Swiping with No Black or White

So I was playing around with some paints and things, as I usually do, when I wondered why we would need a specific color to swipe with. Why do we swipe with white, swipe with black, or swipe with, for example, gold?

Acrylic pouring and swiping. What happens if you swipe without a specific swipe color like black or white Does it matter what colors you use to swipe with

Here are some previous examples of just that, in this slideshow.

What if I just painted lines of colors and swiped? What would happen? I just had to give it a try. And as with many of my painting experiments, I just did it and didn’t even think to make a recording. So when it came out absolutely fabulous I was kicking myself that I didn’t have something to show you how I did it.

Here’s what I created, just swiping with colors, no black, no white or anything else. Glorious! So vibrant.  I love how the swipes of color look like rain running down a window.

Swiped tile

So in this video, I am trying to recreate that same effect on a canvas panel. I’m using the same paints, same order, same swipe. And yay! It comes out the same, just as beautiful as the first one on the tile. So now I can say you certainly don’t need a separate color to swipe with, just layer them up and go for it!

But just one word of caution. Take care with which colors are transparent and which are opaque. I had orange and then yellow at the top of my swipe and these were transparent and it did create a somewhat visible line where these colors then crossed the blue underneath. I’d recommend making sure you had opaque colors at the top to avoid this possible line. Or at least carry out a little experiment and allow it to dry to see what happens.

What do you think of the painting now it’s dry? Should I varnish it and keep it, or reuse the panel and try again. I’m loving the colors so much I am just torn!

Happy swiping. Check out the slideshow below for lots of pictures, and close-ups of the details. I’m loving this one!

24 thoughts on “Swiping with No Black or White”

  1. Personally, I think that it is beautiful and you should finish off with varnish or resin. Leave it alone!

    1. Christina Eldridge

      It look great it looks like coral and sea weed under the sea
      My name Christina

    1. Not a secret, I thought I had mentioned it in the video. I usually do. I added Floetrol to the paints, then water and silicone.

    2. I absolutely love this! I’m new and just trying to figure out how to try this myself. Can you give me the proportions of Floetral to paint to water and silicon? Thanks so much!

    3. Thank you 🙂 In this one I used about 1 part floetrol to 2 parts paint, then water as needed (not much). Some of these paints in the bottles may have had a drop or two of silicone in them, I can’t always remember. But its really the swipe action that makes the cells in this case, not so much the silicone. If you are brand new, did you see teh Getting Started with Acrylic Pouring guide? Tells you everything you need to know to get started.

    4. Wow! Thank you for answering my question and telling me about the Getting Started Blog! I hadn’t really looked at your site as I was mainly looking for this video. But now that I’ve looked around I see this is exactly what I’ve been looking for and you’re so very generous to share all this info with us! This is awesome!

    5. There’s lots more here as well as the videos, I try to write a new article each week as well, with something that is interesting to artists or useful to pouring. I hope you find them all useful.

  2. I love this one! I don’t think the line at the top that you were fretting over is a big deal. I would hang it with the orange on the bottom because I see flames coming up rather than color running down.

    I had also wondered about the needed for black or white in a swipe. I also thought you could add color under the white or black so it could give cells in that area as well.

    I love your art and watching you create it! Thanks so much.

  3. Ellen Keyserling

    I love it! Why do you think the first painting didn’t have that line. Perhaps the yellow was broader? Or was it something else? I have swiped like this before just fooling around, but never got results like this. Color choices probably!

    1. Maybe because it was on a tile? On the canvas perhaps the dark blue paint stained the canvas and it showed through the transparent colors, but this wouldn’t have happened on the tile. Who knows!

  4. Hi Deby,
    Denise here from Australia. I think it’s beautiful. Makes me think of under the ocean. Thank you, I am finding your work to be most inspiring.
    Cheers,
    Denise

    1. The paint recipe was 1 part floetrol to 2 parts paint plus water as needed to get the right pouring consistency. I usually add a couple of drops of silicone in each color. Sadly you will usually need to experiment to get your own exact recipe because what works for one paint may not give the same results for different paints. Good luck, I hope you will come and share your results in our Facebook group

  5. What kind and size of tile do you do these acrylic pours on and where do you get them? Thanks! I just discovered acrylic pours online and am loving the look of the designs and want to try my hand at making some. Thanks!

    1. I use both 6 inch and 4.25 inch tiles and just get them in a pack of 50 from my local tile store. I like the 6 inch better for painting although the 4.25 inch are great for making dips in the spilled paints.

  6. I had asked you about not swiping with black or white and you referred me here…I love it. I am gathering as much info from various places before I do my first try at acrylic pours. Questions: 1. After painting is dried and cured, what do you varnish a work done on canvas? 2. Would it be better to do a larger painting on canvas board? 3. Would thinner paints prevent sagging of a stretched canvas? Thanks!

    1. I’m referring you off to another article Sharon 🙂 This one is all about the sealer I use for my paintings. For your questions 2 and 3, if you want to go large, then buying a good quality canvas is essential so that it is nice and thick and well supported. Then the paint shouldn’t give you a problem, but making the paint thinner might do. You can also support the center of the canvas by placing cardboard across the back while you pour if you are worried about the weight of the paint.

  7. I love it ! I have just watched 3 of your tutorial video’s and I love your work and your way of teaching. Absolutely fab. Thank you so much xxx

  8. I loved it! I want to try it. Where it is thiner it looks like a tree line to me. Save that it’s beautiful. What makes it go into the bubbles? And why do you flame it after?

    1. The addition of the silicone oil in the paints is what helps to create the cells, along with the action of swiping one color over another. The torch is used to gently heat any air bubbles left in the paint from the mixing process and burst them, so you don’t get pin holes in the dry painting. It can also be used to make more cells sometimes.

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