Flip cup paintings are one of the most popular acrylic pouring techniques and with good reason! Check out day 13 of my acrylic pouring color theory series! It is a flip cup painting made up of a serene split complementary palette of pastels and full of beautiful cells, lacing, and ribbons of color.
If you’re curious about colors and color theory as it relates to acrylic pouring, head on over to my post about Choosing Colors for Acrylic Pouring and grab your FREE printable Color Wheel and Color Scheme Guides.
If you would like to follow along with my 30-day acrylic pouring color theory video series, grab your very own color wheel and color scheme guides and some paint, and head on over to the color theory section of Homebody Hall!
If you’re pouring for the first time and would like more explanation on materials, processes, and terms, you can head on over to my Beginner’s Guide to Acrylic Pouring. You can also head over to my Comprehensive Guide to Acrylic Pouring Techniques for more information on all of the different techniques and my How to Thin Acrylic Paint for Acrylic Pouring post to learn all about pouring mediums!
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Color of the Day (Day 13 – Flip Cup Painting):
- Yellow
Color Scheme:
- Split Complementary – Yellow, Red-violet, Blue-violet
Shades Chosen:
- Yellow
- Red-violet
- Blue-violet
- Light Blue-violet
- Light Red-violet
- Light Yellow
Neutral Chosen:
- White
- Black
Technique:
- Flip-cup pour
Paints:
All of the colors I used were mixed from the paint colors below. (Violet (magenta and blue) and blue for blue-violet, red and violet for red-violet, yellow and white for light yellow, white and red-violet for light red-violet, white and blue-violet for light blue-violet)
I used magenta for my violet hues because I think it makes a less muddy color because there isn’t a yellow undertone to it as there is with red. So if you ever want to make a very vivid violet color, go with magenta. I have found that I actually prefer the Liquitex Basics Quinacridone Magenta to the Artist’s Loft Brilliant Magenta.
- Artist’s Loft Brilliant Blue
- Artist’s Loft Brilliant Yellow
- Artist’s Loft Deep Red
- Liquitex Basics Titanium White
- Artist’s Loft Brilliant Magenta
- Master’s Touch Permanent Black
Pouring Medium:
- Floetrol
- Water
Canvas:
Tools:
Sealant:
- Rustoleum American Accents Gloss Clear (1 thin coat)
Flip Cup Painting Step by Step
- Lay down a base coat of your background color. For this flip cup painting, I covered half the canvas in black and half in white.
- Layer your paint into your flip cup. The order I layered my paint was: white, light yellow, light blue-violet, light red-violet, yellow, red-violet, blue-violet, white.
- Fip the canvas upside down and set it on top of your cup. Hold the canvas onto the cup and flip them as one unit.
- Allow your paint to settle to the canvas and then pull the cup off.
- Use a torch on your paint puddle if you’d like.
- Tilt the canvas and stretch the paint until you’re happy with the composition and the way your painting looks.
Go Forth and Pour!
And that’s it! Flip cup paintings are sooo much fun because they’re different every time and you never really know what you’re going to get! So go have some fun and play and experiment with paint!
As always, check out my updates on Facebook and Instagram and feel free to peruse Homebody Hall for more fluid art tips, tricks, and tutorials! Also head over to Youtube and subscribe to get my videos sent to you as soon as they come out!!
Acrylic Pouring Wing Pour Technique
Black Canvas Paintings – Acrylic Pouring & Neons!
Acrylic Pouring Split-cup Pour: A Guide
Want to remember this flip cup painting tutorial? Pin Day 13 of this Acrylic Pouring Color Theory Series to your favorite Pinterest Board!
