Acrylic pouring is both beautiful and frustrating because, like every other art form, it requires you to think outside of the box in order to find something that really speaks to you! And there are many different abstract acrylic pouring techniques for you to try.
But…what about those days where thinking outside of the box seems like a monumental task? In this article, we’re going to show you ten inspirational abstract acrylic pouring ideas to get your artistic juices flowing and help you not just think outside of the box, but paint the box too.
Landscape pours are two-fold; they can be embellished with landscapes, or poured as landscapes.
Poured landscapes are controlled pours where the artist manipulates the paint to emulate mountains, trees, water…you know, landscape things! This can be slightly more challenging than a standard landscape pour.
Embellished landscapes are created by taking an already cured pour and painting a landscape on top of it.
If you don’t necessarily want to paint a detailed landscape, you can paint a silhouette instead; by using just black and a few white highlights, you can make a piece that pops!
If you do want a detailed landscape, you can use complimentary colors and shading to make your mountains and trees really stand out. Embellishing already cured pours with landscapes results in dreamscape like pieces with a lot of interest and depth. If you’re ready to try creating your own beautiful landscape pour, check out our article, How to Turn a Flip Cup Pour into a Landscape to get started!
Stress relieving? Check. Unique? Check. Use of balloons in a messy and fun way? Double check! Using the balloon smash technique to create flowers is a fun way to grow an artistic garden any time of the year.
You can choose to layer your paints on the balloon first, or pour on your surface and then “smash” the balloon into the paint; it’s up to you! Fill your balloon to varying sizes to create different sized flowers for more depth. You can also add shading with simple black paint once the piece has cured to really make the flowers pop.
Not a fan of balloons? That’s ok! You can also use the bottom of a flexible silicone bowl for this technique, too. The key is to have a rounded surface that isn’t rigid. Smash with anything you like!
A friendly reminder: if you don’t use harmonious colors for this technique, you will definitely get muddy colors. While we love browns, we only love them when we want them, right? Make sure to check out our articles on Color Theory if you aren’t familiar with what harmonious colors are.
The elements of fire, air, water and earth have been used in art forever; these four simple items inspire everything from passionate, fiery pieces to neutral earth-inspired artwork. So why not use them to create abstract acrylic pouring art? If you’re ever in a position of complete artistic blockage, find inspiration in the elements! We love this technique so much, we even featured it in our eBook, Acrylic Pouring Recipes: 33 Step-by-Step Formulas from Top Artists.
Typically, you’ll see the elements represented by the following colors:
Not in love with these elements? Try a few of these other nature-inspired ideas instead:
You can create one cohesive piece using all of the elements, but you can also create coaster sets and multi-piece wall art by using each element separately.
Geode art has really exploded over the past couple of years as the use of resin and embellishments like crystals has become more commonplace. Did you know that you can also create geodes with acrylic paint?
You can create geode art on rounded wooden panels, canvases, coasters, even ornaments! Geodes don’t need to be a particular shape (although they aren’t typically square).
If you want to create a truly out-of-this-world piece, we can share a few stellar ways you can create a space-inspired piece that will leave you starstruck with these amazing acrylic pouring techniques.
If you don’t want to shade your planets afterward, you can pour your planets on a plain black background:
If you would prefer to pour your piece first and then create planets, you can:
You can use this technique on canvas, wood rounds, coaters or even serving trays! For more about planet pours, check out our planet pours article here!
If you look at an acrylic pour long enough, chances are you’re going to start seeing things; it’s a little like cloud gazing.
Acrylic pours work very well with animal embellishments because of their natural movement and vibrance. You can either use vinyl cutouts of animal silhouettes, or even use digital apps to enhance a pour and transform it into any animal you like.
If you decide to embellish a pour with vinyl, it is imperative that the piece has completely cured and is not flaking, lumpy, etc. The transfer tape used to, well, transfer a vinyl image to a surface can be exceptionally strong, and if your paint isn’t adhering properly to your surface or is still wet, you’ll risk peeling the paint up when you peel off the transfer tape.
If you want to use the vinyl cutout method with a poured tile, we suggest sealing the tile first with Polycrylic or Kamar Varnish to protect the paint before transferring the vinyl over. Plus, as a bonus, this will give you a very unique 3D look! Find inspiration in the wildly popular Blue Horse 2 painting by Linda Reitz King on our blog!
By using flood coats of resin, you can create different layers to your pieces and make them seem 3D.
A few ways you could use this to your advantage with this acrylic pouring technique:
Layered resin pours will be pretty heavy when you’re done, which is important to take into consideration when you think of where it will be displayed. If you’ve used ten layers of resin and expect this piece to easily ship and hang on someone’s wall, you might be disappointed! It’s a good idea to consult with your customer first, if you’re creating a multi-layered commission, so that they can tell you where the piece will be displayed and you can share the potential weight of the piece with them.
If you’d like to create a layered resin piece but aren’t sure where to begin if you’d like to color the resin itself, check out our instructional blog post about coloring resin.
Why have one tree ring when you can have a lot of tree rings? You don’t need to limit yourself to just one type of pour per canvas…and this is true for all pieces. There are two important things to remember when you’re creating multi-pour pieces:
Tree ring pours work really well for multi-pours because they’re easy to control. You’re pouring your paint in a tight, closely regulated circle as opposed to a flip cup, where you’re essentially (and aggressively) letting that paint flow! Plus, tree ring pours are easy for every level of artist; you can create a tree ring pour in five simple steps.
When manipulating your dueling tree rings, try to do so in a circle to avoid over-mixing.
You’ll have some commissions or pieces you want to make for yourself that might not call for dueling trees or fiery elements; sometimes, less is more!
The Dutch pour technique utilizes strong, focused forced air to move concentrated puddles or lines of paint out into a base layer, creating fades and wisps. Dutch pours can be as intricate or as simple as you like, and this technique works very well for minimalist pours.
Here’s what to do:
You can choose to embellish your piece with a few pieces of gold or silver metal flake, and seal with resin for a fresh, simple look.
Normally, we encourage you to pick hairs out of your acrylic pours, but in this case, we’re going to talk about how you can create whimsical, wispy hair on easy-to-draw silhouettes!
Dutch Pour Method
You can do so much with this technique; think of running horses, elemental beings, bird wings; experiment!
We’re so glad that you joined us for 10 inspirational ways to create beautiful abstract acrylic pouring art. We want to see your experiments, so make sure to join our Acrylic Pouring Facebook Group and post your creations; we’d love to see what you do with these ideas.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out these helpful articles to keep you going on your fluid art journey:
Acrylic Pouring staff is made up of aritists and writers from around the world. We take information from our own experiences, tests, and research what works best from our Facebook Group and other top artists. Join our Facebook Group to get insight from other top artists and find out about giveaways. Follow us on Instagram for top acrylic pours and tips, and check out our Pinterest for some of our favorite pouring and fluid art tutorials from around the web!
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My book on Acrylic pour for beginners $14.99 was ordered in February
2021 and I still have not received it. The invoice # is 15487681 and the amt. was charged to my Pay Pal account. Will you please track this down. Thank you
Sharon Sweeney
I am interested in knowing how to use a varnish or finish for my acrylic poured paintings. The surface is too tacky without it and in order to sell the paintings and ship them they cannot stick to the surface of plastic, paper or cardboard. Does anyone know how to finish these paintings?
Thank you,
Lynn Hennessy
I wait until mine have fully cured and then use a spray gloss varnish. Let it dry and then spray another coat. For shipping, I wrap mine in either parchment or glassine paper so nothing sticks to them. Then wrap in bubble wrap, bubbles facing away from the painting.
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