Bubbles

Bubbles can create really unusual effects in fluid art, although sometimes the effect is unwanted. Bubbles occur when mixing the paint with additives to make it a pourable consistency; the mixing introduces air to the paint.  You can tap the cups to encourage the bubbles to rise to the surface but, acrylic paint being as thick as it is, that takes time.

Another way is to mix your paints 2-3 days before using them.  As long as the paint is covered it will stay liquid  (see what I mean about acrylic paint being more forgiving?)

A way of removing the bubbles after pouring is to gently sweep the surface of your painting with a chef’s torch as this warms the paint and encourages the bubbles to come to the surface where they can pop.  Any bubbles left unpopped will stretch as you manipulate the canvas, so you will get a series of small spots the same colour as your base paint (usually white, see picture). These will be in addition to the intentional bubbles (or cells) that you may have been aiming for. You might like these and they may add interest to your painting, or you might think they look awful, like measles. You can try to colour them in – trouble is, the paint colours will have mixed during pouring, creating slightly different shades on the canvas.

I have learned to mix my paints the day before and make them a little bit more watery than I want. The paint thickens overnight and the last thing I want to do is mix in more water or pouring medium and risk adding more air to the paint.