Acrylic Pour Painting for Beginners, Step by Step (Video Tutorial)

Have you tried acrylic pouring? I’ve been making acrylic pour paintings for about a year now, and it’s been a really fun and relaxing way to create. It allows me to take a bit of a break from my other design and creative work and just enjoy the process. And, even though I’m kind of a control freak, I actually enjoy that I don’t quite know how each painting is going to turn out. After you’re done moving that paint around, it’ll still move a little bit further after you leave it to dry. So, it’s always a fun surprise to come back a day or two later, when it’s completely dry, to see the final painting.

In the video below, I’ll show you the simple process and easy-to-find supplies that I’ve been using to create my paintings. I’ve been trying to keep things budget-friendly, too, so none of the supplies that I use is very expensive. Since I don’t use professional pouring medium or artist grade acrylic paints here, these paintings are not archival. If you want to sell your original art, then you’ll want to look into archival grade supplies so your paintings will maintain their quality for years to come.

Check out the video below to see the step by step acrylic pouring for beginners video:

Supplies Used in This Project

The following supply list contains affiliate links. I make a small commission if you purchase through these links, and I really appreciate it if you do!

Husky Plastic Sheeting (or a large garbage bag / old newspapers / a bunch of plastic grocery bags / a painter’s dropcloth)

Foil Cookie Tray (to catch most of the excess paint as it runs off the edges of the painting – I purchased a set of 2 for $1.00 at the dollar store)

Vinyl Gloves (if you don’t want to be cleaning acrylic paint from under your fingernails for days, then use gloves – I buy mine by the box at Walmart in the cleaning supplies aisle)

Acrylic Craft Paints (in the video, I used Folk Art & Americana brands, but I’ve also used Martha Stewart, Apple Barrell, and Michael’s Craftsmart store brands with good results)

Pouring Medium (I make mine with a 1:1 ratio of Elmer’s Glue All and water)

Squeeze Bottle (I put the glue and water into this and shake it up until they’re well mixed. The squeeze bottles are a really easy way to dispense your pouring medium, and you can just put the cap back on when you’re not using so it doesn’t dry out)

Food Service Portion Cups (to hold the paint / pouring medium mixture – you can use any small plastic cups for this, or you can save yogurt containers or even plastic cat food containers and use those)

Wood Craft Sticks (to stir the paint / pouring medium mixture – I picked up a package of 100 for $1.00 at the dollar store, and once the paint is completely dry on them, you can reuse them)

Art Alternatives 8×10 Canvas Panels (if you want to hang your paintings on the wall, you should use a regular canvas, but I like these panels and buy them by the dozen from Amazon)

Plastic Shot Glasses (to raise the canvas off of the work surface so the paint can flow off the edges after you pour – I bought a package of 24 plastic shot glasses for $1.00 at the dollar store, but you can use food service containers, plastic yogurt containers, cat food containers, or even a small box under the canvas)

Happy pouring!

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