ACRYLIC POURING

Art on the Messy Side…

Pink Space — Magenta, white, black, acrylic paint mixed with an Extender Medium on canvas.

While visiting my sister, she told me about YouTube videos where people were pouring acrylic paint through colanders. I thought this was very strange, but didn’t think too much of it. Then when I got home, low and behold the same videos were in my YouTube suggested videos.

I swear my phone listens to my conversations.

I started to watch the videos, and I was riveted. I quickly learned that it wasn’t cheap liquid-y craft paint that was being used, but a variety of pouring mediums added to the acrylic paint to make it more runny. Water will do this too, but adding more than 25-30% of water to acrylic paint will interfere with the bonding of the paint to the canvas (or some such science) which can cause cracking or crazing.

Teal Agate — Teal, blue, green, yellow, silver, and white acrylic paint mixed with Zinsser and water on canvas.

I needed to try this and set out to find supplies for this ‘new to me’ art style, and immediately hit a brick wall. The pouring medium I kept hearing abut over and over was Floetrol, a cost effective latex paint additive that can be purchased at hardware stores or DIY centers. Where I live, this product is not available. So I found something comparable called Zinsser. The consistency was like blue tinted water that burned when I got it on my hands >:(.

Deep Space — Red, white, and black acrylic paint mixed with Zinsser and PVA pouring medium on canvas.

I went back to my trusty internet and found out some people mixed PVA (or white glue) to their floetrol and paint mix. A bonding agent so they say. I bought some, did a little chemistry (with gloves on this time), and hey! It worked really well!

But then I stared having doubts about the quality and longevity of the art. So I buckled and bought small bottles of Liquitex Pouring Medium, GAC 800, and Deserres Acrylic Pouring Medium. These or similar items can be found either at local art stores or Amazon. I got mine from Michaels craft store and Deserres art store.

Parasitic Silver — Teal, rust, green, yellow, silver, black, and white acrylic paint mixed with pouring medium on canvas. Green/silver glitter on top.

A cost comparison: The art pouring mediums ranged from $12.50 – $25 for a 237ml bottle. The Zinsser paint additive cost $11 for a 946ml bottle.

I haven’t actually come to a conclusion on this matter. I guess I will just have to practice and find my style within this type of painting and see what works best for me. Also time, time will tell.

I couldn’t get a good picture of the paintings made with the art professional mediums because they all had glossy finishes which caused terrible reflections.

Check out Mixed Media Girl and DeliberatelyCreative on YouTube. I found these videos informative and fascinating to watch.