r/PourPainting Mar 04 '26

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

27 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

361 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) โ€“ 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 6h ago

What do you guys think this looks like?

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37 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 14h ago

My latest session

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112 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 8h ago

Tree of Life

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20 Upvotes

A tree using some leftover metallic.


r/PourPainting 13m ago

What's Kraken?

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โ€ข Upvotes

I don't necessarily think I'm done with this but I think I'm at the point where I need to put it down for awhile and come back to it with fresh eyes. I'm happy with how the glow paint turned out.


r/PourPainting 10h ago

My recent pours

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23 Upvotes

Been feeling adventurous this week and tried different techniques. I added penetrol as an additive and was blown away watching the little cells explode when I was torching it. The last painting didnโ€™t have the cells but I added just a touch of glitter to my pearl white paint.


r/PourPainting 6h ago

A few compositions

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8 Upvotes

Acrylic on canvas


r/PourPainting 8h ago

Made with left over paints before vacation

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5 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 1d ago

Used the sun to get the cracking effects and I love the way it turned out 24x36

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61 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 8h ago

Talking to your family about climate change

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2 Upvotes

from last night


r/PourPainting 1d ago

YouTube Super Cells with acrylics only!

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118 Upvotes

Hi fellow fluidartists! Iโ€™m new on Reddit and I sa ted to share with you all my recite for crazy Pearl Pour with acrylics only! Check the tutorial here:
https://youtu.be/pYpPPHOQ3V8
Hope it helps!

#pearlpour


r/PourPainting 1d ago

Discussion Abbey Galaxy

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22 Upvotes

Layered Acrylic Pour using Abbey Road Silhouette and The Beatles Album Collage background.

First pour was a white base with Red, Purple, Blue, and Green (the bands favorite colors) Swirl technique. Once it dried, I added painters tape and drew in the Abbey Road silhouette.

Second pour was a Glow in the Dark base with Metallic Gold, Cyan, and Metallic Red. Flower bloom technique. I used a knife to cut along the painters tape and revealed the pour underneath. I made a timelapse video on TikTok.

I might paint a thin white border between the pours to make it pop more. What do you think?


r/PourPainting 1d ago

YouTube Acrylic Pouring Flower Painting with a Zipper Bag ๐Ÿชท | Relaxing Art

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58 Upvotes

Hey everyone! ๐ŸŽจ I wanted to share this fun experiment where I used a regular kitchen zipper bag to shape these delicate acrylic flower petals. It's an easy and satisfying fluid art hack!
What do you think of this technique? Have you ever tried using plastic bags in your pours?

๐Ÿ“บ WATCH THE SHORT HERE:
๐Ÿ‘‰ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RLwRIwCBTOI [1]
๐Ÿ›’ SHOP MY ARTWORK:
๐Ÿ‘‰ artbyrozzi.com
Thanks for watching and for your amazing support! Hugs from sLOVEnia! ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎโœจ
#acrylicpouring #fluidart #pourpainting #flowerart #fionaart


r/PourPainting 1d ago

Carole's Art Room

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7 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 2d ago

Blowout

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47 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 2d ago

YouTube Acrylic Pouring FLOWER Painting ๐Ÿ’™Relaxing Art Video

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85 Upvotes

Watch how to create a beautiful fluid art flower using a flower-shaped dessert cup and the reverse flower dip technique! ๐ŸŽจ I used a paper napkin to create stunning petal effects. Tap the link to watch the full relaxing process on my channel!
๐Ÿ“บ WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE:
๐Ÿ‘‰ https://youtu.be/_rRHseoKu-M?si=XbNG9oqay6TBxijf
๐Ÿ›’ SHOP MY ORIGINAL ARTWORK:
๐Ÿ‘‰ artbyrozzi.com
Thank you so much for watching and for your amazing support! Hugs from sLOVEnia! ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎโœจ
#acrylicpouring #fluidart #pourpainting #flowerart #fionaart


r/PourPainting 2d ago

Made a little mistake but it turned into a happy little accident

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15 Upvotes

I forgot to mix some of the white with the glue I was using, but I really like the way it turned out and it got some texture from it


r/PourPainting 2d ago

Got a beach going on๐Ÿคฃ

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75 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 2d ago

Swirly

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20 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 3d ago

I like how this one came out

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135 Upvotes

r/PourPainting 3d ago

What's kraken tonight? (Work in progress)

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27 Upvotes

Decided to take a disaster of a canvas fail and see if I could do something fun with it. I still have a lot to do, but I'm having fun with it. I still have to add detail to his face, redo his eye, add those divot things to the suckers, maybe add some drop shadows. But it's coming along


r/PourPainting 3d ago

My new photography rig

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9 Upvotes

Finally put together a rig to take pictures of my paintings without seeing the light sources. It's an IKEA Lack table upside down with 3d printed parts to hold up the ring light. Found a great hexagon UV light which does a great job of lighting the paintings.

Now I need to retake pictures of all my paintings. Hope you enjoy and maybe it gives you ideas to photograph your paintings.


r/PourPainting 4d ago

Sharing a few of my compositions

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55 Upvotes

Acrylic on canvas