21. How to mix paint for an acrylic swipe | Acrylic swipe - Paint ratios and paint mixing tutorial

Not sure what paint ratios to use for an acrylic swipe or how to mix your paint? This video will provide you with the necessary acrylic swipe paint ratios and walk you through the paint mixing process step by step.
Please note: DC Fluid Acrylics is a member of the Amazon Affiliate program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and I really appreciate your support. Thank you!
PAINT MIXING SUPPLIES
- Silicone oil: amzn.to/3uRKnhy
- Floetrol: amzn.to/3odnRNo
- Scale: amzn.to/3wJ1Xoy
- Sieve/mini strainer: amzn.to/3xvDnYo
- Wooden paint mixing sticks (popsicle sticks): amzn.to/3wIWoqe
- Drill (Battery operated): amzn.to/2TKWUpk
- Drill battery: amzn.to/35DpQSE
- Drill battery charger: amzn.to/3q8LPdE
- Paint stirrer attachment for drill: amzn.to/3wN0huA
- Plastic bottles: amzn.to/3fmgbo3
- Small paper cup (3 oz.): amzn.to/3vDoyBH
- Plastic cups (9 oz.): amzn.to/2TKG89F
- Large plastic cups (18 oz.): amzn.to/3vJCUAu
- Silicone mat: amzn.to/3ePAc7D
Music: KZbin Audio Library

[@Gretchens]

This is the first video I have watched after 7 months of pouring that you explained the real secret of pouring and that is the amount of water and what layer gets the silicone. Thank you so much for being honest and not greedy like the other artist. KZbin was designed to be an open source resource for knowledge but most of these people on KZbin just tell you enough to waste my money then offer to tell you more for a fee. I will share your name with friends that arw looking to pour as well. Thank you very much. Best video I have every seen. (What you showed works too)

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

My pleasure, I’m so glad to hear the video was helpful! I love this art form and really enjoy sharing it with others!

[@kathypatterson6347]

Best tutorial I found on acrylic swipe technique. Thanks so much!!!

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

Oh, I'm so happy to hear that. Glad it was helpful!

[@judygrubbs1093]

Than you so much for this information. This will be a great help to me. Beautiful outcome.🤩💞🤩

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

Thanks Judy, I’m so glad you found it helpful! 👍😊

[@bellewaters1346]

wow best video I have watched thank you

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

I’m so glad! Thank you.

[@judygrubbs1093]

Thank you so much for this informative video.🤩💞🤩

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

My pleasure, Judy! Thanks for watching! 😊💕

[@tracytruhlarik9611]

Hello from Canada 🇨🇦 that was very helpful thank you

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

So glad it was helpful! Thanks for joining from Canada :-)

[@alina-mz5km]

Thank you for your generous sharing

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

Sure, my pleasure. Thanks for watching.

[@AmysAcrylicArtistry]

Your videos are amazing. Thank you for this easy tutorial on mixing paint. Even though I’ve been doing this for a while now I always learn something new. I e been having a hard time mixing lately because of arthritis in my hands. I never thought to use a drill 🤦🏼‍♀️ thank you.

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

It’s a pleasure - hopefully using a drill will help a lot! 🌸🌺

[@tamarakrivosheiko7030]

Thank you so much! Very helpful.

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

My pleasure. I’m glad it was helpful!

[@RaindropArtbyNikkiRainey]

Thanks for the tutorial! It is always good to have a reference when you are using so many different methods that each require different thicknesses!

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching!

[@youtubecreatersTJC]

THANK YOU

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching.

[@azeemmohtisham]

thanks for this video ,very helpful

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

My pleasure, thanks for watching!

[@aeropuerto50]

Gracias por el tutorial. 👍

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

My pleasure! Thank you for watching! 😊

[@drsakshisargam]

Very very helpful.! Thanks for explaining it so well. I was struggling on how to make the consistency right for swiping. God bless!!

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

So glad it was helpful!

[@SE-st9is]

Vielen Dank!

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

👍😊

[@shirlthetwirl]

You are a star. Love the painting and thanks fir the recipe.💖🤩😍👌

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

My pleasure 😊

[@alantierney9572]

Thank you for such a clear informative and detailed video, your videos are so very helpful🤗 and you are so very, very talented!!🌟💖🌟. Thank you again. ❤😘

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

You are so welcome! Very glad it was helpful 😀👍

[@alantierney9572]

@@dcfluidacrylics6633 I definitely have a passion for art and although I'm new to Acrylic pouring/Fluid art and I have had many fails! I will definitely persevere, keep trying to find the best technique for me and I won't give up!. You have given me the inspiration with your videos and your words, Thank you from me here in the UK😁🤗💖. ❤😘

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

Yip, the best way is definitely to keep experimenting and trying the various techniques until you find the ones that work for you. To me dutch pours look so easy (when others do them :-) but somehow I can't really get them to work. Happy experimenting! 😄👍. Thanks for watching all the way from the UK :-).

[@alina-mz5km]

Seeing your dialogue, encourage each other and feel warm

[@bandrews73]

Great video! Thanks for the easy to follow instructions!

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

Thank you! Sure, glad it was helpful!

[@tomasinaconti4140]

Your an inspiration! Thank you 😊

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

Thank you 😊

[@kerilittlejohn2621]

This was incredibly informative and helpful! Thank you so much for sharing this ❤

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

It’s such a pleasure. I’m so glad it was helpful!

[@nickie2862]

Great helpful video... I tried an acrylic swipe on Saturday with out any success (although have had passed success). I think my paint may have been to thick this last time. I shall try weighing my paint next time as seems more reliable. Thank you again for another great video 😀

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

Holding thumbs that the next one works out! 👍 Weighing the paints definitely helps bring some level of consistency to the process.

[@kathysausen6493]

Very helpful! Thank you so much💕💕🧜‍♀️

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

You're welcome. So glad it was helpful! 😊

[@freedombee9900]

I was looking for consistencies which u didnt mention

[@mumo9413]

You're incredibly creative. May I ask : "How do you clean off your silicone?" Many thanks!

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

Thank you 😊. I clean the silicone off using a cloth and a mixture of warm water and Dawn dishwashing liquid. Once the silicone is off, I just wipe down the painting with some plain water to make sure all the soapy water is off too.

[@JenniNJeff]

Very helpful video, thanks! How do I know how much swipe color to pour on the end of the canvas? I think we will be doing a swipe on a 16x20" canvas. Is there a rule of thumb you use?

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

I’ve never actually measured how much paint I use for the swipe color - I simply pour paint out of the bottle. However, the method that I follow is to add about 3 or 4 lines of paint at the bottom of the canvas which tends to be a good amount.

[@sabrinaformoso6114]

Hi Dc, Love watching your videos, your work is beautiful love how beautiful cells you get with your recipe. I want to try to make some swipes like yours I just need to get your silicon brand. but I have a question if you can help me with? Please! 🙏 😊 I want to make your recipe but I have liquitex and Amsterdam paints. Do you think this brand of paints will get those beautiful cells? I don’t know if you use those paints as well for your work to achieve your kind of cell action since the demo is with artists loft? Thanks so much for your help . ❤

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

Hi Sabrina, thanks so much! I think you'd likely get the same result with Liquitex. If you're using Liquitex Basics, I think you could use the same paint ratios as what I use with Artist's Loft because those paints have similar consistencies. (I haven't used Amsterdam paints before but imagine they could work. If they are a thicker consistency than the Artist Loft paints then you may have to add a bit more water to the paints to get them to the right consistency.) You could always test it out with just a little bit of paint and using just one or two base colors and the swipe color (black or white) on a test canvas to see if cells form before mixing a lot of paint. I'd love to know how those paints work out for you with creating cells. 👍😊

[@sabrinaformoso6114]

@@dcfluidacrylics6633 Thanks for your response. I will let you know how it goes. ☺️🤞🏼

[@penelopebranson3621]

Do you add the swipe color to canvas first? Leaving some of the canvas bare? Then add colors over that paint- then add the swipe color to bare area of canvas- then swipe/ is that right?

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

The way I usually do a swipe is to pour the colors that contain the silicone directly onto the canvas leaving a little space bare. Then I add the paint (that doesn't contain any silicone) onto that bare space and then swipe that color over the colors that contain the silicone. (Having said that, this technique is very flexible, so you don't have to leave a bare space and you can pour the color (that doesn't contain silicone) on top of the paint that does and then swipe that color over the colors that contain the silicone (i.e., you don't have to add it to a bare section of the canvas). I use the swipe technique in many of my videos so if you check out the 'Acrylic Swipe Technique' playlist you'll be able to see what some of the options are.

[@ticooo69]

Thank you so much ! Do you think I can do this with pigment instead of paint? The ratio will probably change ?

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

I actually haven’t worked with pigment before so I’m not sure. It might be worth experimenting with some small quantities to see what happens. If you do give it a try I’d be curious to know if it works. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.

[@ticooo69]

@@dcfluidacrylics6633 that’s ok! Yes I will try with your recipe, I read somewhere that it could work! I just need to Know how much powder using hehe I will keep you in touch if it work ! I LOVED your video, you are so kind, thank youuu 🌺🌸🌺

[@ticooo69]

When you add silicone into the paint, do you stir a lot into the paint ?

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

I don't stir a lot - I just stir a few times.

[@ticooo69]

@@dcfluidacrylics6633 okay thank you ! ❤️

[@GLBH33]

I am always hearing parts parts parts....what do you mean? What is defined as a part?????

[@biteybetty2279]

A part is just a general term for a unit of measurement. For example, if you need about 13 ounces of a certain paint for your project, 4 ounces (4 parts) would be of the paint, 8 ounces (8 parts) would be Floetrol, 1 ounce (1 part) would be water. If you need less paint, the measurements go down. I hope that helps clear it up. :)

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

Yes, Bitey Betty's response is exactly right.

[@JM-pu8pl]

Shouldn't be the colour u swipe have the silicone so it does a nice lace ?but like u said theres many ways to do ..u can do it even with just water 😊

[@dcfluidacrylics6633]

Yip, some people like the silicone in the swipe color. It's fun to experiment with different options and see what you like best...I think it really comes down to your personal preference 😊

[@JM-pu8pl]

@dcfluidacrylics6633 that's very true 👍