Let me introduce you the art of flow painting! Flow painting is the process of pouring paint across the canvas and manipulating it without a paint brush to form unique abstract designs. There are serval manipulation techniques you can try with flow paints, but first lets talk about the paint.
Flow paint is a thin consistency designed to flow and spread easily without sacrificing the intensity of the colors. It is a combination of acrylic paint, pouring medium, water, and silicone oil. The medium stretches and enhances the qualities of the paint while also helping it to thin it out. The silicone oil separates the paint and enhances the cell reactions.
You can buy flow paints prepackaged but its easy to make and can cost less if you plan to make a lot of paintings. Another benefit to mixing your own paints is that you have more control over your colors.
HOW-TO MAKE IT
The recipe for flow paints can vary depending on the products you use. Even some paints from the same brand contain more water then others so its important to use your eye to get the mix right.
Here's what you're going to need:
- Paint conditioner or medium (I recommend Floetrol)
- Acrylic Paint
- Silicone Oil
- Water
- Popsicle sticks
- Plastic cups
- Gloves
Floetrol is a paint conditioner. You can purchase it on amazon or from your local paint store. If you live in Canada, Dulux paints carries this product and if you have a CAA membership, you get a discount!
From my experience Floetrol is the only conditioner that produces cells.
CONSISTANCY 101
Mix a 1:1 ratio of Floetrol to acrylic paint. Mix it really well (at least 4 minutes). Make sure to scrape all the paint from the sides of your cup for best results. The paint will thicken as you mix. If your paint thickens too much, add a splash of water and mix it up again until you have the right consistency.
The consistency your aiming for will look like a warm honey dripping from your popsicle stick to the cup. You can tell that your paint is thick if the paint is forming a little mound on top of the other paint as it drips in. If your paint is sinking directly into the other paint, you have a thin consistency.
In flow painting, you layer the paints on the canvas and the consistencies we can achieve in our paint mixtures can create different effects. I recommend making your base color thicker then your top colors. The base color needs stability and you don't want it to move too quickly. Thickening can be achieved by adding more paint.
You do not need to add silicon oil to a base paint. Putting silicone oil in your base paint could cause cells to form between the paint and canvas and you can end up with blank cells on the canvas.
Pro Tip: Let your homemade paints sit over night for best results.
The top paints (like this colored one above) should be thinner so that you can easily manipulate them over the thicker base paint. These paints will move faster than the bottom paints. The thin mixture is what allows you to achieve beautiful cells on top.
The top paint will also dry the fastest due to air exposure. If your top paint is too thick it will cause cracks on your painting as it dries.
Add 1 drop of silicone oil in each color and lightly dab it in. Do not stir.
Now that you have your flow paints ready, it's time to start painting! Stay tuned for my upcoming article where I explain how to perform 5 different pouring techniques and manipulations.
If you're local, you can join me in my home studio for one of my flow painting workshops where you will learn how to mix the paints and apply them on the canvas.
One last tip! Make sure you let your flow paintings dry for at least 48 hours. Some paintings may even take up to 6 days to dry depending on the size and amount of paint uesd.
I hope you enjoyed this article! Make sure you check out my DIY videos on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for more fun DIYs like this.