Acrylic liquid pouring is an exciting technique that uses Sargent Art Acrylic Paint, Sargent Art Liquid Metals Acrylic Paint, Sargent Art canvases (smaller works better) along with a couple simple items that can be purchased at a local hardware and dollar store.

This is NOT a technique I would try in a public-school setting unless you have the opportunity to work with just a few upper grade students at a time.

Goal (Terminal Objective):

Students will create a non-objective style Painting using Acrylic Paint in a non-traditional way.

Objective:

Students will create a non-objective style Painting using Acrylic Paint and additives to the Paint to enhance the pour-ability of the Paint.

National Core Arts Standards:

Visual Arts Grades 9-12 Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
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Visual Arts Grades 9-12 Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
VA:Cr2.1.la, lla, llla, VA:Cr2.2.la, lla, llla

Visual Arts Grades 9-12 Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work.
VA:Cr3.1.la, lla, llla

Visual Arts Grades 9-12 Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
VA:Pr4.1.la, lla, llla

Visual Arts Grades 9-12 Anchor Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.
VA:Pr5.1.la, lla, llla

Visual Arts Grades 9-12 Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze art work.
VA:Re7.1.la, lla, llla

Visual Arts Grades 9-12 Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
VA:Re.8.1.la, lla, llla

Visual Arts Grades 9-12 Anchor Standard 9: Apply criteria to to evaluate artistic work.
VA:Re9.1.la, lla, llla

Visual Arts Grades 9-12 Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
VA:Cn10.1.la, lla, llla

Purpose:

Students will learn about additives that are used with Acrylic Paint to create fun, exciting
non-objective Paintings. Wassily Kandinsky may be a good choice to select artworks from to discuss non-objective style art.

New Vocabulary:

non-objective, additives, Acrylic pouring, Wassily Kandinsky

Materials:

Sargent Art Acrylic Paint, Sargent Art Liquid Metals Acrylic, Sargent Art canvases, Sargent
Art Acrylic Gloss Medium & Varnish, Sargent Art Liquid Pouring Medium can be obtained from local hardware Paint departments, silicone lubricant (I use a spray silicone but people also use a treadmill belt lubricant that is a liquid in a bottle)

#22-23XX Acrylic Paint 8 oz.

#22-1106 8 oz. 6 pcs. Liquid Metals Acrylic Paint

#90-30XX Sargent Art Canvas Panels

#22-8827 128 oz. Pouring Medium

#22-8812 Acrylic Gloss & Varnish

#35-1436 150 ct. Natural Craft Sticks

Large disposable aluminum pans, disposable plastic cups, plastic table cloth, paper towels, disposable
gloves

Time:

3 or more periods depending on how many different types of additives experimented with and tried. Allow ample time for drying. I leave mine for 3 days before sealing with the Sargent Art Acrylic Gloss Medium & Varnish.

Introduction and Motivation:

Teacher will ask what is non-objective style of art. Teacher will show examples of Wassily Kandinsky’s later non-objective works. Offer a brief biography: Born Dec. 04, 1866 in Moscow, Russia, studied art in Germany, moved and died in France Dec. 13, 1944 (age 78). He is the father of non-objective art.

Instruction:

The teacher will demonstrate the entire lesson following the steps below in the order that they are written.

Steps:

1. Use the plastic table cloth to cover and protect your work area. This is a very messy project and you will need disposable gloves and paper towels close by and handy. Protecting your clothing is a good idea.
2. Decide which colors of Sargent Art Acrylic Paints you would like to use and get out that many plastic cups and craft sticks (for example, when using 5 colors of Paint, use 5 plastic cups and 5 craft sticks).
3. Pour equal amounts of Sargent Art Liquid Pouring Medium and Acrylic Paint into a cup. The reason I like the little plastic cups is that the markings on the cup work well as a measuring device.
   I like the ratio of 1:1:1 meaning equal parts of Sargent Art Liquid Pouring Medium and Acrylic Paint. A good consistency would be like liquid creamer used for coffee. This will vary depending on the initial consistency of your Acrylic Paint


 

4. Mix these two agents together really well using a craft stick. This mixture is then poured into a larger cup so that water may be added.


 





 

5. Use a large disposable plastic cup and begin to pour the Paint mixture into it one at a time.





6. After a few colors have been added to the cup, add a little Sargent Art Acrylic Pouring Medium. Continue to pour and layer the colors into the cup adding a small amount of Sargent Art Acrylic Pouring Medium as you go. This is known as a “dirty cup pour”.


 

7. The disposable aluminum pan will allow the extra Paint to run off of the canvas and into the pan.





8. Pick up the canvas, turn it over and place it onto the top of the cup. Holding both the cup and the canvas, turn the cup over and place all of it into the aluminum pan.


 

9. You may now pick up the cup, or move it around onto the surface of the canvas before picking it up as I did. The colors will begin to separate and form cells (small openings in the color to reveal another color underneath).





Another method is to pour the Paint out of the cup onto the canvas directly. In the pictured example below, I moved the cup in a circular movement as I poured the Paint out onto the canvas.



 

10. Tilt the canvas to allow the color to run and cover the surface and edges of the canvas.


 

11. Additional Paint may be added by pouring it directly onto the canvas from the individual Paint cups. The edges can be covered by using the run off Paint that has dripped into the pan.
12. Allow the Painting to dry for a minimum of three days.
13. Seal the Painting by using Sargent Art Acrylic Gloss Medium & Varnish. Allow to dry thoroughly.

There are many, many videos available on YouTube for you to explore this further. There are also many various additives that may be explored as the videos will show. Not every pour may be to your liking, but there is no reason that Paint cannot be scraped off while still wet, or you can just try another pour on top of a dry canvas. Personally, I had better luck with lighter colors as darker colors can quickly “take over”. But I promise that it won’t be long until you are addicted to Paint pouring! The most important thing that I can relate is to not give up and do not try to overwork your canvas. Cells will sometimes form as it sits. And most importantly, HAVE FUN!

Submitted by
Meri Lee
Art Consultant for Sargent Art
February 3, 2018