A 'Chain of Hearts' for your Valentine! Beginner's Fluid Art Tutorial / Acrylic Pouring!

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Puddle pours are a fun way to create interesting patterns and are a great introduction to fluid art. But even experienced paint pourers do it too!

Here are my Keys to Success for a 'Chain of Hearts' Puddle Pour:

1. One of the great things about puddle pours for beginners is that consistency is not as important. I used paints I had leftover from doing dutch pours, so the consistency is very fluid. But if your paints are a little thicker, it won't hurt the design. BUT - if your paints are too thick, it might crack as it dries, so keep this in mind.
2. Let your paints sit for several hours before using them to reduce the amount of air bubbles when you pour. As a general rule, the thicker the consistency of your paints, the longer it takes for the bubbles to rise through the paint and release. For thicker consistency paints, I let them sit (covered) for about 24 hours before using them. For thinner consistency, I try to wait at least 6 hours (but I'm often too impatient to wait).
3. Once you start adding the puddles, there is no tilting the canvas in this technique, so make sure to blow or tilt most of your base coat off. You only want enough to cover everything and leave a wet surface. Leaving too much base coat on the canvas before adding your puddles can cause the puddles to shift and move, and ruin the composition.
4. Plan your puddles before you start, not just what your pattern is going to be, but also what order the colors will go in. I often write it down or draw it out before I even mix my paint.
5. THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP: Place a small puddle of your base coat color just in front of each layered puddle. This is the key to creating the indent at the top of each heart.
6. You can use anything with a blunt end to draw the line. A pencil eraser, a bbq skewer, or the end of a paint brush like I've done here. Just remember to COMMIT TO THE MOTION once you start! Starting and stopping partway through will leave an obvious mistake that is difficult to fix.
7. Draw your line starting in the base coat puddle first and follow that through each puddle until you've reached the end.
8. The biggest mistake you can make with this technique is to use too much paint. The larger your puddles, the more they can move and warp.
9. If you do more than one chain as I've done here, I recommend switching up the color order, or even changing colors. And don't be afraid to criss-cross the 'chains' - that's part of the fun!

Colors Used:
Amsterdam Titanium White
Amsterdam Phthalo Blue + DecoArt Metallics Pewter
Amsterdam Crimson
JoSonja Pale Gold

My pouring medium is 25% Floetrol, 25% PVA glue, 25% gloss varnish and 25% distilled water.

My paints are mixed 2 parts pouring medium to 1 part paint, and then I add small amounts of distilled water until I reach the desired consistency if necessary. These paints were very fluid - there was no mound when drizzled off of my stir stick.

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