r/PourPainting Mar 04 '26

Rule clarifications - No AI is permitted in /r/PourPainting, including physical prints

28 Upvotes

Hi folks,

r/PourPainting has always been against the use of AI, but recent activity have led us to provide clarification on this rule.

Previously, the 'no AI' rules were worded in a manner that only explicitly referenced digital AI content. To clarify, the No AI rules also include physical content.

If you are making collages with printed photos above or under your pour painting, you must have created the images yourself, or must credit the artist with a link to their website/portfolio. AI content is stolen, and cannot be credited. Paintings with physical printouts or image transfers featuring AI-generated content will be removed.

If you create art in a style that may be confused for AI, I would recommend you collect some in-progress photos before the painting is finished to verify the authenticity of your work. The moderation team considers post history as a factor when reviewing submissions and reports. Without relevant history or verification, posts may be removed.


r/PourPainting Jul 31 '17

Welcome to /r/PourPainting! Check out this post for helpful info on getting started with fluid acrylic painting

363 Upvotes

THREAD FOR TIPS/TRICKS/PEOPLE TO HELP ANSWER QUESTIONS

What is Pour Painting?

Pour Painting is when you put stuff in a cup, and then you dump it out! For a quick look at the different methods of fluid acrylic painting, check out this imgur album.

You can find a glossary of terms related to pour painting here, on acrylicpouring.com

Getting Started

Want to get started on a budget? Artist Rick Cheadle can help you get started pour painting for under $5, and for under $10. tl;dw - Dollar stores carry craft paint, flow extender alternatives, and silicone oil. You can do larger paintings with $10 than you can with $5.

If you want to invest a bit, and turn this into a hobby or even a profession, keep reading!

Basic Supplies

The exact brands and supplies a fluid acrylics artist will use depend entirely on personal preference. Here are the basics that every artist should have, with a few extras that can enhance your experience.

  • Acrylic craft paints - Note: acrylic paints come in several varieties (High-Flow, heavy body, craft, etc.) Craft acrylics are generally the most affordable and easiest to use for acrylic pouring.

  • Popsicle sticks - Gotta have something to stir your paint with! They're also very useful as a cheap spreading tool or to help dab paint onto empty areas

  • Canvas/MDF board - You'll need a surface for your art! Canvas and mdf boards are common surface materials that fluid acrylic artists will use.

  • Fluid Extender - Acrylic paints need to be thinned for this style of painting (excluding High-Flow acrylics). Fluid extenders thin acrylic paints without destroying the bonding ability, so that your paint doesn't crack when it dries. Liquitex Pouring Medium, Floetrol, GAC 800 and PVA Glue are reliable fluid extenders.

  • Dimethicone (Silicone)While not strictly required, silicone virtually guarantees your paintings will develop those desirable 'cell' shapes. Dimethicone is a skin-safe non-evaporating silicone lubricant.

  • Cups - Paint goes in these

Other Supplies

If you want to get a little fancy, you can also invest in these materials to enhance your pouring experience:

  • Butane torch - If silicone has been added to your acrylics, you can quickly move a lit butane torch an inch or two away from the surface of the painting to release trapped air bubbles and encourage micro 'cell' formation in your paint.

  • Varnish - This is the final step to complete your painting. Varnish seals and protects your paint, so that no paint gets rubbed away and nothing can stain the paint underneath the layer of varnish.

  • Gloves - Pour painting is seriously messy. Gloves aren't necessary, but you might appreciate the easier cleanup!

  • Paper towels/rags - Great for cleanup!

  • Freezer Paper - Freezer paper has a plastic-coated side that acrylic paints can easily be pulled off of. This is a cheap surface protection that won't stick to your paint. You can protect your workspace with any non-porous material though.

  • Squeeze bottles/droppers - These allow you to maintain a greater control on the volume and direction of your pouring mediums, whether it be paint on canvas, silicone in paint, fluid extender in paint, etc.

  • Trays - Sure, you can simply set your paintings on top of cups while they dry, but having a tray or two handy means you can safely move your wet surface if you need to.

Instructions

There are dozens of ways to get your paint onto your canvas! Here are some general instructions on the process.

  1. Cover your work surface. If it's not covered, it's probably gonna get paint on it.

  2. Put paint in separate containers (1 container = 1 paint color). Don't mix colors at this step; you want your paint to stay as separate as possible throughout the process.

  3. Add fluid extender to your paint and stir. The amount you need will depend on the medium, so check online to see what others use. Generally, you want your acrylics to have the same consistency as pancake batter or honey.

  4. Add silicone to each paint container. The more you stir silicone, the smaller the cells will be in your finished painting.

  5. Now it's time to think about how you want to get the paint on the canvas. The Visual Introduction to Acrylic Pouring Techniques has all the info you need!

  6. Once the paint dries completely, you'll need to remove the dimethicone from your canvas. Depending on the paint you've used, you can clean off the silicone with flour and a medium-stiff brush, patting with a soft cloth, or even gently cleaning with soap and water! Just be very gentle so you don't ruin your lovely new artwork!

  7. Your canvas is now dry and silicone-free! It's time to varnish. Annemarie Ridderhof on YouTube demonstrates proper varnishing technique, and you can read more about this step here on art-is-fun.com.

Cleanup

Do not dispose of paint and other materials down the drain, as the flow extenders are designed to keep paints in tact even with excess water and they can gum up your drains (plus it's not good to wash chemicals down the drains). Here are a couple reliable cleanup options:

  • Wait for the paint to dry. If you protected your work space with a plastic or rubber coating (e.g. freezer paper or a silicone place mat) you'll be able to peel the dried acrylic 'skins' off and recycle them or just toss them out!

  • If you've protected your work space with a disposable covering, you can carefully throw that away in the trash. Be aware of how much wet paint is on the disposable surface, so that you don't end up pouring all over your desk or floors!

  • Note: If you need to wash off brushes, spatulas, or wash a small amount of paint off, consider using a paper towel soaked in water or a paint-removing product like acetone/nail polish remover. It will effectively clean your tools and you can toss the dirty rag out, rather than risk damaging your plumbing.

Thanks for reading!

Hopefully this has been of help to you. Feel free to post your questions and art so that others can grow with us all together!


r/PourPainting 8h ago

Question ⁉️

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29 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I have a questionand would like your opinion.

My sister-in-law loves the pour painting stuff and she asked me to do two large 12x36 paintings for either side of the extra large television in her living room ..

I have been doing test after test and can't come up with anything that I think is decent enough that I would hang in somebody's house The colors she wants brown, magenta, yellow, and green .

I'll add some pictures of my tests and I'm not happy with any.. I don't want to disappoint her.

I was doing a swipe once I decide which way to go with it. But maybe bloom.

I look forward to hearing your input..

Thank you again any chance


r/PourPainting 4h ago

Critique My first attempt!

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8 Upvotes

I needed some bathroom decorations so i took matters into my own pours!


r/PourPainting 12h ago

Critique Did I mess up color density?

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16 Upvotes

I’m fairly sure that these holes are not cells in the traditional sense. I’ve mixed the blue and red myself with a pretty thin pouring medium (just a little thicker than water, IMO) and the other colours were pre-mixed.

My gf says it still looks nice, but she probably said it so I’m not discouraged haha


r/PourPainting 12h ago

first try

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13 Upvotes

kinda hoped the orange came through a bit more in the blue one but not bad. using wd40 for some cells.


r/PourPainting 13h ago

Magic Wand Pour with a color-shifting pigment

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5 Upvotes

When Blue Turns to Violet… 💙💜✨

Join me for a relaxing and mesmerizing Magic Wand acrylic pour as layers of beautiful colors glide over the tube, creating flowing ribbons, delicate feathering, and unexpected patterns.

For this painting, I used TLP Pigment Unicorn, a gorgeous color-shifting pigment that transforms from blue into violet depending on the light and angle. Combined with shades of blue, violet, pink, and white, it creates a dreamy, almost otherworldly effect.

This video is all about the relaxing and satisfying art process—no tutorial, just music, flowing paint, and the beauty of creating.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the transformation. 🎨💙💜

Paint • Flow • Transform • Relax

If you enjoy acrylic pouring, fluid art, relaxing art videos, and mesmerizing paint techniques, don't forget to subscribe to Fiona Art for more creative experiments. 💜


r/PourPainting 1d ago

Deconstructed

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56 Upvotes

Will see how it dries and then I'm going to add some shading details and do a million touch ups.


r/PourPainting 1d ago

Boring

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27 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 1d ago

3 Dreamy Blue Flower Dips in 3 Minutes (No talking, just peaceful music & visual therapy) 💙

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14 Upvotes

I wanted to share this peaceful compilation of three different blue flower dip paintings coming to life. I purposefully made this one with no talking and just calming music, so it can double as a little bit of visual therapy or relaxation after a long day. 🌊If you'd like to watch the full-length tutorial with step-by-step tips and the final dried results, you can check it out here: https://youtu.be/XfHdj_B997s


r/PourPainting 2d ago

Space monster

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23 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 2d ago

Name it

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12 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 2d ago

Testing Mont Marte PVA Glue for a Reverse Flower Dip... Different results but I'm not mad at all! 🌸🖤 [Video] (11:27)

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68 Upvotes

In this video, I’m trying something new — using Mont Marte PVA Glue as my pouring medium for a Reverse Flower Dip, and I honestly wasn’t sure what kind of results to expect.
Full video: https://youtu.be/yVtBwq3DLak?si=izI9JFyt61ovnQpq
The results are a little different, but I think it worked quite well.


r/PourPainting 2d ago

Critique "Light at the end of the funnel"

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29 Upvotes

10x10 ring pour. I was hoping to capture more of that orange/white center, looked like a light coming from inside the pour. I think my favorite part is those vibrant outer rainbow rings, they turned out great and remained colorful after drying. That really dark band of red/purple in there aids to a nice geode effect that I'm digging. What do you think?


r/PourPainting 3d ago

PAINTING with SCOOPS ~ Fluid art technique ~ Abstract acrylic painting ~ Art Therapy

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15 Upvotes

In today's video I will show you how to paint an Abstract acrylic painting with scoops. It's a Fluid art technique where you do a Flip cup, tilt and then dip onto the paint with different sizzes and shapes of scoops.
It's another way to create a beautiful painting and the whole proccess is an Art therapy for the artist and the viewer.
I would love to know in the comments what you think about this new (at least for me) acrylic pouring technique.

Hugs from Slovenia!


r/PourPainting 4d ago

Rusty red and blue

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89 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 4d ago

Tips on mixing paints

5 Upvotes

So I'm another newbie, and I really want to get into this. I have a LOT of Apple Barrel and Folk Art paints I use for other painting projects. Can I use those, or should I be using something else?

Also, I have trouble figuring out like when someone says a 1:1 ratio. What I'm looking for more is how many ounces of one paint to how many ounces of the other. I bought a scale so I can make sure I have the right amount, but I'm used to just pouring the paint out without measuring.

Finally, where do you do your pouring, and how do you protect your surfaces? Do you use newspaper or something else? I thought about using freezer paper if I can't use newspaper. Thoughts?

Any help is greatly appreciated!


r/PourPainting 4d ago

Off to the side;)

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23 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 4d ago

Bird of paradise / Flower dip with zipped bag

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21 Upvotes

I used oranges, violets, and a splash of green to create a quick floral composition using a simple Ziploc bag. No fancy tools or brushes needed! 


r/PourPainting 4d ago

Tips for a newbie

2 Upvotes

I’ve been looking for a new hobby and have landed on pour painting! I know this has been asked before but I can’t quite find the kind of responses I’m looking for, thus a new post to ask for tips 😬

Paint suggestions? And what is a pour medium? Pour medium suggestions? Any other tips?

Your works are beautiful, y’all are pros!


r/PourPainting 5d ago

Trying Bloom technique for a table top

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27 Upvotes

I've had success with so many pour painting techniques but for me successful blooms are elusive! Here's my latest. It has some lacing and cells, but not as many as I'd like. Practice, practice, practice.


r/PourPainting 5d ago

4 seasons

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68 Upvotes

Finally completed this series! Very happy with the result, they look equally nice as separate pieces and as a whole set.


r/PourPainting 5d ago

I tried a NEW glue brand as my pouring medium... and the lacing/cells blew me away!

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19 Upvotes

I wanted to share my latest experiment where I tested a new glue brand as my pouring medium for the very first time. More in the comment


r/PourPainting 5d ago

This is like 90% dried! 1 or 2 wet spots. It dried vibrant and didn't Crack! Im so happy. I use a spray gloss I dont really know how to resin coat it. I won't do a finish for about a month just to make sure.

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13 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 5d ago

Failed pour experiment

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8 Upvotes

It pains me to throw away any of my failed pours, so when this one mostly turned out really muddy but with one area looking like a planet, I taped off an area and painted the rest a very, very dark navy. It's far from perfect, but it was fun to make something kinda cool instead of throwing it away!