Whether you’re looking for a fun and easy art activity to do with the kids or want to add abstract elements to your next painting, acrylic drip painting can be a great choice.
Acrylic drip painting techniques are easy to master but create dynamic, one-of-a-kind artwork every time. No matter if you’re working on a canvas or abstract mural, you can try your hand at these acrylic paint dripping techniques.
Tips for Mastering Acrylic Paint Dripping
Before starting with these acrylic dripping paint techniques it’s important to prepare your materials. That’s because acrylic paint is typically a thicker consistency that needs to be made more fluid to achieve the perfect organic drips.
Luckily, it’s easy to make fluid acrylics with the right pouring medium. According to Art is Fun, you can often find fluid acrylic paints for sale that are already a more liquid consistency. Or, you can dilute your acrylic paint with a medium like a fluid additive. You should avoid diluting your acrylic paint with water since this can affect its adhesion and vibrancy.
How much you dilute your acrylic paint for this technique is up to how “drippy” you want the paint to look. Just make sure not to over-dilute your acrylic paint and make it too liquidy.
You should also consider how you want to prepare your background. While you can certainly apply acrylic paint dripping right on a blank canvas, you can experiment with more colors and contrast with different color backgrounds. Just make sure to let the paint dry before applying the paint in drips on top.
Finally, don’t forget that acrylic paint dripping can be messy. Make sure to prepare your space (and yourself) for the paint drips and splatter that’s about to happen.
4 Acrylic Paint Dripping Techniques
Now for what you’ve been waiting for. Here are a handful of our favorite acrylic drip painting techniques you can try at home. As you’ll see, each technique is simple to accomplish but can help you achieve different looks.
1. Basic Brush Drips
For this acrylic paint dripping technique, all you need is your prepared fluid acrylic paint, your canvas, and a paintbrush. Prop your canvas upright so gravity can help you achieve organic drips. Then, dip your brush in your fluid acrylic and place it on top of your canvas. The paint will drip off the brush or you can apply gentle pressure to achieve droplets down your canvas.
You can choose one color for your drips or let the paint dry before layering more drips. This technique is easiest to accomplish on a canvas since you have more control over the drips from the top edge.
2. Simple Squeeze Bottles
If you want more control over your drips, consider using squeeze bottles or a turkey baster. With the first method, you don’t have much control over the thickness or placement of your drips, which can be great for a more organic, abstract look and feel.
By filling squeeze bottles with your acrylic paint and using it to create drips, you can be more precise about your placement. Depending on the size of the opening, you can also achieve thinner drips. This is perfect if you’re trying to create a more precise piece of art or have a specific vision for how you want your drips to look.
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3. Pollock-Inspired Paint Splatter
Ready to get messy? Jackson Pollock is considered the “master of drip painting” and led the way with his paintings in the abstract expressionist movement. He is known for covering horizontally positioned canvases with dripping paint to create dynamic art pieces.
One Pollock-inspired acrylic painting drip technique is splattering. To accomplish this, simply dip your brush in your fluid acrylic and flick it on your canvas. This creates chaotic drips and flecks across your backdrop. This is a great method for abstract pieces and can be used to cover anything from small canvases to large murals.
4. Pour Painting
Finally, we can’t forget to mention pour painting. There are many fluid acrylic painting techniques that can cover entire canvases. However, these methods can also be used to create larger, more fluid drips.
For instance, you can add your fluid acrylic to a cup and carefully pour it in drips on the side of your canvas. This method often creates thicker drips that are less controlled.
Ready to try your hand at one or more of these acrylic drip painting techniques? Nova Color has all the acrylic paint and fluid mediums you need. Explore our 92 brilliant colors of professional acrylic paint today!