Making Acrylic Pours Less Expensive

I'm not an expert on acrylic pour, but I'm a pretty good skinflint.

When I start a new hobby, I am always tempted to buy all the 'needed' equipment recommended.  After adding up all the potential costs of "what you need",  I decided to see how I could shave expenses. Here are some things I've tried.

1. I try to see if common household items can be used instead of 'made just for acrylic pour' items.  I've re-used kitchen utensils, plastic cups, straws, and popsicle sticks. I've repurposed a small glue dispenser and an eye cover. Empty glass bottles can contain homemade flow mixtures. My next project will be trying to make a divided pour cup.

2. Some artists save the paint that has poured off the canvas and cut out pieces to be used elsewhere - I cut up some to make a zine for my art class. Some people use bits of dried pour in jewelry.

"Sometimes the drop cloth
is more interesting than the painting."

3. Combine bits of leftover paint to be used to cover the edges or edges of a canvas (You may want to strain before using). Now, I had always thought that "all colors mixed make black", but surprisingly most of my leftover paint is a shade of blue when mixed. If your drop cloth is clean, you can pour or spoon up the runoff paint while it is fresh to use for something else.

Mix of leftover paint

4. I wanted to try using a turntable to spin the canvas, but didn't want to buy one, so I made my own out of a small lazy Susan that was in the cupboard, popsicle sticks, and old soup containers. I gave it some height by gluing some pill bottle inserts onto the bottom. Using it hasn't produced any masterpieces yet, but it makes it easier to work on all sides of the canvas.

Homemade spinner with cardboard wall around it.

5. Re-use canvas. You can scrape off fresh paint if you immediately realize you've made a mistake, or you can sand and clean the surface and try again after it is dry. After you've built up too many layers you run the risk of getting an uneven or cracked surface, but 'dud' canvases are still good to use when you want to try a new technique.

When I poured multiple layers without sanding
the canvas smooth enough, I got a bumpy painting.

6. Use your hands or another tool to keep large amounts of paint from spilling over one side before the other side has adequate coverage.

7 Calculate how much paint you are going to use before you start pouring.  David Voorhies has a great article about this. 

8. I don't skimp on paint, and I try to buy the best I can afford, but I look for sales and specials.  I also try to mix colors rather than buying each special color. Mixing brown is easy.

9. I keep notes on each pour - what method I was trying, the date, what colors and brands of paint I used, what formulas (proportion of paint to floetrol/water/etc...) and how I layered the paint. I make sample 'drip' cards to check the consistency. This doesn't keep me from making mistakes, but I hope it keeps me from making the same mistakes over and over. I also take a quick photo of the result, even if I plan to scrape it off the canvas.

10. Ever have a tube of paint where no more paint will come out no matter how hard you squeeze? I have carefully cut off the end of the tube and mixed in a small amount of floetrol to get that last bit of paint. (I cut off the ends of toothpaste tubes, too, to get to the last bit.)

11. I used Elmer's glue I already had as a flow medium on some paintings. Here's a swipe I did.

12. Have a painting that is 'almost' right? You can use them as backgrounds for other paintings. I used one as a background for text for a video project.

13. I watch a lot of YouTube videos about acrylic pour and try to learn from them. One bit of advice I got is to not put acrylic paint down the drain to avoid plumbing problems. (google "damage to plumbing by pouring acrylic paint down the drain" to learn more.) Related to this, use inexpensive disposable plastic gloves rather than re-usable gloves that will have to be rinsed off after using.

14. I try to do everything I can to avoid getting paint all over the place. I don't have the luxury of having a designated studio, so I have to work on my dining room table. I wear old clothes when pouring, put newspaper on the floor, and made a cardboard collar around my paint spinner to keep the paint from flying too far. (You wouldn't believe how far paint can go from a paint spinner!). I also check afterwards to wipe up any little spots of paint that might have escaped before they dry. 

Hope this is useful to someone. Remember, you don't have to buy a whole lot of equipment to have fun with acrylic pouring.