Liquitex Pouring Medium Ratio

• Texture: Fluid
• Sheens: Glossy, Iridescent, and Matte 
• Sizes: Half Pint bottle, Quart bottle, Gallon jar
• Dried Finish: Dries clear

What is Liquitex Pouring Medium?

Liquitex pouring medium is an artistic grade medium manufactured specifically for thinning acrylic paints. Artists mix Liquitex pouring medium with their acrylic paints to increase the flow of the paint for abstract pour painting art.

This medium reduces crazing, cracks, and air bubbles. It is non-yellowing and also has a water resistant finish.

Liquitex Pouring Medium Sheens

You can find Liquitex in the following different Sheens:

• Glossy - Produces high gloss pours with a glass-like finish.
• Iridescent - Produces smooth, high gloss pours with an iridescent shimmer.
• Matte - Produces smooth, matte pours for a more subtle look. 

Liquitex Pouring Medium Sizes

Liquitex pouring medium can be found in the following sizes:

What is the Ratio of Paint to Pouring Medium?

Let's first talk about what Liquitex recommends!

Liquitex recommends to mix one heaped tablespoon of Liquitex Soft Body Acrylic with one cup of Liquitex Pouring Medium. Keep in mind that this recommendation is for when you use their brand of soft body acrylics which are highly pigmentated. 

Take a look at the following demonstration mixing video from Liquitex.

Now, if you are using a different type of paint (fluid, craft, medium body, or heavy body) or a different brand of paint, then this ratio will change since the thickness of the paint and the pigment concentration will vary between paints. 

For example, student grade acrylic paint usually has a low pigment concentration, so it requires a little bit more paint to keep it's color richness. Since craft paint is already pretty fluid, it will require a lot less pouring medium.

So let's talk about what ratios work best for most brands!

Use the following guidelines as starting points and then tweak your ratios little by little until you get the paint consistency you desire for your pours. 

• 2 parts of Fluid Acrylic Paint: 1 part of Liquitex Pouring Medium
• 1 part of Craft Acrylic Paint: 1 part of Liquitex Pouring Medium
• 1 part of Soft Body Acrylic: 2 parts of Liquitex Pouring Medium 
• 1 part of Medium Body Acrylic Paint: 3 parts of Liquitex Pouring Medium
• 1 part of Heavy Body Acrylic Paint: 6 parts of Liquitex Pouring Medium 

Instructions on How to Mix Liquitex Pouring Medium with Acrylic Paint

1. Add the acrylic paint into a mixing cup and then add a small amount of pouring medium. Adding small amounts of pouring medium at a time will help prevent paint clumps in your final paint mix.

2. Slowly mix the color and pouring medium until completely integrated. Mixing slowly will prevent bubbles from forming.

3. Continue to add small amounts of pouring medium at a time and thoroughly mixing after each addition until you have mixed in all of your pouring medium and paint into a homogeneous mixture.

4. Allow the paint mix to settle for 5-10 minutes to allow any bubbles to come to the surface. 

5. Paint mix is now ready to be poured onto your canvas.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can you add water to Liquitex Pouring Medium?

Yes, you can add small amounts of water to Liquitex Pouring Medium. The better the quality of the paint that you are using, the more water you can use.

Does Liquitex Pouring Medium dry clear?

Yes, Liquitex Pouring Medium dries clear and is also non-yellowing.

How long does Liquitex Pouring Medium take to dry?

I allow my paintings to dry for at least one day. However, if I have a thicker layer of paint on my painting surface, I allow it to dry for two or more days.