Acrylic Pours: The Easy And Cheap Way To Make Custom Art

Custom art is a great choice of décor for your home because it is personal to you and has a special meaning. Making sculptures or pottery pieces and framing your photography or drawings are some simple ways to do this. Acrylic pouring is another unique artwork form you can take on to lean into your creative side and make something for your house.

Acrylic pouring is a trendy painting method that involves mixing and pouring liquid acrylic paint onto a canvas to create different patterns. The materials and techniques required make it an easy and affordable DIY project for anyone to try out. You need a canvas or surface, the acrylic paint colors of your choice, and a pouring medium to mix the paint with. Start by priming the canvas; if it doesn't come primed, mix the paint, pour it onto the canvas in your preferred technique, and then clean up the edges.

In addition to paints and a pouring medium, you need paint cups, wooden sticks, and durable safety gloves. You can also buy a simple acrylic pouring paint set, which includes most of these things. Start by prepping your work area or table for easy cleanup after you're done by laying down a sturdy sheet. Next, ensure the surface you're working on is perfectly level so the paint doesn't run or spill from the canvas. Even with a level table, you should elevate your canvas above the furniture for any paint going down the sides.

To prep your paint, mix it in the paint cups with the medium until it has a honey-like texture. Next, pour it on the canvas and use the wooden sticks to create your desired patterns and designs. As shown in this YouTube video, you can tilt the canvas from side to side so the paint rolls around. The layers you pour shouldn't be too thick so the painting can dry well. When your artwork is finished, it needs to dry for about 1 to 3 days. Note that the acrylic paint can still move and run over, so keep it still as it dries and don't be surprised if it changes.

The two primary techniques in this art form are clean and dirty pouring. Also known as basic or traditional, the clean technique involves pouring one color at a time onto the canvas, giving you more control over how the colors mix and how the patterns form. To do a clean pour, mix your paint with the medium, pour the colors in the order you want, and swirl the different paints to blend however desired. 

To do a dirty pour, mix the pigments in one paint cup. Layer the different paints into the cup in the order you want them, then pour the mixture onto the canvas. Acrylic pouring, especially with this technique, is very flexible, so there really isn't a wrong or right way to do it. It is a fun art practice because you can try different methods and speeds of pouring paints into the cup, yielding different results every time.