Do you ACTUALLY need a Cell Activator?

[@GeePours]

You can find my full Acrylic Pouring for Beginners Online Course here: www.geepours.com/product-page/acrylic-pouring-for-beginners-online-course?el=youtube

[@quantumlogix7209]

Respect 🖖

[@shabanahussain4707]

Omg after 2 years I finally understand how cells are achieved. Unbelievably within 8 minutes. Thank You

[@TheRealGrandadNo1]

A perfect, well informed and brilliant video, narrated in a subtle quiet and most calm manner. Thank you for taking the time to post.

[@yuuupyuuup7296]

I need to just mention this since it didn't got mention in your video. An important factor is also the consistency of the paint, it is easier to get more cells when the paint is "thinner", it is alot about to find the perfect balance of the consistency og the paint. It is also worth mention a bit about silicon oil. The more you stirring the silicon oil in the paint you also get smaller cells, if you want bigger one, dont stirr or just give it a one swirl. Some colors also activate cells better/more then others and give a better result ☺️.Have a great day everyone 🌞🌻

[@GeePours]

absolutely! cheers :D

[@footprintscairns275]

Exactly what I needed to learn tonight. It’s my second night of learning paint pouring. I couldn’t get any cells no matter how exactly I followed the “recipes” for PM/Floetrol, etc. You made it make sense! Thank you! 😍

[@GeePours]

I'm so glad to hear that!! :)

[@AdiArtinFrance]

Finally someone who talks physics! Great explanations and great great examples. In the middle of the video, I was about to prepare myself to ask you about dry results, but I just had to wait for it, impatient woman ! And I was sure that the last ingredient was going to be water, sometimes the simplest explanation is the best one. Thank you so much, so useful

[@joannholmes8726]

YES! Finally someone talking about fluid dynamics. I watched videos for weeks that made so sense to me.

[@shirleyandersen4724]

love how you showed us how to get cells .i will try al of them .thank you .

[@Dragonsbrath]

very nice. Its almost magical. I never thought water would make cells, but they look great

[@terretulsiak]

I like how he uses a different material- cds that would be discarded- to test out different techniques. They turn into a beautiful piece of art...

[@patriciahogg5763]

Could the 3 experimental liquids be sprayed- not flicked? 🙂

[@agelessglamournotyourmamas688]

Wow! I would not have thought water would cause this effect! Thanks 🙏

[@peggyburnett6331]

I’ve never seen this done, and what a fabulous result! I’m using it from now on. How simple and he’ll clean. Thank you so much!

[@joannholmes8726]

YES! Thank you. Someone knows about fluid dynamics. Thank you for addressing this issue. The more videos I watched, the more I was confused. Like Oil Spills in the ocean.

[@katrinacarnagey5298]

Once of the best videos seen to help get cells without depending on special mixes!!! Thank you!!!

[@rikart1]

GEE REALLY LIKE YOUR being OPEN, and real, and frankness to all aspects. so many others keep details - dont take the time just so they can make an affiliate SALE or yet another video. I have 50+ years in art, in several areas - I love the effects but IT ISN'T ART - it is simply a technique. There are s o many ie search marble painting and you see many others

[@GeePours]

Forgive me I stop listening when people say “its not art”

[@scott0111]

@rikart1 Would you consider a bannana duct taped to a wall to be art ? Maurizio cattalan does ...and he just sold it for 6.2 million dollars at sotheby,s

[@mikieholtz7973]

Thank you so much! Pouring medium + paint to correct consistency then water droplets. Ok! That will be my 1st pour once I get my supplies.

[@wizrom3046]

Instead of flicking it on, try putting the alcohol in a little spray bottle like used for watering plants. You can get better coverage, and adjust the nozzle for fine mist or bigger drops.

[@avileno50]

Exact as I think but a mix of 2 or even all will be a really good to test

[@LeftBrainedArtist]

This is awesome Gee!

[@kathibecker5351]

Good for your community to know. Another lesson for us maybe?

[@CheriBomzArt]

I just used cornstarch on silicone the other day. It worked really well. I just kind of sprinkled it on and rubbed it off. You can just try it out on a piece that you're not quite as excited about. And see how it goes. I use some body powder that had cornstarch in it. Easy peasy

[@veronicasanders-vw2yr]

Thanks so much for the explanation, makes it understandable and doable for a beginner like me.

[@vikkimikkola5957]

Thank you! Don't need to keep looking for an activator. Tried water the VERY FIRST TIME that I didva pour and have thought it was wrong. I liked the result but went on trying others. In finnish there is a saying roughly translated ' going farther than the ocean to fish'- this video sums it up nicely!

[@GeePours]

Thats such a great saying haha! I mean honestly this method also has its limitations in that it doesn’t stretch as well. I generally like to use it to either fill some space or salvage something that didn’t turn out the way I was hoping 😊

[@pattymullin8515]

I love the Finnish saying! 🐟🌊

[@pattymullin8515]

​@GeePours I just re-read this today. I totally forgot about it but have it saved from before in my email. I sure could have used it last night - oy, a close to a total disaster. This would have been the perfect time to try the water flick for fun. I'm great at disasters... I'm sure I will be trying this very soon!

[@joannrice8359]

Very detailed explanation of options for cells. Thank you!

[@sarahhutchinson6250]

Thank you so much. Going to try your experiment

[@joelleaebi6691]

tks a million as I tried on small canvas adding silicone oil I was so happy to get tiny cells. Now I will do like you and take a brush and flick the silicone oil on my canvas. So happy can't wait to try it tomorrow. I wish I had seen your video beforehand. 🥰

[@rosalynmoyle3766]

I liked how you explained the cell formatiin.

[@MeshkaLala]

You actually used 70% isopropyl alcohol in this video. You should try the 99% it works awesome. I have been using 99% isopropyl alcohol on and off ever since I started though not much lately and for my swipe color I always just use extra pm or a little distilled water and have always gotten great results. I’m glad other people like yourself are sharing these alternate methods. I either rely on the Rayleigh Taylor Instability or the hydrophobic affect to achieve cells without any oils.

[@GeePours]

Thats right! I did spot that later - i have two similar containers and the only difference on them was the % label. So ive been hearing the term hydrophobic effect a lot recently, usually with reference to enamels- but oils are hydrophobic too no?

[@justtere]

My eyes are bad but I saw it was 70% as well. Will there be a huge difference with 99%?

[@GeePours]

@@justtere they both will work☺️

[@carolynbrew3770]

Interesting I was told Riley Taylor method was a different type

[@suzanneensslen9736]

When you swipe with pm what kind? Never tried swiping, however doesnt that change the design? I dont get "swipe." Swipe with "little water, again dont understand. Swiping is entire picture? And why do you not so these much anymore?? And what do u do?

[@joannedwy7100]

Thank you for sharing this. I will definitely change my method of creating cells!

[@jilljohnson108]

That was very easy to understand-thank you!!!

[@Jackie-JT]

I will be trying this with spraying water for sure! Thank you!

[@oguislacasa2253]

WE STRUGLING WITH THE CELLS AND YOU GIVING US WONDERFUL INFO, WOW!!! YOU ARE SO KIND, THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH. MY BEST WISHES, GREETINGS AND BLESSINGS FROM 🇲🇩.

[@GeePours]

My pleasure! :) greetings from Cairo, Egypt!

[@teresawright5654]

Wow! I just got finished talking to the technical department at Golden paints. We were discussing how when you use things that aren’t fine art mixed in with fine art. You don’t know how it will affect the paint in the years to come like silicone oil, or other additives. He said alcohol and obviously water does not hurt acrylics, so this is great news!!!

[@GeePours]

Theres so many ways to make cells its always possible to avoid additives entirely! Just bear in mind, if you follow the archival materials rabbit hole, dont work on cheap dollar store canvas😄 everything has to be archival too

[@pauldejesus9644]

great video very interesting the picture with the brown frame do you have a video on that

[@GeePours]

thank you! I never filmed that one unfortunately :(

[@lindsaylonsdale7049]

I'll miss your premier but will check it out in the morning xx

[@yvette_is_Mamacado]

I LOOOOVE IT when tutelage goes from "Watch me paint using ALL these ingreds," to "Let's combine these ingreds, see what happens, comparatively & learn WHY it happened! I learned long ago that, Your result isnt bc you USED certain ingredients. Your result is bc you COMBINED CHEMICALS (& certain additives) and their REACTION(s) when combined, become your RESULT! Action = combining. Reaction= results. A dichotomy that never varies is called SCIENCE! 🤣 Thanks so much for this Gee! Stay blessed & keep those experiments coming!!!😁

[@GeePours]

I love that you used the word tutelage! Thank you so much for your comment ☺️

[@yvette_is_Mamacado]

@@GeePours 🤣 Then you are an exception! I'm also a writer so I often use "writers words" when a more watered down lexicon is expected. I get lots of "😦huhs?" Also, a writers "love/hate" thing with brevity happens so I'm trying to be more me careful w/comment length. As you see it's a work in progress. 😉😆

[@GeePours]

@@yvette_is_Mamacado you have no idea how much I relate to all of this😂😂 I worked as a journalist for almost 15 years so there’s no unlearning this sort of thing😅

[@GeePours]

@@yvette_is_Mamacado you have no idea how much I relate to all of this😂😂 I worked as a journalist for almost 15 years so there’s no unlearning this sort of thing😅

[@yvette_is_Mamacado]

@@GeePours MY KINDRED!!! 🤣😍 People complain of length & I wonder; "just how slow do you read?"🤔 (Sarcasm & sardonic wit are my coping mechanisms)😂 Using adjectives & proper sentence structure creates length & after 15yrs texting, acronyms & abbreviations have rolled over into writing. But WE learned those are "lazy practices" & it's our habit. Still, I'll NEVER forgive Oxford's for adding "YOLO" and "SWAG!"🤦‍♀️ We're antiquated; I get it. But when a father or dad becomes "baby daddy," it's just RIDICULOUS! But verbiage is a lost art my friend. Even newscasters can't get "I & me" right anymore & it has its own self-check!!! "I love this Christmas photo of my family and I." NO YOU DON'T! YOU LOVE A PHOTO OF "MY FAMILY & ME!" GAAAAH!!!!!😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 I admit it! Grammar Nazi here!🙋‍♀️ Reporting for duty!😬

[@honeybunchhoneybunch9954]

Such a useful video and love your artistry - thanks for posting

[@moniqueouellette4063]

Thanks for the demonstration. I so appreciate that you share your knowledge with us.

[@GeePours]

it's my pleasure Monique! Thanks for watching :)

[@gicir19]

that was a perfect straight forward explanation. Thank you!

[@savtaesther2]

You are amazing!!!!! Thank you so much for your secrets!!!!!

[@GeePours]

@@savtaesther2 thank you and thanks for watching☺️

[@jerrywilson2713]

Tyvm for making this video! I’m new in the Acrylic pouring world. I’ve seen so many different videos about Silicone Oil, WD40, Floetrol, you name it, I’ve tried it all. Even the Polyurethane.

[@valeriehutzell1166]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your other examples after the experiment are awesome!

[@mary-catherinelounsbury1911]

Thanks you are more helpful in telling it in an easier way on how it works

[@roxannvoigt7952]

Thank you for simplifying pouring.!!

[@meenakshighosh8584]

Fantastic 😊 this is real help for people like me

[@maryIsrael9784]

Wow this was so very helpful!! Finally someone explains and shows you everything!! Thank you!!😊

[@edda9362]

Thank you Gee that was very informative and looked less '' messy,''. Given me inspiration to get back into my pouring .

[@simongray6452]

Excellent - straight to the point and ideal for a beginner who wants to try this method - many thanks my friend. 👍

[@SomethingImpromptu]

Phenomenal video- probably the best I’ve seen on the top. You laid it out point by point in a very coherent way which it’s obvious is informed by material science & physics, rather than what most fluid art tutorials amount to, which is an artist recounting what has generally tended to work for them based on what other tutorials or artists said- basically a game of telephone where you just hope the version you get is before it’s veered too far off course… Dealing with the actual principles that govern how these substances interact makes WAY more sense & really demystifies things… However, I’m still having a lot of trouble getting the consistent & reliable results you are. The few cells I’m managing to get to pop up are more a result of tilting & letting the paint roll & disperse until it spreads thin enough… When I swipe, nothing really happens (seemingly irrespective of how much pressure I do or don’t apply; I’m aiming for a middle ground where it spreads thin, but doesn’t scrape it away all the way to the canvas, usually at a shallow enough angle to get some rolling occurring, but it just spreads over the canvas & settles without cells). When I flick water (or floetrol) onto the surface after pouring or swiping (regardless of how thick or thin the paint on a given area is), it just swallows it up, even when I know there are other colors underneath, because if I do use a palette knife to move the black surface paint they’re revealed… Not sure if the problem is that I used floetrol (experimented with & without polyurethane) as the pouring medium, or perhaps I used too much of it & the paint was simply too thin & fluid to maintain enough surface tension to “explode” apart into cells when the surface is broken, instead just subsuming whatever breaks the surface & finding level in moments… I was trying roughly the recommendations I’ve seen for floetrol as a pouring medium; I’ve tried 1.5 or 2 parts floetrol to 1 part paint, or I reduced the floetrol part to compensate on the occasions that I mixed it with polyurethane, so maybe 1:1:1 floetrol to polyurethane to paint, or 1:0.5:1, but nothing I’ve found has worked particularly well… Certainly not like the examples I’ve seen online. Note: granted, it is US floetrol; I’ve never tried Aussie & am on a budget. But it’s certainly plenty fluid. My first pour attempt, with just floetrol & paint, actually worked relatively well, so I’m not sure if it was just a thicker mix or what. Anyway thanks for a fantastic video. I’ll just have to experiment a bit more, but if you or anyone who knows has any feedback about what may be going wrong or what better recipe might be possible with the materials available to me, it would be much appreciated. Given this video, & the fact that I do believe you’re right (it makes so much sense that it’d be about the surface tension & consistency rather than any kind of mysterious chemical “cell” reaction- excellent insights), u doubt it really matters which fluid medium or “cell activator” you use… But I have seen mixed opinions as far as whether floetrol can be used in these higher concentrations as a fluid medium itself, or whether you need a higher quantity of some other fluid medium & just a few drops of floetrol (in the place of something like silicon oil as a “cell activator”). But I have water, plenty isopropyl alcohol, floetrol, now polyurethane (on the rec of another good fluid art channel, though I lack the enamel she mixed with it for her pouring medium)… And I have some Elmer’s glue-all, but I’m trying to avoid resorting to it since I’ve heard it produces less than archival quality products.

[@GeePours]

I really appreciate that my friend! Im just letting you know I’ve read this, and will come back to it with a well prepared answer and hopefully we can figure out where you’ve been having problems!

[@SomethingImpromptu]

@@GeePours Thanks so much! Look forward to it. 🙏

[@GeePours]

Okay I think I have some sense of what's happening here Matthew - So I need you to bear with me on this response as it might get long. So I understand you're attempting swipes but your cells are inconsistent, small, and often end up disappearing. Let's talk about why this happens - it's first important to distinguish between the two main ways of swiping - which is with an additive like silicone oil, or even with just US floetrol. this produces the round cell shape. The other main form of swiping is with a recipe called a cell activator. This is what includes Aussie floetrol. This recipe comes from the SheleeArt bloom technique and it produces whats called Lacing. Lacing is the webbing pattern that forms around cells. We generally distinguish between the two because the former produces round cells, while the second produces lacing (and by extension the cells between them, bet these cells often carry more geometric shapes with corners) While actually executing the technique for the most part looks the same between the two, the critical differences are what's not immediately visible. Mainly that they're at very different consistencies and use different materials. When you use the additive method, generally all your paints will be the same consistency, including the base, as well as they will all use acrylic paints and a pouring medium (this can be retail or floetrol or really whichever pouring medium is most cost effective for you personally) With the cell activator method, this is much more complicated. The base here is distinctly called a pillow, and its made from house paint (latex or latex/acrylic emulsion paint normally used to paint the interior walls of your house) it MUST be thicker than everything else. The colors are generally made with an untinted base paint like Behr 8300 and that's thinned with polyurethane varnish (this is really the only place where polyurethane varnish belongs, its not generally used as a pouring medium) and this layer is a little thinner than the pillow. then finally you have the cell activator on top, and that has to be the thinnest. What I hope this explanation helps you understand is that you've basically been doing both at the same time, and that's why you're getting unpredictable results. These two techniques and materials are not exactly interchangeable, to be honest with you. I wouldn't use any polyurethane with US floetrol in a pouring medium. Ive never had the pressure of the swiping be the issue. So, allow me to show you two separate videos for each technique that hopefully if you follow, it should help you achieve either one. This is the standard silicone oil swipe: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKXWnqhmbKx-abM&ab_channel=GeePours This is the cell activator: studio.kzbin.info23Ccx-N_Lp8/edit

[@pJo2973]

Great demo! Love it!!!!FYI Silicone oil will eventually breakdown the acrylic in time if not totally removed. Like putting gas or oil in a milk jug eventually it will leak. I use alcohol from time to time when painting with acrylic paint.

[@GeePours]

I clean it up with a degreaser before varnishing usually😊

[@pJo2973]

I was more or less letting newbies with no experience with acrylic paint. Hey you are a pro

[@GeePours]

you are too kind! and you are absolutely right too :)

[@melbabowen4389]

Great formation! thank you ❤

[@Jenny-yl2hw]

Thank you Gee, great tutorial and well presented comparisons..

[@lilyblily]

This is really informative. I do not like using silicone oil. You have given me other options to try. Thank you so much.

[@GeePours]

No problem Lillie thanks for watching!😊

[@tinawheaton270]

I have to try this. Thank you for sharing .

[@GeePours]

Thanks for watching Tina😊

[@AnnKa-i6e]

Thank you so much! So well done !

[@s.bertelsen2145]

Thank you! I've tried to create cells but was underwhelmed by the results I've had. Once my art corner is back up I am going to try the water flick.

[@GeePours]

can't wait to see you what you do with it! :)

[@TheScarletSorceress]

Great video Gee! I really like the idea about flicking the additive from a brush! 👏💖

[@GeePours]

Thank you so much! I can't take credit for the flicking technique itself, but even though I understand the physics I'm still a little mind blown by what you can do with just water

[@rosemarieschmidt3071]

unbelievable.. ! thank you so much for this video ! I will try with water next time!!

[@philippayoung3336]

Wow thank you that was very helpful!

[@gritskennedy5007]

Oh wow you really explained this so well thank you!

[@TimeToEvolve101]

Very cool demo 🙏🏾

[@tp3446]

Totally makes sense! Thank you for sharing and for the clear explanation.

[@jeannefortier420]

I love how you teach you. Take your time and step-by-step. You explain it. I'm Subscribing to your channo you teach really well

[@GeePours]

Thank you for that comment, i really appreciate it 🙏😊😊

[@avileno50]

Wow amazing!!! Thanks for sharing

[@annelacoste90]

Best explanation I’ve heard so far. Thank you

[@GeePours]

Thank you Anne! I try my best to break down the science in ways that are easy to understand 😊

[@debicarter4119]

Thank you for sharing this. I like that I can use other things than an oil to get those changes. Especially good ol’ H2O! 🎉

[@animaljammerrares6301]

Thank you so much for that experiment I'm going to use those techniques I really appreciate this information that you shared

[@laurenw3787]

Wooo!!!! Very pretty and easy!!

[@Roulettegrl67]

I’m so happy I found your channel. I love learning a lot of the theory as well, even though I’m a beginner and have no clue but thank you for creating these videos and I look forward to watching more!👍👏🏻😄🎨🖼️

[@barbarahealy9658]

I'm eager to try this! Thank you!!!

[@SunKissedKrissy]

Excellent demonstrations🙌🏼🌹👍🏼

[@GeePours]

thank you so much! :)

[@BunnyLang]

Wow, this is so cool. Thank you!

[@judyeuller7602]

Excellent tutorial!! Thanks so much.

[@GeePours]

You are so welcome! thank you for watching :)

[@marlenedrewes]

I use just water in my cell accelerator for blooms and it works fine, but I've never tried flicking water on. Very interesting.

[@GeePours]

oh for sure! I've tried cell activators in many different recipes, but my take on this technique is more about understanding how the cells actually form, and that sometimes an additive is not necessary :)

[@cathybradford3075]

Wow!! Thank you for the lesson.

[@pennymcclenahan2905]

Very cool Gee! I will experiment this way and share👍

[@thelogoth]

Thanks for the explanation! I appreciate it.

[@denicegirardeau7110]

Very helpful. Thank you

[@fatimalelitasantos9533]

Excelente partilha de conhecimento, adorei! Gratidão!

[@GeePours]

obrigado por assistir!

[@janiceblough]

Great lesson!

[@LocalRoofCleaners]

Very interesting, I wonder what effect RO water would have

[@judystephenson513]

great explanition thank you

[@simonasfluidart1663]

Fabulous video. Very interesting infos. The water left me speechless😊💜

[@ItsArtByDonna]

Love to try this myself! Cool experiment!

[@GeePours]

Thanks Donna! Cant wait to see what you do with it!

[@jillibrom702]

Thank you .great help

[@GeePours]

No problem thanks for watching 😊

[@suzanne1864]

Thanks, Gee ! I'm going to try it today ! 😃

[@LorraineTapper]

Very useful video.

[@obudaifourty9]

FUNtastic tutorial. Thanks for making and sharing 🙂

[@MamaPinks]

Oh wow! This makes so much sense! 🤔 I'm so glad I found your channel! Time to binge a little. Video #3 here I come! 🤭 Thank you! 😊🙏

[@GeePours]

Its wonderful to have you here!☺️

[@ambience46]

Thank you! Amazing!!!

[@kimbristow7861]

Thanks for sharing your experiment 👍

[@Quais32]

This was a good video, thank you.

[@keithcheeseman567]

Try washing up liquid, detergent is great at breaking and changing surface tension. Great video thinking outside the box.

[@KS-lo7se]

I've watched so many videos on pouring and my head hurts from it. I'm getting a better idea of why things are not working though. I have to fix some canvasses that are just awful so I have something to paint on as right now I've used all I had. Thanks for your explaination.

[@holisoyloli]

I love all your wonderful lessons!😊

[@GeePours]

Thank you my friend!😊😊

[@godfatherfeederfather6350]

Could you mix water and alcohol in a small spray bottle and try that? Aside from my question thank you for your video, very informative 👍

[@GeePours]

Will definitely do that! 😃

[@marlenajacklin1142]

thank you for sharing, much appreciated. Have you ever tried salt or salt water. I think I will try that too!

[@GeePours]

Thats very interesting! I haven’t specifically tried that but do let me know if you get some interesting results😄

[@Gobald113]

Thankyou very much for the knowledge. As a beginner I am struggling with cells. Getting some housework done then off to my art room 🙂

[@laurencefilo420]

So glad I found your video in my feed today! Already subscribed and looking forward to exploring more of your informative videos! 👍🏻

[@zina6581]

Thank you very much for the information

[@GratefulOne]

That's mind blowing

[@sandiguinnartescape]

I guessed water but was still surprised. Thanks. You have a new subsciber