How to: Make your own Sprays & Spritzers with Acrylic Paint

A real quick video showing you how I make my own colour sprays & spritzers with acrylic paints for my mixed media projects and my art journals.
More Art Journaling, Mixed Media projects and Card Making inspiration can be found on my blog:
www.papercrafto...
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Mike Deakin
27 Tall Trees
Moortown
Leeds
United Kingdom
LS17 7WA

[@nuvoclassic]

The upside nozzle cleaning method was 'well worth the price of admission'. Great tips. thx

[@Aeronwen813]

I really enjoy your videos, Mike, thank you for sharing so much. Someone asked about adding too much water - with acrylic paint you can add up to 25 - 30% water. After that the chemical bonds in the paint start to break down and you could end up with a lot of cracking and peeling. (You might actually want this effect, of course, but it wouldn't be stable) A mixture of flow improver and water will help to avoid this. That's the science bit - but really I prefer the art and craft things. Hope someone finds this snippet helpful - it would be a shame to have anyone's artwork break up before their eyes!

[@Amah-Lady]

Hi, Your words are logic, but i wished to read what kind of improver :( Anyway thank you for your advice.

[@Danielle-nz9tn]

So the best way to make the best quality spray is to measure out (for example) 4 tbsp paint to 1 tbsp water? By flow improver do you mean an acrylic medium such as Liquitex Fluid Matte Medium? It seems like that might clog the sprayer, but maybe not if it’s mixed also with water? Or maybe you mean something else entirely by “flow improver”? Thanks!

[@GHCDesigns]

Do you mean Floetrol as a flo improver?

[@yvonnerodrigue140]

Thank you!! Finally, a straight forward "Spritz" tutorial!! Thumbs up!

[@annalba]

Brilliant Mike Thank you for the tip, For someone getting back or starting out this is Brilliant, I went shopping on Saturday i could have spent a fortune but could not justify the cost when I have paints at home I can make into sprays.

[@ameysdesignspace8849]

Awesome idea, I like the method you used to prevent the nozzle from clogging

[@bridgethaig8923]

nice video, found a place near me that carries the spray top and nozzle for a quarter each and they fit on the top of the little paint bottles, so nearly empty bottles become spray bottles. But should I put a heavy small bead or a couple of bb's in the bottom of the bottle to help keep it mixed up?

[@lauramurphy438]

Thanks for sharing your tips about making sure the nozzles don't clog. I make my own sprays as well. I add perfect pearls powder to my homemade sprays to give them a pearlized look.

[@MikeDeakinArt]

Thank you XO

[@janicecass2713]

Thank you mine is the money thing so this has been a god send to me. Im pooly at the moment, i started cutting things out of news paper, without a purpose really, to keep me occupied. Then i saw junk journaling, then the world opened up. I needed to buy some sprays, so now i can stop being scared and start my journal. I hope lol. Thanks for gor sharing.

[@63artemisia63]

Wonderful! I’m making some metallic sprays today. And thanks for adding to my info about keeping sprays clog-free. I knew to do the upside-down thing but not the bit about spraying until the paint stops coming out. Good to know.

[@TymstoneArt]

I think I can do that. I'm going to check around the apt for some loose spray bottles. I bet I have a few. Thank You Mike.

[@BlaizC]

Thanks, Mike, for the tip about turning the sprayer upside down. I made a bunch of sprays about a year ago, but they all ended up clogging eventually (the metallic ones sooner than the non-metallic ones) so I gave up on them. I still have some empty bottles, so I'll give it another try.

[@ritabook5335]

Thank you, Mike! It's no fun spending a lot of money on art supplies when we can make our own. Great video.

[@lauraprice4899]

Mike, you are a wonderful son!! ❤ You and Ian are just the best!! Great admiration for your dedication to taking care of your parents. Both my parents are gone now and I miss them terribly!! But it warms my heart so much to see you taking care of Mom and Dad the way you do!! ❤❤❤

[@rochestermanagementservice6082]

Hope Mum's leg is on the mend, Mike. You're a caring son with the patience of Job. Take care. From Cheryl in AZ.

[@sandratimofeeva3179]

Thank you! It was really useful!

[@dorothyradley9391]

Just watching this as I want to make spray acrylic paint rather than pay a lot of money for just a few spray inks. I have heard if you mix acrylic paint with too much water so as to allow it to come through a spritzer then you risk under-binding the acrylic paint. Would it be best to use 91% alcohol rather than water? Thank you very much. It's something that I really need to know.

[@MikeDeakinArt]

Hi Dorothy, I've never mixed alcohol and acrylic paint so I couldn't give you an answer. I have mixed water with acrylics and I've never ever had any problems.

[@dug5940]

Airbrush media is the ideal way for longevity. Isopropyl is not an ideal media for acrylics. Water isn't great but it worked better than I thought it would.

[@TamiePryor]

Thank you for this video. I have noticed that some people use 1/2 rubbing alcohol and 1/2 water. What is your opinion on that?

[@lynnedalrymple]

No your wrong the earth moved for me lol great video these tips are so handy thanks Mike

[@ZombieQueen819]

Thank you great video new subscriber

[@pipknight9300]

Oh wow, just what I need. I've felt left out of the craze for spraying backgrounds while I use up my large collection of pads. Now I can rejoin and catch up with all the latest designs . Can't thank you enough for this.

[@hoofnmouf9973]

Mike, thank you for your ideas of making "cheapo" sprays, lol ! I do basically the same thing & add cheap dry metallic eye shadow for the sparkly look. I reckon that makes it even cheaper than anything pre-made. xo Nice Man.....Felicia

[@janicecass2713]

Awwwww thank you for yur tip i was thinking what about the metallic look. Uve answered that. Thank you for sharing.

[@Sarcastically60something]

New subbie. Ty for the hints on spritzers

[@caroleanncolca8088]

Thank you so much for sharing this!!!!! I'd rather do this instead of having to add fixatives to the other kinds of spritzes!!

[@ThorneyRose]

Very helpful. Thankyou. 🌹 Rosie of Oz 🇦🇺

[@MRVICTORCRAFTER]

Thank you for this video, Mike !!!

[@kittycollins593]

Great hint🤗

[@amusedmuse9505]

Very useful. Thank you :) Mandy

[@minicaestilette3010]

I love your Diys.. so it's acrylic paint n water... You can't use alcohol....

[@MikeDeakinArt]

No...you'd need to use oil paints in alcohol!

[@natashat2702]

very late finding you, but glad i have !! loving your content. question could you put mica in with the paint .... thank you

[@MikeDeakinArt]

Hi Natasha, yes you could, but you’d need to really shake it to wake it before each use! ❤️

[@Chillergiller]

Those are some awesome little tips you just slid in there. I especially like the one about turning the bottle upside down to clear the nozzles. Would you happen to know if you can add a glaze to the paint-water mix? Thanks so much for everything. Love all your videos.

[@MikeDeakinArt]

+Chillergiller I would have thought it would depend on the viscosity of the glaze, too thick and it wouldn't spray...it may be worth experimenting with though! XO

[@louisavevers9709]

brilliant!!! ty so much. *off to find a bottle*

[@robinconlin7827]

So, I went to my local craft store and bought a spray bottle and metallic paint and made up a spray like you showed. The spray came out in a straight shot, not a mist. Do you have any suggestions on how I can fix the spray? Thanks!

[@MikeDeakinArt]

+Robin Conlin Sometimes you need to pull the trigger slow to get a fine mist, without knowing what kind of spray bottle you purchased I can't really offer any more help..sorry. XO

[@lucyleo2912]

Ok found it lol 😂

[@artzology]

This is great! TFS!

[@monalcreates]

Great video Mike! Thanks for sharing! :)

[@matildagentle3816]

Cool thanks

[@kathleenprescott6227]

How do you unclog a spray bottle that’s already clogged?

[@MikeDeakinArt]

Warm water running under the tap usually does it for me...but I suppose it depends how long it has been clogged.

[@thecraftingspot3534]

Great tip! Thanks for sharing!

[@christoomey5877]

Best tip ever, so many sprays sitting unused, cos of the watercolour issue, when you layer. Brilliant idea, thank you very much. Still on my tombstones. Made my day💜🧚‍♀️😘👍Chris @ Dark Fairy

[@bronwenquick]

Iwas thinking of doing that and up came your video. THANK YOU!!

[@valeriehellard5267]

Great tip. Thank you Mike.

[@margeryciambra7344]

Great video...hi mike...here is another little tip from frugalnlindsay .... she cuts about an eighth or 1/4 on an angle to prevent clogging. So much fun to try....thank you for sharing this with me...you are such a joy.👍 margy

[@khursheedtuli5931]

Super!thk u for this v enlightening tutorial! Great tip to keep the nozzle from.getting clogged......feels great to make your own stuff n save some money in the bargain!TFS!

[@muzikkism]

Woww..thanks so much. I am home not only cuz of the pandemic but cuz health reasons too.. So am an amatuer crafter, and I feel I wasted so much money on inks, I think Ur idea is not only economical but is definitely better than many expensive products in the market. Thanks.

[@geoseward]

I am going to be spraying a number of halloween props so will be utilizing some fairly large spray bottles-32 oz. I was curious if you could guesstimate what percentage should be paint and what percentage water?

[@xiaoyuzhou8918]

Is it safe to spray acrylic paints? Will people inhale the paint?

[@MikeDeakinArt]

Only if they lay in front of you while you’re spraying! It would make your desk a bit congested though.

[@Glaubermoledo]

Please can someone tell me if it would work on fake/synthetic leather and similar? I'm from Brasil and no one explains to me!!!!😢 Pleaaaase

[@MikeDeakinArt]

It would not work on a non porous material like PU leather.

[@Glaubermoledo]

@@MikeDeakinArt thank you so much for answering! For real!

[@dragonlord0666]

and remember to keep that baby wipe, let it dry and use it in your projects, great backgrounds or for making flowers and adding texture and / or a splash of colour to mixed media you can also add some mica powder if you want (and a ball bearing if you can find those little ones) or just store them on their side, swirl them or shake them like ringing a small dinner bell, instead of shaking them up and down so the mica does not get forced into the tube I do something like this but I put it into my rechargable air brush. the bottles then become holders for the paint. you get a more smooth finish and build up the layers to get darker colour - great with stencils

[@kathlyle81]

Thanks for the tip Mike. Just made them up, work an absolute treat :)

[@MikeDeakinArt]

Woot! Great I could help! XO

[@Nomadcreations]

Good Idea, I Was Just Planning this on My Own & Here is your Vid * Frugally Creative is Great!!! Thanx

[@lindenbergers]

Thanks so much for the tips!

[@SEEDSNAX]

I really enjoyed the video thank you. I am making 4 biiiiig paintings and want to use this technique to make the background for all of them, aiming for a prism fade look. Wondering if you have any recommendations for what ratio of paint to water. I have big bottles so I would like to make colours up in larger quantity than you did in the video.

[@ericbruth]

Thank you for the video. Very good tip. Thanks Mike.

[@MikeDeakinArt]

Eric Bruth Thanks Eric, I received your "Happy Mail" this morning, thanks so much, I love it! I'll be finding a frame for her!

[@zedpai6548]

Haha I don't have any acrilic paint so weird ..... Is it OK if watercolor

[@angelanash4347]

Thank you Mike for sharing! I am curious what is the difference in using water vs using liquidtex airbrush medium, have you used that to make sprays?

[@MikeDeakinArt]

Angela Nash Hi Angela, I've never seen Liquidtex products on sale in the UK, unless they go by a different brand name. I'm assuming that the airbrush medium is a retarder so would be more expensive than tap water! Mx

[@angelanash4347]

Oh I wasn't sure what is available to you, yeah expense is the thing. I had just recently learned of it and was curious. So if you have any airbrush mediums there probably the same, but if water is just as good by all means...lol :)

[@greeneyedmimibostian3013]

I cant hardly believe how time flies. Been watching for 8 years. Tremendous ❤

[@maraleepaulus6605]

I found a great deal on arclyic paint beautiful colors and i wanted to know how i could make a spray to use for decorating my paper. Thank you so much thank you

[@mayloo2137]

I have fairly thin acrylic paint which I wanted to try to make into sprays. I was concerned that water would dilute the paint too much, so I went to Michaels to buy a special additive that will do the job. And I like your little spray bottles.

[@dug5940]

Airbrush media or windex if you are going cheap. Water destroys the binders to the paint.

[@ArtWars314]

Tried in the past and it clogged repeatedly, but never did I do the upside down trick.

[@parasnavani4099]

Wow..so easy & amazing idea of making our own acrylic spray..thanks a lot sir

[@pixiephix734]

YASSSS, I just got a killer deal on 12 spritzer bottles and thought what will I do with all of these. I had no Idea this would work and I can not wait to fill come of those bottles with my Fav colors! Awesome tip Mike thanks

[@bl0tt44]

thanks for that, i make sprays but am worried about clogging. ace tip, thanks. would the upside down clearing still work if mica powders were in there? x

[@kindnessplease9836]

I stumbled on this video, I had forgotten about doing this. I have some new paints that I would love to have as a spray as well, but I didnt have the cash to buy them. Now I dont have to. Thanks a bunch. Happy creating, keep the ideas coming.

[@dorothyradley9391]

Thanks Mike. I am going to try it the way you have showed in your clip. My spritzer bottles arrived this morning so I am going to have some fun. Thank you for replying xxx

[@lindsayscraftyplans]

Thank you for showing how to make sprays with acrylic paint! That will work great!

[@cherylmiles6670]

Thank you!!!!! :)

[@AkmaAit]

gona try your technique now, thanks:)

[@user-sz6fe5vu1u]

This is brilliant! I was looking into getting an airbrush but all I needed this for was background ! Thank you thank you thank you!

[@bejayroles9553]

Mike, would this work with the testers you can get for wall emulsion?

[@MikeDeakinArt]

Not too sure on that one as some of the paints you buy for walls are latex based! It may be worth doing an experiment!

[@bejayroles7890]

Cheers, Mike...looks like I'm going to have some fun :)

[@didee1000]

I live in Canada. Can you tell me please what words to use to search for the little round bottle with a trigger?

[@suelloyd8215]

Thanks for this! Going to start using spritzers in my creations from now on

[@deedeemonceaux]

GAME CHANGER!! Thank you ❤️

[@dorothyradley9391]

Thanks very much for the tip, Mike. I can now use my pearlescent inks in my spritz bottles. Brilliant. xxx

[@_MisterG]

Thank you!

[@jessjtadesigns]

Brilliant! TFS!

[@TheStanman99]

Nice and easy lovely thank you 🇬🇧

[@jeandiehl5074]

Can I spray objects with this or just paper?

[@MikeDeakinArt]

It depends what objects you mean… I wouldn’t recommend spraying a car… but small resin or mdf shapes would be fine if they’ve been primed.

[@jeandiehl5074]

@@MikeDeakinArt thank you for your speedy reply! 😊I was planning on painting plastic Christmas balls. I have a lot to paint and was looking for a way to paint them quickly without having to buy anything. 8 forsee dripping as a problem. But I can make the side that will drip. So I'm going to try it anyway

[@babskara3911]

Hi Mike, just came across your video. Wow, ive seen several but none as explicit as yours, very informative! Ive tried 99% rubbing alcohol with eye shadow powder (with and without) mica for shimner, but my nozzle seemed to be clogged not sure why/what from? Can I use the alcohol I already have and get some acrylic paints...would that work I do want a shimmer/sparkle hence the mica powder. I saw where when using alcohol instead of water it dries quicker....H E L P!! Am one frustrated utube customer!! Many thanks. Best wishes. Babs

[@MikeDeakinArt]

Hi Babs, nozzle clogging normally happens when your mixture is too thick for your spray bottle. try thinning it down more, it may take longer to dry but it will stop your nozzles clogging.

[@MaryGadsby]

ooh I’m excited to try this! thank you

[@junkjournalgirl]

Thank you Mike. Happy NY x

[@mickeemickee3713]

Thank you for taking the time to show us how to make paint sprays. 👍

[@maryjanelucido4729]

Thank you so much for sharing this! It’s exactly what I was just thinking about!

[@sarojmaduray6618]

Thank you Mike. Also thanks for the tip to stop the clogging.

[@brendadavis4254]

I realize this is a very old video but its on my suggested channels. You clearly said 6 spatulas of paint. Do yourself a favor and watch your video yourself. You put in 7 spatulas of paint because you put in one you didnt count number 5 was put in then you didnt count it then went on to the next one and said 5........Sorry

[@MikeDeakinArt]

I'm only human...and one extra or less really doesn't affect or make that much difference if you try it!

[@KamilaE]

Loved the tip to prevent it from clogging! Awesome! Thanks for this video!

[@SunnySmith2d3dthatsme]

Brilliant! ThanQ, Mike! 😎👍👍

[@babskara3911]

Hi again, forgot to mention am in the uk too! Babs

[@evetei]

Great tip, thank you! 👍

[@jax36536]

great, just what I needed to know.! Thank you! :)

[@janicecass2713]

Mike iive in uk, hope u dnt mind me asking can i ask where u bought yur little spray bottles from. Thanks so much.

[@MikeDeakinArt]

I bought all my spritzer bottles from EBay a few years ago... they’re the best place to get them on the cheap.

[@lauragreggain7767]

Can you add too much water? Would it be better to add say high flow medium?

[@MikeDeakinArt]

You could add too much..but then you could compensate by adding more paint. High flow may be too thick for the nozzle though! XO

[@joannecarroll5504]

Actually, Laura you're right according to the scientists at Golden paints. Once you reach 40% water, you damage the structural integrity of the paint, causing it to under-bind & reducing its adhesion to the canvas & to the other layers of paint/media (& often at a much later time). This means it's not actually permanent, even though it looks like it is & it damages other layers, along with any "archival" grade you might have paid for in all of those products. (It wouldn't bother me if the art was just for me, but if someone paid me to make it, I'd feel a responsibility to give them something that won't fall apart ... & Australian law says I'd better do that too - or else. lol). Sprayguns are an option for High-flow, they're becoming more accessible to crafters now & not just professional artists as they're used more in make-up & allsorts nowadays. Earlier this year I even saw sprayguns in Aldi with their own High-Flow Acrylic paints for crafters.

[@kazza778]

You could add alcohol as well as the water and then you don't have this issue

[@betsybrady8520]

Thank you so much for this video! I have been using Mariboo mixed media sprays. They are expensive and have very limited amount of colors.

[@betsybrady8520]

Mike, do you happen to know how you would formulate a spray with acrylic ink? Do you think just less water? I just do not know how much ink then. It is like the cereal and the milk lol

[@renewalof48]

Really nice video.

[@debrafazzi3858]

Thanks, soo easy.❤️❤️❤️

[@wordscrafter]

Brilliant, thanks!

[@michellegonzalez3550-b6g]

It's really easy to make

[@FranOnTheEdge]

Where did you get those bottles from? and in what quantities do you have to order them?

[@MikeDeakinArt]

Fran OnTheEdge Hi Fran, I order mine in quantities of 25 for my main business, and I sell them individually on my website, so I just steal them from the shelves whenever I'm in my stockroom! I'm sure a Google search will show you a local supplier to wherever you are in the world. I'm in the UK.

[@FranOnTheEdge]

Mike Deakin Yes, I'd buy them in 25's too, but what do you actually search for? I mean what are those sort of bottle called? and do they come with the sprayer, or do you buy those separately (my last lot of spray bottles I had to order the sprayers as a separate item) and if separate maybe it's what the SPRAYERS are called that I need to know. (Yes, I'm in the UK too). I do like how clearly you explain things in your videos.

[@MikeDeakinArt]

Fran OnTheEdge Hi Fran, I can do a special order for you if you want and post them to you through my Kraftyhands business. If you'd like to order some them please give my office a call on 01132443154. Tell them your one of my KZbin subscribers and they'll know what you need. Mx

[@fredsmith6708]

Can buy a mixed bottle set ( holiday travel set ) from Boots............also pound type shops.

[@ibkristykat]

great tips/tricks -- tfs

[@alilbitshabbyjubri6942]

What makes it metallic?