Weeks:
Studio Documentation
Week 11 ( 6th - 10th Dec)
Painting with Plaster - Large canvas acrylic pouring
When I decided to experiment with acrylic pouring, I did some research before attempting it over the weekend. I watch youtube tutorials about different what you can use to change regular acrylic into acrylic pouring paint. I wanted to find an alternative that is cheap and can be found anywhere.
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I came across this video, and I decided to go with PVA glue as it is available and cheap. Creating a 50/50 PVA glue and water mix, then adding acrylic paint for colour.
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I mixed a cup of white and half a cup of two shades of orange and purple. I didn't do the traditional acrylic pouring technique where you let the paint dripped on the entire canvas and move the canvas to move the paint; I still wanted the background to be visible.
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I first poured the white in the areas I wanted to be in as a base colour for the acrylic pouring. If I wasn't happy with the shape, I manipulated it using an art knife. I then added the colours loosely on top of the white. To mix the colours and create that marble liquid effect, I used a straw and blew it into it. I kept blowing until I was satisfied with how it looked—adding colour when I felt it needed more.
The great thing about this technique is that you can never expect the outcome, but any result is exciting and beautiful. Since the acrylic is more of a liquid consistency when manipulated to touch the plaster mounds, it doesn't affect the sides, so the outcome is very neat. It looks neater upcome compared to the last experiment, and which I prefer.
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In appearance, it gives the piece movement and flow, but instead of something that is a single flowing stream, is it chaotic and complicated. The colours mixture onto each other in a very complex way compared to the last piece, and it gives these pieces a completely different vibe just by doing one thing differently.
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I think that it compliments the plaster mounds. The colours I used are the same as those I have already used, but the purple dried into grey, and I think the colour still works with the piece.
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The acrylic pouring dries with a lovely finish. Since it has PVA glue, it is dried, shiny and smooth. I kept the canvas lying down on the flat surface. The paint also dried in 24hrs which dried very quickly, and convenience can just be left alone to work on the next day.
I had some acrylic pouring mixture left, and I decided to pour it on a spare canvas. I had more colour than white so I couldn't use white as a base piece, so I'm not happy with how it turned out. I think I blew too much on the piece that the orange and purple started to mix. Some areas of the piece are green which I don't like.
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I will probably go back to this canvas and experiment with it or redo it with a different acrylic pouring on top.
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It dried the same as on the canvas, and everything was very smooth and shiny. I will probably use this acrylic pouring mixture again, and I enjoy the look and feel when it is dry instead of using actual liquid acrylic fluid.
I went back to the background and painted two layers going lighter from the original background colour to finish the piece.
This outcome is one of those pieces where you don't want to look at it far away and look up close to see all the details. You don't notice things that you don't notice, such as the three shades of colour in the background that they're outlined and getting lighter or the three shades of paint on the plaster getting darker. I also think that the acrylic pouring makes this piece look more complicated than it seems. It looked like a complex technique but was more accessible and more enjoyable than the brush technique.
I am fond of how this piece looks. I think the outcome was stunning, and the process to make this painting and want to take it further into my art style. I feel like this was the final outcoming I was leading to but not expecting within my project, which made the process feel like a journey where I learnt and grew as an artist. I know what type of art I want to create through this project and the outcomes I produced. I can't wait to create and look forward to seeing what is next.