Your paint pour guide! 

Put away your paintbrushes and mix up your painting routine with the new paint pour trend. Paint pouring is a method of painting incorporating unconventional painting supplies that artists of all skill levels and ages can enjoy. A variety of results are achieved with this fluid painting method, depending on the artist's style and technique used. Learning how to paint pour is easy to do; with free-flowing colors of paint, you can’t go wrong!  

What is Paint Pour? 

Paint pour, also known as acrylic pour painting or acrylic flow painting, is a painting method created by using acrylic paint to pour on a surface to create a flowing design. While paint pour is simple to create and understand, there are many different techniques to try to create different flowing patterns. 

Supplies & Set Up 

Before beginning to paint pour, be sure to set up your work area to prepare for excess paint spills by covering your surface with cardboard, newspaper, plastic, or a tarp. Gather your favorite colored paints that you want to use and something to pour the paint with such as a disposable cup. Acrylic paint is permanent when dry, so we recommend wearing an apron and gloves. Essentially, you can paint pour on any surface, but it is common to use a canvas or board. Though it is not mandatory, we recommend elevating your board or canvas to allow the extra paint to drip off the side. Once you get set up, get carried away with the fun possibilities of what you can create. 

Techniques 

There are many ways you can approach paint pour. Here are a few techniques to get you started! 

Puddle pour: Easy for beginners 

1. Cover your canvas or board with a small amount of white paint. We recommend using a wooden stick or brush. 

2. One color at a time, pour paint on the canvas to create small puddles. 

 
3. Layer each color on top of the same puddle.

4. Tilt your canvas to spread the paint as wanted.

Drip drop: Easy for beginners 

* This technique requires a pipette.  

1. Squeeze paint onto canvas with pipette and alternate colors.

2. Tilt your canvas to move paint around to create desired pattern.

Tip: instead of tilting your canvas – blow the paint with a straw.

Flip cup: Advanced 

1. Decide which colors you would like to use and pour small amounts of paint into your cup alternating colors. 

2. Lay your canvas on top of the paint filled cup.

3. Firmly hold both canvas and cup together and flip them over.  

4. Wait 30 seconds, then lift the cup and tilt the canvas to move paint around. 
*  When you are finished painting, you can add other crafting media to the canvas such as glitter or sequin and seal the painting with a sealant if desired.  

Tip: add silicone oil to acrylic paint to create a celled paint consistency. 

Paint Pour with Faber-Castell and Creativity for Kids 

Faber-Castell and Creativity for Kids offer paint pouring kits for artists of all ages to experience this new trend. Do Art Paint Pour Studio is our fun and child-friendly take on the paint pour trend. This kit includes everything a young artist needs to create six amazing paint pour projects including five acrylic paints, six painting boards, a paint station, craft apron, stickers, confetti, glitter, and more. Creativity for Kids Hide & Seek Paint Pour Rocks craft kit combines the paint pour trend and our best-selling Hide & Seek Rock Painting kits into one great kit. Each kit includes 10 natural river rocks, four bottles of paint, and metallic galaxy transfers for a finishing touch.