One of my very favorite techniques of acrylic pour painting is the Dutch pour painting. Originally coined and created by Artist Rinske Douna (who is Dutch), the Dutch pour is a technique that produces delicate ribbons of color and beautiful lacing details.
In this post, I’m going to go step-by-step through exactly what you need to get started with making a Dutch pour painting, how to go about doing the Dutch pour, and how to create three different styles of Dutch pour.
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!
And if you’re curious about colors and color theory as it relates to acrylic pouring or you’re getting hung up with choosing colors, head on over to my post about Choosing Colors for Acrylic Pouring.
What do you need to Do a Dutch Pour?
To do a Dutch pour painting, you will need much the same materials as for other acrylic pouring techniques. You’ll need:
- Acrylic paints
- Pouring medium
- A canvas
- A way to move air
Acrylic Paints
You can choose any brand of acrylic paints that you like. Consider color, budget, and quality when you’re purchasing your paints.
And just keep in mind that the ratio of paint to pouring medium ratio will be different for every brand of paint you use.
Pouring Medium
I personally use the same medium that I use with nearly all my pours, which is Floetrol and a bit of water.
However, Artist Rinske Douna only uses water to thin her paint for this technique. This is something that you can play with and see what type of effects you get with different mediums.
Canvas
You can use any type of canvas or wood or anything that you may regularly use for acrylic pouring. I will say that this technique does lend itself well to larger canvas sizes though. Especially the round and the line Dutch pour variations that I will be talking about.
A Way to Move Air
The Dutch pour technique is all based on moving paint with air. There are a few different ways that you can do this, and each has its own pros and cons.
- Hair dryer
- Airbrush
- Canned air
- Air Compressor
- Straw
Hair Dryer
The most obvious benefit to using a hair dryer is the fact that they are so accessible. You probably already have one at home already, and if you don’t, they’re relatively inexpensive and can be bought just about anywhere.
The only thing that you need to be sure you have is the funnel attachment so that it focuses the air and directs it where you want it to go.
As far as cons, there are usually only two, maybe three, speed settings, so your control is a little bit limited in that respect.
Airbrush
Airbrushes are great because you can control the flow of the air, and the nozzles airbrushes are smaller, so you can get some really cool details with them.
However, most people don’t have an airbrush laying around, so that might be another investment for you to make.
Canned Air
Canned air is pretty easily accessible. You can get it at most stores fairly inexpensively, and you may even have it around your house.
The only downside to canned air is that it is VERY concentrated, and therefore you’ll want to make sure that you hold it far enough away from your painting that you don’t blow the paint right off your canvas!
Air Compressor
If you have an air compressor handy at home, you can get a blow gun chuck for your Dutch pours.
If you don’t already have an air compressor at home, this might be a steep investment for acrylic pouring unless you plan to do a lot of Dutch pours. There’s also a space factor with air compressors as they can be quite large depending on what size you get.
Straw
The cheapest route to move your paint with air is with your very own lungs, with or without a straw. I’ve never done an entire piece with a straw, but I do love finishing off the edges of a piece with a straw.
The obvious downside to this is that if you are doing a larger piece, you’re running the risk of passing out. So you’ve got to be careful with that!
NOTE:
Be sure that with those of these that have cords attached, you make sure to be cognizant of where your cord is so as not to drag it through your painting. Yes, I’ve done that.
How do you do a Dutch acrylic pour?
I’ve provided step-by-step photos as well as a video for each variation of the Dutch pour, but the basic steps are the same for all three of the Dutch pour variations that I’m going to show you in this post.
- Lay down a thick base coat of your background color. Cover the entire canvas, including the sides and corners. This will help your paint to flow.
- Put your color down. Either in a line, circle, or puddle, layer the colors you want in your painting.
- Pour more of your base coat around your colors. Be generous.
- Using your means of blowing air and moving paint, blow that additional base coat that you just added in Step 3 up and over your colors that you laid down in Step 2.*
- Using your means of blowing air and moving paint, blow your paint out across the canvas in different directions until you’re satisfied with the outcome.
- For the puddle pour variation, start at any side of the puddle and ble across it, blowing at different angles until you’ve spread out the paint.
- For the line variation, start on one side of the line, blowing out a bloom, and then switch to the other side so that you’re now working in the opposite direction, blowing out another bloom. Continue working down the line in that manner until you’ve spread out the entire line of paint.
- For the circle variation, blow from the inside of the ring out, and work your way around the ring. Then go back into the center and either blow it out with a straw or your mouth to fan out the center without loosing the ring effect.
- Finish the edges of your painting with a straw or blowing by mouth, if you’d like.
*This step is optional and style dependent. Check out this video by Rinske Douna comparing what happens when you do this step and when you don’t and decide for yourself which you like better.
Dutch Pour Painting Variation 1: Puddle Pour
Paints:
- Artist’s Loft Brilliant Blue and Artist’s Loft Brilliant Magenta mixed to make blue-violet
- Artist’s Loft Brilliant Yellow and Artist’s Loft Deep Red and Liquitex Basics Titanium White mixed to make light orange
- Artist’s Loft Brilliant Yellow and Artist’s Loft Brilliant Blue mixed to make blue-green
Medium:
- Floetrol
- Water
Canvas:
- 8in x 10in canvas
Tools:
- Hair dryer
Dutch Pour Painting Variation 2: Line
Paints:
- Artist’s Loft Titanium White
- Artist’s Loft Metallic Cobalt
- Artist’s Loft Copper
- Artist’s Loft Old Gold
- Master’s Touch Ultramarine mixed with white
Medium:
- Floetrol
- Water
Canvas:
- 8in x 10in canvas
Tools:
- Hair dryer
Dutch Pour Painting Variation 3: Circle
Paints:
- Artist’s Loft Titanium White
- Artist’s Loft Metallic Cobalt
- Artist’s Loft Copper
- Artist’s Loft Old Gold
- Master’s Touch Ultramarine mixed with white
Medium:
- Floetrol
- Water
Canvas:
- 8in x 10in canvas
Tools:
- Hair dryer
Go Forth and Pour!
Here’s to mastering the Dutch pour! I love this pour so much, and there’s so much you can do with it. For instance, check out the galaxy I made or butterfly I made or the Dutch pour I embellished with paper flowers! Once again, the sky’s the limit with acrylic pour painting!
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Want to remember how to do a Dutch pour painting later? Be sure to pin this tutorial to your favorite Pinterest board!
