The most frequently asked question about acrylic pouring is how to mix acrylic paint for pouring. In this article I will go over the basics of paint mixing and achieving the right consistency for a flawless pour.
What Is Paint Pour Consistency?
Your paint mix consistency refers to the flow and viscosity of your paint, medium, and additive mixture.
When it comes to acrylic pouring, the mixture must obviously be easy to pour! You can compare your consistency to a few common household items—this can sometimes help you visualize what your paint should look like.
Warm honey and heavy cream are two examples of liquids that have a good pouring consistency.
Basically, you want your mixture to be free-flowing but not drippy. It should not fall off your stirring stick in clumps or run off quickly as if you had dipped your stirring stick in water. When you dip your stirring stick and then lift it out from the paint mix, the paint should easily and evenly flow off the stick.
So what do you mix with acrylic paint for pouring to achieve this fluid consistency?
To make your acrylic paints thinner, you'll need a pouring medium.
What is a Pouring Medium?
A pouring medium is a substance that is mixed with acrylic paints to improve their consistency and let them flow more easily. You can use plain water, artistic pouring mediums such as those from Liquitex, paint extenders such as Floetrol, or even make your own pouring medium mix consisting of glue and water.
So what pouring medium should you use?
Liquitex
Liquitex pouring medium is a professional artist-grade pouring medium.
Flood Floetrol
Flood Floetrol is a paint conditioner that improves flow and leveling. You can get it at Lowes, Home Depot, Amazon, etc.
Water
Water can be used to replace your regular pouring medium as long as you are using high quality paints.
Glue
Elmer's Glue-All or PVA Glue is used by many artists to make their own DIY pouring medium.
how to mix pouring medium with acrylic paint
Well, this is where things get hard to explain. You see, there are a number of factors that will determine your paint mixes' final consistency, such as:
- What kind of paint you will be using
- What pouring technique you will do
- What brand of pouring medium you choose for your paint mix
- And the effects you are trying to achieve.
Because there are so many factors involved and since I have no idea what materials you will be using, it is kind of impossible to give out a universal paint mixing recipe that will work for everyone.
Look! It's not that us artists are trying to keep the paint mixing formula a SECRET....
There are simply too many variables involved.
Take a look at the following video that exposes the 3 secrets of paint consistency and paint mixing that make it so hard to give out an exact formula.
But don't worry, I will give you some general guidelines that will get you started on the right track.
Now that you understand the intricacies of paint mixing, let's talk the types of paints that are available on the market and some general guidelines that you can follow when using these paints with your pouring medium of choice.
But... if want to Become a Pro at Paint Mixing in Less than 1 Hour...
then check out my Paint Mixing Workshop. You'll learn step-by-step how to mix any type of paint with any type of pouring medium to get your paint mixes to the right consistency for any beginner technique.
What Acrylic Paints to use
Paints are the primary components required for acrylic pouring. You are completely free to choose the hue, but bear in mind the "body" of the paint you use.
Acrylic paints come in heavy body, soft body, fluid acrylic, and high flow acrylic viscosities/consistencies. The consistency of your acrylic paint will dictate how much pouring medium you will need to use to make your paint mix flow well.
So the ratio of paint to pouring medium will depend on what type of paint you decide to use.
Heavy Body Paint
Heavy body paint usually comes in tubes. It is very thick, will hold it's shape very well when squeezed out of the tube, and it kind of looks like toothpaste. Usually you'll have to use about 1 part paint to 4 parts pouring medium, plus a little bit of water to get it to the consistency for fluid art.
Soft Body Paint
You will find soft body paints in either tubes or upright containers. This paint has a thick yogurt consistency. You'll have to mix about 1 part paint to 3 parts pouring medium and a little bit of water, depending on how runny you want your paint mixes to be.
Flow Acrylic Paint
Flow acrylic paint is more fluid than craft paint. It is available in bottles and has a consistency similar to heavy cream. This type of paint only needs a small amount of pouring medium to get it to the desired consistency for acrylic pour painting. I recommend mixing 1 part paint to 2 parts pouring medium.
Craft paints have a consistency similar to flow acrylic paints. I recommend using craft paints only when you are starting out since it is more affordable but not as highly pigmented as artist grade brands like Amsterdam, Liquitex, Pebeo, or Winsor & Newton. Once you get better at acrylic pouring, I recommend you invest in higher quality paints that will retain their color vibrancy a lot better.
High Flow Acrylic Paint
High Flow Acrylic Paints are the most fluid but are also the most pigmented. Their consistency is similar to water or acrylic inks (having an aqueous consistency). Because of their high pigmentation, you should only add a few drops into your pouring medium. Add as many drops as you need to get the color and opacity that you are trying to achieve. If your pouring medium is too thick, you will need to add a few drops of water until you get your mix to the right pouring consistency.
This is the basic guideline that you should follow when you start acrylic pouring. However, you as you gain more experience and try new techniques, you will quickly learn that you will need to slightly vary your paint consistency for different techniques and to achieve certain effects.
Steps for mixing acrylic paint for paint pouring
Here are two great videos showing how to mix acrylic paint for pouring using Floetrol, water, or glue.
How to mix acrylic paint with Floetrol
Start with a ratio of 2 parts Floetrol to 1 part Paint. If the paint you are using is too thick, you might have to add more Floetrol (up to 4 parts Floetrol to 1 part paint) to get it to be fluid. Follow the suggested ratios mentioned previously depending on what type of paint you are using.
Mix the Floetrol and paint in a cup. What you do next depends on the consistency of the paint mix. If the mixture is too thick, add water (no more than 20%). If the mixture is runny and watery, add paint to thicken up the consistency.
If your mixture is too thick, your painting will most likely crack as it dries. If it is too thin, your painting will muddy up.
Note: What we want to achieve with this type of mixture is a consistency similar to maple syrup or heavy cream.
how to mix acrylic paint for pouring with glue
Mixed Media Girl mixes about 50% Glue and 50% paint. Once she has those two ingredients mixed up, she adds water to the mix to make it more fluid. Since glue is thicker than pouring medium, she recommends adding more water to this type of mix (about 20% water).
Other artists prefer to mix 60% glue with 40% water, and then use this mixture as their pouring medium. Then they use about 1 part paint to 1-4 parts pouring medium (depending on the thickness of the paint).
Note: Again, what we want to achieve with this type of mixture is a consistency similar to maple syrup or heavy cream.
Why mix glue with acrylic paint? Well, glue acts like a binder that holds the paint pigments together while the water will make the paints more fluid.
how to mix acrylic paint for pouring with water
If you decide to use water to thin down your paints, keep in mind that it's best to use high quality paints to prevent your paint from breaking down. Craft paints are low quality paints and should not be thinned down with water.
When ready to mix your paints, add little amounts of water to the paint while mixing between each water addition until you get the consistency you desire. Do not add more than 20%-30% water to your paints.
You want to get the same maple syrup or heavy cream consistency as previously mentioned.
How to Test Your Paint Consistency
Even though with time you will get a feel for what your paint mixes should look like, at first it is important to have a reliable method for testing paint consistency.
This Consistency Indicator is what I use to test my paint mixes to make sure they have the right consistency each and every time.
Recommended Paints, Pouring Mediums, and Supplies
You'll need a measuring cup or a weight scale that can help you measure your paints and pouring medium.
Also, some cups and stirring sticks will be necessary to mix your paints with your pouring medium and to store your left-over paint mixes.
For paints, I either recommend, Amsterdam Standard Series or Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paints.
Amsterdam Standard Series paints are reasonably priced and high-quality, making them an ideal choice for vibrant art.
Liquitex Basics Acrylic Colors were created for students and artists who need consistent quality at an affordable price. Each color is specially designed to bring out the brilliance and clarity of the individual pigment.
As far as pouring mediums go, you can purchase an artist-grade pouring medium like Artist's Loft, or a pouring medium alternative like Floetrol or PVA Glue.
Final Thoughts
In general, acrylic pour painting is a one-of-a-kind technique that demonstrates the natural and creative aspects of art. If you want to make acrylic pour paintings, you'll need to know how to mix acrylic paint for pouring. It's easy to learn, but mastering it will require a lot of practice. Once you've mastered the fundamentals, you'll be able to experiment with a variety of techniques.
If you are a beginner, my recommendation is that you stick to 1 pouring medium while you are learning how to mix your paints to the right paint consistency. Changing from one pouring medium to the next will just make it more difficult to figure out how to get the same paint consistency over and over.
Once you've mastered getting the right paint consistency with 1 pouring medium, you can start experimenting with other pouring mediums.
