Fluid Acrylic Paint handles differently than tradition heavy body paint from a tube. If you are accustomed to heavy body paint these tips will get you flowing in the right direction.
One: Consider transparent layers for depth
Instead of blocking in large shapes of opaque color, try layering slightly different shades of the same color. This will build your color slowly and add more depth and texture. Using transparent hues instead of opaque ones will further enhance this technique.
Two: Use a Sta-Wet palette or spray bottle.
Fluid acrylic loses it’s workability when it begins to thicken from evaporation. Try using a water bottle to mist your palette often or consider a palette designed specifically for acrylics, such as Masterson Sta-Wet Premier Palette.
Three: Consider using Flow Medium for thin, delicate washes of color.
In order to exploit Fluid Acrylics to its’ greatest advantage, adding a drop of Flow Medium to your water will help fluid acrylic behave like watercolor paint. It will feel like thin chicken broth, but the results will be delicate washes of light color.
Flow Medium is best for using fluid acrylic on paper or un-primed canvas. It breaks the surface tension of water allowing it to soak into your surface. The paint appears richer in color this way.
Most paint brands manufacturer some form of flow enhancer, here are some links to popular ones:
Four: Use sponges or paper towels for subtractive methods.
Apply different hues of fluid acrylic over dried layers of other colors, then use a sponge, paper towel, or absorbent cloth to lift off tiny amount of wet paint. Decorative Faux Painters use this technique often, and in tiny doses it can add texture and visual interest to your painting.
Careful not to overdo it – you don’t want to wind up with an entire canvas that looks like Aunt Nelly’s seashell sponge painting bathroom — or maybe you do — that’s why we call it art!
Five: Use Pours
Abandon your brushes and use Fluid Acrylic Paint to pour, drip, or run on our surface. With pratice, you can render shapes and shades unique to pouring with a organic feel. Use pours in comboation with subrative techiniques to soften edges and create texture.
After pouring fluid acrylic onto your surface use gravity to spread the paint by tilting, spinning, or blowing on the paint with drinking straws.
After your initial pours dry, add dark or light contrasting color with brushes to create additional shapes and abstract textures.
