Acrylic Pouring with Pebeo
Acrylic pouring is an innovative way of abstract painting with acrylics and is a very popular trend right now. Its roots can be found in the drip painting technique popularised in the mid-twentieth century by Jackson Pollock. Pouring is a great technique for beginners: it needs minimal preparation and materials, it’s impossible to make mistakes because of the random nature of the technique and it is a lot of fun!
Read on to find out what you need and watch our tutorials to see three different ways to go about it: acrylic pouring with a colander, the dirty pour and the upside-down cup technique.
Materials
- Pebeo Pouring Medium
- Pebeo Acrylic Paints (alternatively any acrylic paint will do)
- a canvas (we used a 30 x 30cm one)
- plastic cups
- wooden stirrers/lolly sticks
- a pair of scissors
- a pair of gloves
- paper towels and a plastic cover for your painting surface (a bin liner will do fine)
- a colander (optional)
- Pebeo Silicone Oil (for creating cells – optional)
- a hair dryer/heat gun (to be used with silicone oil)
The basis of acrylic pouring is to get the acrylic paint to a fluid consistency. Brands like Golden have their own dedicated fluid range but you can make your own fluid mixes with Pebeo’s Pouring medium. Mix the medium with acrylic colours (add water if necessary) in separate plastic cups and leave them to settle for an hour before you start pouring onto the canvas. This will help the paint dissolve better as you need it to be as smooth as possible for the best results. You can drip silicone oil in the mix and it will form cells on the canvas. A heat gun or a hair dryer helps bring out the cells even more and you can wipe the oil off once the paint is completely dry. You can use the leftover medium as a gloss varnish on your finished painting.
1. The Colander Technique
For this technique you will need a colander. Mix the paint in plastic cups and layer them in a separate cup. Place the colander over the canvas and pour the paint in a circular motion. The paint will flow through the circular holes and spread in a flower pattern. Watch our tutorial video below for the entire process.
2. The ‘Dirty Pour’
This technique is the easiest and it can be done in multiple ways. You can drip the colours straight onto the canvas, overlay them and watch them blend. Alternatively, you can layer the paint in a plastic cup and pour in a circular motion. Watch below to see how it works.
3. The ‘Upside-down Cup’
This technique is exactly as it sounds. You layer the paint in a plastic cup then place the canvas over it and slowly turn it upside down. As you lift up the cup, the paint will spread out and create interesting patterns. Watch below to see it done.
We hope you enjoyed this blog post about acrylic pouring and that it inspired you to try it for yourself. It is so much fun and the results are always unique. A perfect way to relax and loosen up your painting technique. Here are some of what we created:
All materials mentioned in this article can be purchased on our website, in our Hove Shop and by calling us on 01273 260260 ext 1.
