I use poured acrylic paint in a lot of my abstract pieces so probably my favorite art material in those situations is Liquitex Pouring Medium .

Pouring mediums dilute the paint to make it more fluid while retaining the color and binding properties of the undiluted paint. Sure, you can thin your paint with water, but that typically leads to dull, flat, washed-out colors with a chalky surface that doesn’t stick well to surfaces. Pouring medium also helps to prevent the poured paint from cracking.

There are dozens of methods of acrylic pouring—a quick google search will give you a good idea of the huge range of effects that can be achieved. I’ve only tried it out in a few types of situations, though it’s on my list to do some more experimenting. The process is fun and the results are somewhat unpredictable!

I like to mix up a color and add in the pouring medium until it reaches a good flowing consistency. You can add quite a bit before the colors start to get diluted, I’ve found. And sometimes that’s even an effect I’m looking for. The diluted paint dries to a smooth, glossy surface.

I typically pour the mixed color onto the piece I’m working on and then mix up another color (and sometimes more!), pouring that one on top of the still-wet layer(s) below it. After I get the wet paint poured onto the substrate, I’ll then tilt the piece to allow the paints to run and blend. Changing the direction and angle of the piece causes the paints to run and mix in quite fascinating ways.  You can also add multiple colors of diluted paint to a container and (without mixing!) pour them onto the substrate for a different type of mixing or blending effect.

I’ve tried pouring the paints onto a panel with a lip to contain the paint, and that works really well for flat pieces. More often, however, I use poured acrylic as a way to add color and patterns to my 3-D mixed media pieces, where the paint is poured over a highly textured, uneven surface. It runs down the sides of the peaks and pools in the valleys and crevices. I used the technique in many of the pieces in my “Elementals” series. It also gave quite a nice effect when poured over crushed glass in several of my “Below the Surface” geologically-inspired pieces.

Have you tried acrylic pouring? What is your favorite technique? Tell me in the comments.

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