Acrylic pouring

Discover the fascinating world of acrylic pouring and learn how to create your own masterpiece. It might seem as though you can just pour different colours of paint onto a canvas and call it a day, but it takes some practice and of course the right materials to manipulate the paint in a way that results in a beautiful piece of art.

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Start with acrylic pouring

This step-by-step plan shows you how you can achieve acrylic pouring at home using Amsterdam's vibrant acrylic paint and pouring medium. The pouring medium makes your paint more fluid, self-levelling and increases the flexibility of the paint film to prevent cracking.

What you need

Canvas
Amsterdam acrylic paint
Amsterdam pouring medium
Liquid silicone
Water
Cups
Stirring sticks (e.g., popsicle sticks)
(Kitchen) torch
Gloves
Plastic to cover your workspace

Step 1

Start by preparing your workspace by covering it with plastic and mixing your pouring paint. Pour the pouring medium into different cups and add the colours you want to use. Stir each cup well.

Add a little bit of water to make your paint thinner and add in a few drops of silicone as well. Adding silicone will help separate your colour layers and create those cells in the paint we are looking for. You can use any other type of lubricant that does not mix in with water-based paints, such as oils, just make sure they do not affect the colour or go rancid after some time. Silicone is your safest bet.

Stir again until everything is well mixed together.

Step 2

Grab an empty cup and add your different colours in any order you like until your cup is half full.

Step 3

Place your canvas face down on the cup and turn them both over while holding them together tightly. The cup should now be standing upside down on the canvas without spilling too much.

Step 4

If you want to, you can add a base colour to your canvas around the cup. We used white (prepared like the rest of the colours), but you can use any colour you like, or none at all. Spread the paint across the canvas using the palette knife.

Step 5

Now for the most exciting part: releasing the paint! Lift the cup and let the paint flow across the canvas. Remember to add paint to the corners and sides as well, as the paint might not go there naturally. Do not be afraid to let the paint drip off the sides, that is why we put plastic down in the beginning!

Tip: place your canvas on top of some empty cups to make sure the paint can freely flow off the sides without smudging.

Step 6

Use the torch to create the little cells in the paint and to pop air bubbles that formed during the pouring.

Step 7

Put your gloves on and tilt the canvas slowly in different directions to move the paint around. Do this however long you like to create different patterns. Once you are happy with the result, use the torch once again to pop any new air bubbles that may have formed.

Step 8

And that completes your painting! Since we used quite a lot of paint, it needs at least two days to fully dry, preferably in a laid-down position so the paint does not move while drying. (Remember the cup tip from step 5 to keep the sides of your canvas looking pretty!)

If you try out this method, let us know by sharing it online using #RoyalTalens! We would love to see how your painting turned out!

Acrylic pouring by Royal Talens Experience Centre

Painting with acrylics

Acrylic pouring

Start with acrylic pouring

What you need

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Step 5

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Acrylic pouring by Royal Talens Experience Centre

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Acrylic pouring

Start with acrylic pouring

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Acrylic pouring by Royal Talens Experience Centre

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