How to Create Color Pour Art

I decided to let loose creatively in the studio and try out American Crafts’ new Color Pour paint kits. Color pour art is an easy way to make canvases with a gorgeous marble effect. The great thing about it is that your childhood dream of combining all these various colors in a single cup of paint is finally coming true. It’s time to get a little messy! I thought after all the awesome comments about the paint pouring video I posted last year, I would give you a step-by-step guide on how to easily create color pour art.

Set up your space. One of the best things about the Color Pour paint kits is that everything is in one convenient place. When I set out to try the products, one of the first questions I had was, “Will I need a drop cloth? What about gloves?” Luckily, American Crafts included both those necessities and more in the kit. Instead of worrying too much about set-up, I was able to concentrate on the color combos I wanted to try. Set up your space with everything you’ll need close by. Cover your surface with the drop cloth. Be sure to put on gloves! Set out paints, canvases, cups, popsicle sticks, and all the other supplies you’ll need. Make sure everything is in reaching distance; once you get started, you won’t want to have to get up and potentially spread paint everywhere.

Set up your drying area. This was one part I wished I’d planned out a little more thoroughly. Depending on how much paint you use, it can take anywhere from 12-24 hours for the artwork to dry. If you decide to let the paint drip down the sides of your canvas, it’s a good idea to use four cups turned upside down as a makeshift drying platform. Space them out so that the canvas can rest on all four evenly.

Mix in oils or other additives (optional). Adding the “Cell Magic” oil can create little bubbles in the paint, which makes amazing little shapes. Add a little of the oil to any or all of your paints in the little plastic cups provided. Mix the oil and paint with a popsicle stick. If you would also like to add glitter or metallic pigments, it’s the same process. The options are really endless.

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Now comes the fun part! Layer your paints in a single cup. I really encourage you not to overthink this step. There is no “wrong” way to combine colors. This is really about preference and style. If you don’t feel quite ready to pick out your own color combos, there’s good news. American Crafts made beautiful kits with pre-selected color palettes. If you decide to use one of those, the only real work you have to do is pour!

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Get paint on the canvas! There are two ways I know of doing this. The first is to take your blank canvas and set the side you want to paint down directly on top of the cup. Using both hands, carefully hold the cup to the canvas and flip the cup and canvas over so that the cup is now upside-down on top of the canvas. The second is to simply pour your cup out onto the canvas.

Spread it out. You can choose to use the cup to spread it out a bit or you can set the cup aside and tilt the canvas. The trick to this is to really just let the paint flow the way you like it. On both canvases, I titled it until the paint ran up and over each edge.

Add embellishments and allow it to dry. One canvas, I left as it was. On the other, I sprinkled glitter on the corner and added a little gold leaf. This added some dimension and texture to the piece.

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This process was a blast! I had so much fun experimenting with the paints and allowing the process to flow, instead of meticulously planning exactly how each piece would turn out. You can find more info about Color Pour in this blog post and look for it at your local Joann Stores. So, are you going to give color pour art a try? What color combinations are excited to experiment with? Let me know in the comments and be sure to share pictures of your beautiful creations. 

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Messy Maker sign handmade by Just Add Sunshine

Photos by Munoia Digital

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