Hello!
MY NAME IS
SHERRIE FRENCH
My studio name is inspired by a song my husband wrote. And I can't think of a better way to describe the medium of acrylic pouring and fluid art.
The way the paints, pigments and mediums play together are unpredictable, making it impossible to create a painting exactly as you envision it. And so often the results are beautiful surprises that cannot be duplicated.
Art is in my blood. My Dad was a freelance wildlife artist most of his career, with a 15 year stint as an Executive Artist at Disney. My Mom was fearlessly creative and did everything from making jewelry to painting rocks that look like adorable sleeping critters.
Over the years I have dabbled in a wide variety of arts and crafts, including watercolors, charcoals, pastels and papercrafts. But when I discovered acrylic pouring I knew I'd found my medium. I cannot stop myself and my studio is bursting with paintings looking for new homes!
The Process
Acrylic pouring can be done using a variety of techniques to arrive
at wonderfully unique results.
Acrylic pouring and fluid artists are often in search of the perfect recipe for their favorite techniques. Recipes can be as simple as adding water to acrylic paint or very complex with a variety of mediums such as Floetrol, pouring medium, polyvinyl acetate (PVA), varnish, or many other products. Recipes can be impacted by so many things, even just the brand of paint or medium. These recipes make the difference between merely interesting, and gorgeous results.
Techniques
There are many different techniques uses in this art medium, and more being discovered all the time and terminology may differ from artist to artist. These are the techniques I use the most in my art.
Flip Cup or Dirty Pour
Fill a cup with colors in layers. Either place the canvas on top, then flip the cup and canvas together or quickly flip the cup onto the canvas. Then tilt to stretch the paint or spin on a cake spinner.
Traveling Funnel Pourl
A base color is poured on the canvas then a funnel placed on the canvas. Colors are added to the funnel and the funnel is dragged along the canvas
Cloud Pour
To create the look of large cloudy cells one color is mixed with an enamel (this creates an interesting reaction with the acrylic paints). This color is dropped into layers of other colors then poured onto the canvas.
Chain Pull
A base color is poured on the canvas then chains dipped in paint are laid on the canvas and pulled to create the effect.
Reverse Dip
Paint is poured on the canvas in any variety of ways, usually with multiple layers of colors. Then a napkin lightly sprayed with water is placed over the painting, lightly pressed down, then lifted back up by the corners.
Dutch Pour
A base layer is poured on the canvas then additional colors are poured on over each other. Then a blow dryer (on low/cool setting) is used to blow the colors out. in multiple directions to get the composition wanted.
Swipe
A swipe can be done in many ways. Paint is applied to the canvas, then a color with cell activator is swiped over those colors, either with a pallete knife or a piece of thin plastic. This creates a blend of colors with cells.
Bloom
A pillow of paint is added to the base, then colors are layered with a cell activator on top. Then the colors are blown with a blow dryer or mouth, creating a bloom look. A painting might be a single bloom or many.
Split Cup
This technique requires a special cup with sections. A different color is added to each section then poured on the canvas to create a stripey look.
Transfer
The base of a transfer can be any technique. The transfer paint is poured on another surface and swiped with a cell activator. This is then poured onto the original painting or transferred with a palette knife.
Flick
A base layer is poured on the canvas. Then a puddle with layers is added. Using fingers or some other flexible tool the paint is flicked in different directions. This often creates a spiral of colors.
Blowout
A puddle of layered colors is placed in the middle of a canvas then blown out with a blow dryer on low/cool setting.
Embellishments
While a lot of my paintings stand on their own without any embellishment, I often either create a painting as a background or feel a painting needs something extra to be complete. One of my favorite embellishments is the use of a white paint pen - I love the whimsical feel.
Foil Transfer
After a painting is fully dried and varnished a special glue is added. The glue can be drawn on or applied with a palatte knife through a stencil. Once dried, a foil is pressed onto the glue. This adds special shine and sparkle to embellishments.
Wrecked
While wet, a painting of any technique can be "wrecked" with a variety of implements to draw swirls, and other designs in the wet paint.
Paint Pen
After a painting is fully dried and varnished an acrylic pen is used to draw on the paining. I love using white pens for a whimsical look.
Modeling Paste
On a dried and varnished painting, modeling paste (sometimes colored with paint) is applied, sometimes over a stencil. Once the paste is dried it is painted or left as is.
Stencils
Once the painting is dried, a stencil is placed on top and paint is applied either by hand with a brush or sprayed on with an airbrush.
Blowout
A puddle of layered colors is placed in the middle of a canvas then blown out with a blow dryer on low/cool setting.