10 Acrylic Paint Pouring Ideas
(Source)
Overview:
1. Landscape pour
2. Animal silhouettes
3. Ocean wave
4. Violet & gold dutch pour
5. Eye acrylic pour
6. Flower
7. Sunset beach scene
8. Sunflowers
9. Galaxy
10. Abstract pour
There are no limits to what you can do with acrylic paint! That’s why we're here to show you some of our favourite ways to use acrylic. To inspire your next project, we’ve outlined our top 10 acrylic paint pouring ideas for you to try at home.
Before you start
To get started with these acrylic paint pouring ideas, you’ll need to have the following paint supplies in addition to acrylic paint. You can purchase these from Art to Art online or in-store:
Plastic or glass container
Check out our beginners guide on how to mix acrylic paint with pouring medium if you haven’t tried acrylic pouring before.
Basic acrylic paint pouring techniques
Our list of abstract acrylic painting ideas uses the following basic acrylic painting pour methods:
Dutch pour
Flip cup technique
Open cup pour
Blow-drying method
Funnel pour
10 easy acrylic paint pouring ideas
1. Landscape pour
If you’re interested in landscape art, then this is the perfect acrylic paint pouring idea for you! You can start with a simple flip cup pour and transform your basic design into a beautiful landscape. This is also super-easy, making it a great idea for artists of all skill levels. You can also customise the colours to your liking!
How to do it:
Grab 5 plastic cups and fill them with pouring medium and your chosen colours.
Once mixed, pour each colour in a line one after another onto the canvas.
Tilt the canvas to spread out the paint and add some more white paint onto the top of the canvas.
Using a sheet of art paper, drag it lightly over the canvas and continue to tilt the painting around until it looks like the ocean.
Lastly, spray with some alcohol to get a true water effect.
(Source)
2. Animal silhouette
For the animal lovers out there, this acrylic paint pouring idea is perfect for both beginners and professionals. You can also customise this to your favourite animal and colour palette.
How to do it:
Draw the outline of a horse using some craft tape.
Using the open cup technique, pour your chosen colours onto the bottom half of the canvas to create the horse.
Remove the craft tape and paint the background a subtle colour.
Lastly, paint the details onto the horse's face using an acrylic paint brush.
(Source)
3. Ocean wave
Get into the summer spirit with this easy ocean art. This piece only requires a few colours and can be completed in under 30 minutes! The best part about this acrylic pour technique is that it is super easy for beginners, and makes the perfect wall art for your home.
How to do it:
Grab 5 plastic cups and fill them with pouring medium and your chosen colours.
Once mixed, pour each colour in a line one after another onto the canvas.
Tilt the canvas to spread out the paint and add some more white paint onto the top of the canvas.
Using a sheet of art paper, drag it lightly over the canvas and continue to tilt the painting around until it looks like the ocean.
Lastly, spray with some alcohol to get a true water effect.
(Source)
4. Gold & violet dutch pour
Create this spectacular gold and violet dutch pour artwork. This is a slightly more advanced pouring technique, however it is still suitable for beginners. This artwork also uses a blowdryer to make the unique shape. Make sure to let your background colour dry before adding your colours.
How to do it:
Mix your background colour with the pouring medium and pour over the canvas. And then, use the blow dryer (or heat gun if you have one) to push it to the edges.
Pour all your desired paint colours (mixed with medium) into squeeze bottles.
Once dry, use the squeeze bottles to pour the paint on in a circular shape. Then continue to add more colours into the circle.
Use the blow dryer again to push the paint to the edges in whatever shape you desire.
Once dry, apply a coat of acrylic varnish to finish your piece.
(Source)
5. Eye acrylic pour
If you’re looking to create a highly unique and intriguing acrylic pour painting, then this is a great one to test out. You can get creative and use your family or animal’s eyes as inspiration.
How to do it:
- Mix your background paint and pouring medium together and pour it over the round canvas.
- Mix the remaining colours in separate cups and begin pouring them in a circle, towards the centre of the canvas.
- Grab a popsicle and create lines running out from the centre, like a spiderweb.
- Place a napkin over the entire canvas and carefully remove it, lifting upwards. This creates a gradient effect.
- Use a circle-shaped stencil to make the pupil and fill it in with black paint.
- Use a fine paint brush with white paint to draw the veins out of the pupil.
- Finally, cover with some acrylic varnish and you’re done!
6. Flower
Create a gorgeous acrylic poured flower using only 4 colours! Although this may seem difficult, artists of all skill levels can complete it. You can also add some metallic paint to spice things up a bit!
How to do it:
- Mix your background colour with medium and pour it onto the canvas.
- Grab a flower shaped cup and put it on the canvas with the bottom up.
- Pour paints on the base and use white between each colour to create a petal lacing effect.
- Next, take off the cup and use a skewer to create some petals.
- Gently place a napkin onto the canvas and lifting one corner at a time, genty lift it. This will blend all the colours together and create a more defined flower shape.
- Lastly, torch your artwork with a heat gun to dispel any air bubbles and to activate pearl white paint.
(Source)
7. Sunset beach scene
For all the avid beach-goers out there, why not give this dreamy sunset beach scene a try? All you will need for this acrylic pour painting technique is a canvas, a cup, cling wrap, a blow dryer, a popsicle, pouring medium and some acrylic paint! You can also customise the colours depending on your favourites.
How to do it:
After mixing your individual colours with a pouring medium, begin pouring them into a container together and set aside for later use.
Pour your cream coloured paint on the top half of the canvas and spread out using a popsicle. Make sure this only covers half of the canvas.
Add your mixture of pink paints on the background colour and tilt your canvas sideways to mix the colour.
Pour blue paint onto the bottom half of the canvas and cover with glad wrap. Press the paint down till it reaches the edges.
Carefully lift the glad wrap up to create a sea-like pattern.
Add some more coloured paint using a popsicle onto the bottom half and distribute it using a blow dryer.
Lastly, paint some black birds in the sky.
(Source)
8. Sunflowers
Take your paintings to the next level with this unique acrylic poured background. This sunflower painting also makes the perfect autumn or harvest-themed decor for your home.
How to do it:
- Mix your chosen colours together into individual cups with a pouring medium for the background.
- Place your canvas onto a protected surface before pouring your baxkground. Make sure this dries completely before continuing.
- Use some chalk to sketch out your sunflower design.
- Paint flowers with simple strokes and basic blending.
- With a dry brush and black paint, lightly paint around the flowers to create shadow and depth.
- Mix water and black paint to create a splatter effect.
(Source)
9. Galaxy
Are you a fan of outer space? Create this galaxy artwork using only a few colours and a funnel! You can also enhance your painting with some metallic paint and diverse colours to make it all the more unique.
How to do it:
- Using a cup or a squeeze bottle, pour black paint mixed with medium onto the canvas and use a spatula to push it to the edges.
- Grab a medium funnel and close the bottom end using your finger, pour all your colours in.
- Slowly release the bottom of your funnel and move it in a circular motion to create a unique pattern.
- Tilt your piece to create the galaxy.
- Grab a paint brush and add some speckles using white paint (these will be the stars).
- Let you painting fully dry and add some acrylic varnish or art resin as a top coat.
(Source)
10. Abstract pour
Our final acrylic paint pouring idea is this super simple abstract painting. You can use whatever colours you please to make this beautiful rainbow design. This also doubles as stylish wall art to brighten up your home!
How to do it:
- Mix your white paint with a pouring medium and pour it onto your entire canvas.
- Pour the rest of your colours in a line on the top half of your canvas.
- Lastly, tilt your canvas to let all the colours drip down the canvas. Let it dry and then coat with some varnish.
(Source)
So there you have it! 10 acrylic paint pouring ideas for artists of all skill levels. Don’t forget, you can get all your supplies from Art to Art either online or in store. And, if you shop online, you can enjoy free shipping when you spend $100 or more. Plus, same-day dispatch Australia-wide when you order before 11 am.
