Draw Paint Create: Liquitex Pouring Medium

I came across the Liquitex Pouring Medium when I was doing some research on acrylic mediums. I decided to give it a try.

(picture taken from the Liquitex website)

I found some squeeze bottles with a small nozzle that I could use to mix the paint as well as pour it out. These bottles were actually meant for ketchup and mustard, but they worked great and were really cheap. They were a translucent white so I could see what was inside. An opaque wouldn't be easy to see what the colour was. I think I paid $1 per bottle.

I poured in about 2 oz. of the pouring medium and then acrylic inks. I decided to use the inks because I had them and the colours are bold. I kept adding the paint until I got the colour I wanted. Then, I had to shake it really well to make sure that everything was well mixed up. I left it overnight to make sure that all the bubbles worked their way out.

I used a small 8"x 8" canvas. I knew that it had to be perfectly level to dry, so I found a large tinfoil tray that I would place my canvas in and made sure that it was level. I used popsicle sticks to act as shims. If it isn't level, the paint will run off.

I started pouring and covered the canvas with different colours. I picked up the canvas and moved it around to mix the colours until I got something I liked. I set it down and let it dry.

The next day, I poured more and found that the poured paint was transparent so that you could see the first coat underneath it. It allowed me to increase the intensity of colour in certain areas. When doing this, I totally covered the canvas again with poured paint so that I wouldn't get a ridge.

I did this on another canvas once I felt a little more comfortable with the medium. I also tried it on a wooden panel that had a frame around it that allowed me to pour without it running down the sides. Both worked really well.

After using this, I would certainly use it again. Maybe next time, I'll try it on a canvas over regular acrylic paint...just to see what it looks like.

Some hints:
*Make sure that you have some sort of tray to have your canvas in when pouring as it gets
everywhere. If you pick up your canvas to tilt it, it will drip down and onto your work table. You
don't want it on something good as getting it off is a problem.
*Wear gloves. The first time I poured, I didn't and had sticky hands for quite a while. Even after
washing them multiple times, the stickiness would remain. Perhaps nail polish remover might
have helped.
*Make sure the room that you put the piece in to dry is free of floating dust motes. If they land
on the paint, they will stick and be impossible to remove.
*It does recommend spritzing the piece with alcohol to remove any bubbles that appear. I didn't
do that with mine, but I didn't see any bubbles when it was wet. I did have some after it dried
which were covered when I poured another layer over it.

Here are 2 of the pieces I did.