Are you a painter who is looking to add new techniques to your repertoire? Here are the techniques you need to know for pouring acrylic paint.

Are you bored with standard acrylic painting techniques? It’s time to learn pouring.

if you’ve never tried pouring acrylics, you’ll be amazed by the different effects you can create.

Using a technique called a coated pour, you can turn your acrylic painting into what looks more like an oil painting. By creating deep, marbled effects on your canvass, your creativity with a coated pour is limitless.

Then there’s a technique called the wash pour. This pour uses high amounts of water mixed with your acrylics and resembles a watercolor painting.

What’s best is you can quickly create unique acrylic paintings with either of these techniques.

Let’s take a look at the proper techniques for each, and get inspired to start pouring acrylics!

Bring Your Canvas to Life with Coated Pouring

The first thing you’re going to need for a coated pour is a pouring medium.

Depending on the desired effect you are going after, choose a pouring medium with either a thick of thin viscosity. The choice is completely yours.

For a deep and rich marbling look, use a thick pouring medium. Don’t start adding water right away. It might not be needed.

Never mix in more than 40% water.

If you do need to thin out the paint, start adding water very slowly until you get the desired effect. If you add too much too soon you’ll have a watery mess on your hands.

Speaking of messy, coated pouring most definitely is. Be prepared for a lot of the paint to roll off the sides of the canvas during the pour.

The best thing to do is to prop the canvas up a few inches at each corner. Make sure the canvas is level so the painting will dry looking exactly as you want.

If painting on stretched canvas, you’ll want to prop up the center as well.

Most importantly, have fun with acrylic coated pouring. The only thing to hold you back is your creativity!

For Wash Pours, Water Is Your Best Friend

Looking to get that watercolor effect out of your acrylics? Try out the wash pour technique.

First of all, you’re going to need water — and lots of it. As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to mix your paints and water at a 1:1 ratio.

For this technique, a pouring medium is not needed.

Instead of using a heavy-bodied acrylic for a wash pour, use a fluid acrylic. This will give you bolder and brighter colors in the heavily diluted paint.

Also, be sure to properly prime your canvas before you begin.

Here’s the biggest tip for wash pours: don’t try to control where the paint goes. Most often, the coolest looking pieces are born out of “pleasant mistakes”.

Experiment with different color combinations, then let them do their own thing on the canvas. A properly wash poured acrylic painting can make you look like a pro.

Coated pouring and wash pouring acrylics is a great way to get out of your painting rut.

They are super fast and fun to do. Plus, no two are ever alike.

Start getting your pour on today!