If you are interested in paint pouring, do it. I recommended that if you are interested in something new, give it a try. Personally, I do not want any regrets as an artist and I’ve found that whether something works or not, there are always lessons learned or new techniques that carry-on into the next project.

 

Regarding paint pouring, I invested more money upfront than I needed to with my first paint pouring attempts. I wanted to get it right, so I bought everything I thought I needed that I saw on blogs, videos, and other educational sites. The outcome of this was that I rushed through a lot of different techniques trying to do everything at once instead of little by little and mastering different aspects of pouring. This resulted in crazing on most of my artwork and having to go back to the basics to see where I was going wrong.
 

That being said, I did not do this experiment on a whim. I did A LOT of research – several months before I ever bought materials. I knew researching and patience would be necessary since this technique is messy and not easy. However, the key to anything is practice. 

 

 

Pre-Mixed Paints Verses Mixing Your Own Paint

I bought pre-mixed pour paints and the materials to mix my own pour paints. Getting started with the pre-mixed paint took zero effort and was a good learning opportunity to understand how the colors interacted with one another. Over mixing the colors or moving the canvas too much can result in mucky colors or jagged layered lines which takes away from the flow of the paint and results in the paint drying unevenly. I was happy with the bright color of the pre-mixed paints, but one downfall was that the pre-mixed paint is thin and does not include silicone so some of the techniques of pour painting were not compatible. Buying pre-made pour paint is convenient and great for experimenting or personal projects but long-term it becomes costly.

Mixing my own pour paint, turned out to be my biggest challenge. Following the ratios is 100% necessary and depending on what products/brands you buy the ratios vary. So, reading the directions is important. I suggest going to the brand website to read up on their specific suggestions on how to use each of their products for the best outcome. This will help eliminate waste and help you get the mixture right the first time. Personally, I am still figuring out the correct mixture between the variety of brands I bought. I am also still learning how fast/slow the paint dries and how to apply heat. Mixing takes patience and practice. When mixed properly and set to dry properly, the result is beautiful but it does take time until you will have a product good enough to sell or share. Although I have not mastered mixing, I like the benefit of having more control of my budget and a larger palette to work with. 

I tried getting the most out of my buck by using the leftover pre-mixed paints with my mixed paints. This did not work for me. The paints dried at different intervals and resulted in crazing in most of the paintings.