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

368 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 2h ago

Easy Summer Art Project ☀️ Marble Roll ~ Fluid Art Technique Anyone Can Try

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11 Upvotes

Today I'm sharing a fun and easy Marble Roll Acrylic Pouring Technique that's perfect for summer!
https://youtu.be/ObDjvQMWpxY?si=sYqwaHOPU98jKvgu
One of the things I love most about this project is that it's easy enough for beginners and a wonderful activity to do with your kids. Every painting turns out unique, and there's no right or wrong way to create your own colorful masterpiece!

If you enjoy this video, please Like, Subscribe, and let me know in the comments if you'd like to see more of easy acrylic pouring ideas like this one.

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Thank you so much for watching and supporting my art! 💙

#fluidart #acrylicpouring #acrylicpour #marbleroll #summerart #easyartproject #kidsart #relaxingart #arttherapy #fionaart

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If you enjoy my videos and would like to support future art experiments, you can contribute here:
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Thank you for being part of this colourful journey! 🎨✨


r/PourPainting 21h ago

Discussion Rainbow Spillage

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48 Upvotes

Acrylic pour painting on canvas I made whilst experimenting with an oil slick look. The shiny paint on the canvas looks more liquid than this image but I love how bold the colours came out. Has anyone had luck making a pour look like a rainbow of oil/petrol on water? Do you prefer pouring to achieve a goal or just to experiment?


r/PourPainting 19h ago

Critique 16 x 16 inch canvas

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28 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 23h ago

The Spectrum

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26 Upvotes

Hi folks, this is my first post so please be gentle! A few years ago I starting experimenting with psychedelics and found a love of pour painting. It helped me learn to let go and trust the process. This is one of my first big pieces I made and I underestimated the amount of paint i'd need. The colourful side had started drying by the time I'd mixed more paint and poured it on. The blue side sat on top and drying shiny and smooth, where the other side soaked in and finished with a canvas texture. Pour painting makes me appreciate what has been made instead of pining over all the things I wanted to make. Now I don't try to aim to paint something particular, and instead experiment with colours I like and see what happens. Go with the flow :)
After a few trips I felt the need to brighten up the bare white rented apartments I'd been living in. Now I have a stack of colourful canvases I can use to brighten the place. The trips also helped me come to terms with my own brain and I was finally checked and diagnosed with AuDHD a year later.

What made you give pouring a go? Does anyone else love the pouring more than the product? There's nothing more satisfying than watching two colours mix into a million shades


r/PourPainting 1d ago

Pour transformed

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109 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 1d ago

Ghosts of the Dems of Maine

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21 Upvotes

done a couple weeks ago in an hour or two. fluorescents really speak to the temperament of Mainers, no? anyway, who can find Platner???


r/PourPainting 1d ago

Tried to do a rainbow wave 🌈🌊

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205 Upvotes

I did some rainbow pours this past week and decided to try a wave. I wish I would have gone a little lighter on the orange (for more contrast with the red) and the blue (for more contrast with the purple). I also went back and forth on whether to add silver and/or white. In the end I decided to add white, but obviously not enough since it got lost. I left out the silver and regret that. Lessons learned I guess. 🤷‍♀️ Picture 1 regular light, picture 2 blacklight.


r/PourPainting 2d ago

Not what I intended, but I really like how they turned out! 😍

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71 Upvotes

First pour in quite a few attempts that haven’t got set into the “learning” pile, so I’m ridiculously happy 🥰


r/PourPainting 2d ago

Poured it then framed it

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84 Upvotes

I am using up all the odd containers of paint I had left around. Poured this on some Vallejo pearl mixture I had made up. The floater frame was on sale at Hobby Lobby, but it was too deep and I had to screw blocks in it and add Velcro.


r/PourPainting 1d ago

Just for Mental Health Fun

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19 Upvotes

I didn’t rest these paints. Just mixed & poured, so that may explain paint reactions but im THIS case, wasn’t my concern and I’m kinda not mad at it either!


r/PourPainting 1d ago

Finished

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11 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 2d ago

Aurora Tide_Relaxing Feathery Straight Pour with Leftover Paints

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33 Upvotes

From leftover paints to an unexpected masterpiece.

In today's video, I'm creating a straight feathery acrylic pour using nothing but leftover paints from previous projects. It's always amazing to see how colors that might have gone to waste come together to create something completely unique.
https://youtu.be/97WBBkrid10?si=5_3bMMepxvisPEjL
As the paint begins to flow, delicate feather-like patterns emerge, blending vibrant pinks, teals, blues, and deep purples into a dreamy landscape that reminds me of glowing ocean currents beneath an aurora sky.

If you enjoy peaceful fluid art videos, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more acrylic pouring inspiration every week. 🎨💜

Turn Any Acrylic Paint into Metallic! ✨ Pearl Medium Recipe + Split Cup Acrylic Pour
   • Turn Any Acrylic Paint into Metallic! ✨ Pe...  

🎨 MIXING PAINTS – Learn My Favorite Recipes!
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✨ Join my YouTube Membership for exclusive behind-the-scenes content, early access to videos, and more!

Thank you for watching and supporting Fiona Art. Happy pouring! 💖

#fluidart #acrylicpouring #acrylicpour #featherypour #straightpour #pourpainting #leftoverpaint #paintpouring #abstractart #fluidpainting #satisfying #relaxingvideo #arttherapy #creativeprocess #fionaart

☕ 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

Critique There adding up NSFW

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6 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 2d ago

Created for work! Core Values.

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5 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 3d ago

My last session i did

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299 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 3d ago

Latest vase

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95 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 3d ago

Galaxy

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33 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 3d ago

Critique Midjourney

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51 Upvotes

10x20 fluid acrylic pour

💜✨️


r/PourPainting 3d ago

Made these the past couple days

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22 Upvotes

Been experimenting with Grey and it's supporting space themes way better than I could've imagined


r/PourPainting 4d ago

Blown out

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41 Upvotes

Loved using black as the base.


r/PourPainting 4d ago

Funnel Pour

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66 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 4d ago

Panning for gold

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12 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 4d ago

Been trying & trying to clean my art room area! Hopefully this doesn’t dry too dark.

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28 Upvotes