cup, try pouring this across your other paint.  The dregs of a dirty pour cup have multiple colors in a very confined area which gives a ribbon like effect when poured across other paint.

Flip Cup

Now that you’ve learned the dirty pour technique it’s time to advance to the flip cup.  To create a flip cup, prepare your dirty pour cup as instructed above.   Rather than pour your flip cup on the canvas, quickly overturn the cup onto the canvas.  Most of the paint should remain in the cup with the canvas becoming the “lid” and keeping the paint inside the cup.

Wait a few minutes for the paint to fall to the bottom of the overturned cup.  A clear container makes it easier to tell when the paint has all settled to the bottom.  Now lift the cup off the canvas and let the paint flow out. 

Flip Cup Pros

• color get to mix in to cup before being poured on the canvas
• more colors are created during the pouring process
• layer the paint with the “heaviest” going in the bottom of the flip cup can help the creation of cells (learn more about cells here)

Flip Cup Cons

• less control of where colors go
• color selection become more important so that undesired colors are not created
• color laying is very important as color density considerations affect how the pour turns out
  • Lookup your paint’s relative density with our Acrylic Paint Density Chart.
• potential mess if not done correctly

Flip Cup Variations

• take your canvas and place it upside down on top of your flip cup with the flip cup in the center of the canvas.   Now hold the canvas and the flip cup together and turn the canvas upside up.  The paint should stay in the cup because the canvas is acting as the “lid”.  Wait a few moments for the paint to settle and remove the cup and let the paint flop out.
• after flipping the cup on the canvas and before lifting the cup, coat the rest of the canvas with a very thin layer of paint.  We recommend you use white to begin with.  Then poke a very small hold in the top of the cup with a sewing pin or some other share object.  The paint will begin to flow out of the bottom of the cup slowly.  Gradually lift and tilt the canvas while the cup is still overturned. 
• place the flip cup on one side of the canvas.  Before removing the cup, lift the side of the canvas where the flip cup is slightly so that the paint will run away from that side toward the rest of the canvas.  This lets the paint spread out quickly without falling off the canvas.
• flip and drag is where you do the same as the above but when you flip the cup you keep it only slightly off the canvas and you quickly move the cup where you want it to go along the painting surface.

Tree Ring Pour

The tree ring pour method also begins with a dirty pour cup of paint.  Once the cup is prepared you will be pouring the paint in center of the canvas only.  However, when pouring the paint, we want a SMALL steady flow of paint to come out of the cup and we want to move the cup back and forth a ½” or so constantly as we pour.  You can use a small circular motion also.

This slow movement back and forth as we pour is what creates the “rings” in the tree ring pour.  As more paint lands on the canvas the rings expand outward creating an effect like rings in the cross section of a tree trunk.  

Tree Ring Pour Pros

• relatively easy to do
• contrasting colors make beautiful pours
• no need for cells

Tree Ring Pour Cons

• the colors you use can make or break the pour
• cells can detract from the overall look of the pour
• you must use a lot of paint if you want a proportioned circular shape. Tilting and spreading paint cause the perfectly circular pours to get distorted

Tree Ring Pour Variations

• swirl Pour is another name for a tree ring pour which doesn’t always stay in the same place as you pour.   Just follow the same steps as previously and gradually move in any direction while you pour doing your side to side or circular agitations.
• you can create the look of a tornado with your tree ring pour by traveling straight across the canvas as you pour and then by coming right back along the same path with the last little bit of paint.
• the kiss tree ring pour involves preparing two dirty pour cups and then pouring them together.  The paint from each should mix as they are coming out of the cup thus creating two tree ring pours where the paint is kissing before falling onto the canvas.  This may take a little practice but can be very rewarding when the painting is finished.

Conclusion

Experimentation is the key to unlocking your true potential with acrylic paint pouring. Half of the fun with paint pouring is exploring new techniques and color combinations. Every pour is a new learning experience.

Try these 5 basic acrylic pouring techniques. Keep notes of how your pour turned out, things you think of during the pour, and observations on what you want to change the next time you pour. Once you’ve mastered these, try our 16 Advanced Acrylic Pour Techniques.

Use these notes the next time you do a similar pour so that you can continue to improve and adapt based on your own personal style.

Want to try some new paints? Check our our Best Acrylic Paint for Pouring article.