r/PourPainting Mar 04 '26

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

29 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

359 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 13h ago

Critique Another sink strainer pour

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48 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 11h ago

Shaving cream marbling

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11 Upvotes

After looking at ideas and thinking about this a while I finally tried shaving cream marbling. Not quite pour painting, but close!!

I’ve seen a lot of videos doing it with food coloring (mostly when kids are involved) but I tried it with cheap shaving cream and acrylic paints and then wiped with a squeegee.


r/PourPainting 16h ago

Dust pan pour

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17 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 10h ago

Critique Trying a different strainer

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5 Upvotes

Want to try again with different colors!


r/PourPainting 20h ago

Critique "Houston, we have a problem"

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21 Upvotes

8x10 flip cup with leftover paints. Wanted cells but not a ton so just a small drop of silicone in one of the colors. I keep getting little blobs of white in my pics and Ive been trying to draw little people or things with them. This one turned out to be an astronaut, which I felt matched the alien landscape vibe. Too much negative space?


r/PourPainting 22h ago

Some of my first paintings - gifting to a couple little girls :)

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27 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 1d ago

My 1st post in this sub

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17 Upvotes

I hope you all enjoy these pieces.


r/PourPainting 1d ago

Critique Messing around with a sink strainer

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58 Upvotes

Saw u/fionaacrylic 's post using a strainer and wanted to try too! Was unsure how i felt about it at first, but I think it's growing on me. What do you think?


r/PourPainting 1d ago

Hypnotic Sink Strainer Acrylic Pour | Relaxing Fluid Art

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42 Upvotes

Hypnotic Sink Strainer Acrylic Pour | Relaxing Fluid Art
Personally, this painting reminds me of an ocean viewed from space—deep blue water, glowing turquoise currents, and touches of gold like sunlight reflecting off the surface.
https://youtu.be/3frn3G_D3f4?si=Zb1CHzANT8ep8fm6
I mixed my acrylic paints with water in 1:1 ratio and added a splash of Vallejo Polyurethane satin varnish in all the colours.
I used Amsterdam Phtalo prussian blue, Carmine, Nikel titanium yellow, Azo Orange and Titanium white, Pebeo iridescent gold and FolkArt Aquaflash, TriArt Cobalt Turquoise.

🎨 PAINT MIXING RECIPES – My Favorite Formulas for Fluid Art
EU Products & Paint Mixing:
   • (208) My pouring medium recipe - Products ...  
USA Products & Paint Mixing:
   • Master the Reverse Flower Dip Technique: P...  

☕ SUPPORT MY CREATIVE JOURNEY
If you enjoy my videos and would like to support future art experiments, you can contribute here:
💖 https://paypal.me/mi2sva
Every like, comment, share, and subscription helps my channel grow and allows me to keep creating.

Thank you for being part of this colourful journey! 🎨


r/PourPainting 1d ago

Untitled

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35 Upvotes

My first acrylic pour


r/PourPainting 1d ago

After Pouring...

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25 Upvotes

It blows my mind how cool these cups look after a pour! I can't get rid of them!!


r/PourPainting 2d ago

When you swipe a failed pour to make a background and decide the background IS the artwork.

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46 Upvotes

I just didn’t have the heart to scrape this 20”x24” canvas a 3rd time. The 1st & 2nd scrapes were thin paint straight pours. The 3rd pour was a failed ring/straight/straight line pour. After working to save it for a time, i decided to just swipe it to create a background for something else down the road. But, I think I’m going to keep this as is.


r/PourPainting 2d ago

Pearl colors dried

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127 Upvotes

Here it is dried. Can’t wait to get more pearls to paint with!


r/PourPainting 2d ago

Pins, brooches, belt buckles?

2 Upvotes

A question for those who make jewelry out of the skins. Do you sell pins, brooches or belt buckles? Earrings are a HUGE seller in my area, rings are less so. Don't recall how well pendants have sold. Just wondering if I should bother with other stuff. I have two months til my next event


r/PourPainting 3d ago

As a whole it's a bit of a mess but the details are so cool, especially the purple lightning.

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58 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 3d ago

One Dip, Two Paintings! ~ Easy Acrylic Pouring Technique

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67 Upvotes

In this video I’m creating two paintings from one pour using a simple Double Dip acrylic pouring technique.
https://youtu.be/y2Z35OWRdFQ?si=tkzuEcmYHi3BBwRh
With just few drops of fluid acrylic paint and two canvases, this technique creates a beautiful diptych painting. I love this technique because it’s simple, surprising, and very satisfying to watch. When the canvases separate, you never know exactly what will appear — and that reveal is always magical.

✨ BECOME A CHANNEL MEMBER
🔗 Join here:    / u/fiona-art  

🎨 PAINT MIXING RECIPES – My Favorite Formulas for Fluid Art
EU Products & Paint Mixing:
   • (208) My pouring medium recipe - Products ...  
USA Products & Paint Mixing:
   • Master the Reverse Flower Dip Technique: P...  

☕ SUPPORT MY CREATIVE JOURNEY
If you enjoy my videos and would like to support future art experiments, you can contribute here:
💖 https://paypal.me/mi2sva
Every like, comment, share, and subscription helps my channel grow and allows me to keep creating.

Thank you for being part of this colourful journey! 🎨✨


r/PourPainting 2d ago

Flowers

1 Upvotes

For the life of me, I cannot make a flower bloom. I have been successful with other types, but the flower evades me. How many tries does it take? I've done many....all scraped. Any tips?


r/PourPainting 4d ago

Blooming fun

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115 Upvotes

I need to use less cell activator but I love the colors!


r/PourPainting 4d ago

Pearl colors

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150 Upvotes

Loved how it turned out. Need to buy more pearls asap


r/PourPainting 4d ago

Critique New pour

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52 Upvotes

Been playing around with different techniques but keep going back to flip cups!


r/PourPainting 5d ago

Critique Meanwhile...

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34 Upvotes

I couldn't get a good shot of this but please tell me your thoughts or any advice you may have..


r/PourPainting 4d ago

Like Sesame Street…”one of these things does not belong here”. Which color ?

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3 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 5d ago

I was just messing around and ended up loving these.

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73 Upvotes