Top Tips to Creating Glossy Acrylic Pours with Golden Produc (2025)

Hi Jill,
Cracks, also called “crevicing” are an issue with some aspects of acrylic. Acrylic will shrink down in volume by about 30% while drying. This means whatever thickness you apply a layer, it will eventually dry alot less thick. If the top of this layer dries faster then the shrinkage it will crack. This is an issue when applying thick layers of mediums, but gels are already thick so these will shrink in volume but without cracking. It is the thinner mediums, or thin paints, where this cracking happens. It will happen more when the climate is dry or hot, because in these climates the top part of your layer will often dry faster then the whole layer can do its shrinkage. To resolve cracking issues, you can do several things. You can put a plastic “tent” over your work area and add a humidifier. You can also apply your mediums and paints thinly all over and build up the thicker areas in separate layers, allowing each to dry before applying the next. Also, another tip is to only pour mediums over a non-absorbent surface. If you apply a pour over an absorbent surface (you can tell its absorbent if its matte) the pour will soak into the surface before it dries creating an uneven surface which will encourage cracking). By sealing your surface first with a gloss medium, then wait until its dry, then pour – you will decrease cracks. One more tip – use a pouring medium that is meant to not crevice, like Golden’s GAC 800. Hope these tips help!

I have not used PVA glue for pouring, but think this may be the culprit for your issue. I think a pouring medium that holds its shape while drying would work better for you. Have you tried Golden’s Clear Tar Gel? I use this with about 30% filtered water added to it the night before. I stir it then wait overnight so the bubbles dissipate. When poured it will spread a small amount right away, and you can use a spatula to create the shape you want, and then it should stay that way while drying. Let me know if this works for you.

Hi Jennifer, Getting smooth pours can take a bit of fussing until you figure out what works best with your environment – as temperature and humidity will affect results. I suggest trying some experiments, work on small surfaces as tests. First make sure the surfaces are sturdy and won’t warp with heavy applications of wet products such as pours will give. Next make sure the surface is level, by using a leveler. If the surface is even slightly not level, the pour layer will keep moving just slightly enough to cause ripples and this may be the mottled surface you are seeing. Test also to see if raising the temperature to above 70 degrees will help. If you have no control over the temperature, then add a small space heater not too close to the work, but enough to keep the room warmer. Have a fan or air moving in the room while it is drying. Another thing to pay attention to is the thickness of the pour, and the quality of the product you are using to pour. For pours I recommend using products made especially for this. I also recommend pouring thinly first to get an even pour. Once you attain an even surface pour then you can try going thicker if you want. Its easiest to pour thinly, then build other thin pours on top until you reach the thickness you want. Start with one of the changes I mentioned above, test just that, then keep going until one of my suggestions resolves your issue. Your mottled description makes me theorize it is a combinatino of three things: to cool a temperature, not level and too thick a pour. Let me know if this helps resolve it!

hello
I’m unable to get cells. I’ve poured many canvases but still no cells. I get a marbled look which is pretty but no cells.
I look forward to your suggestions.
thank you
violet

Hi Violet,
It is very tricky to get cells. Once you find the right combination, though, then it becomes much easier. Cells are created using a combination of things that need to find the right balance with each other. One of these is drying times, and that differs depending on the humidity and temperature where you are pouring. Another important aspect is to find the right mixture proportions for your climate. You want to make sure you have mostly pouring medium for your first experiments. Your mixture consists of pouring medium, paint color and alcohol. Each paint color has a different weight. By using small amounts but of a variety of colors, you will get better results. For instance, Titanium White is very heavy, and Quinacridone Magenta is very light in weight. Add at least 3 or 4 colors to your mixture, making sure they have different weights. Because you are adding several colors, it is easy to add too much paint color to pouring medium. Add very very small amounts of each paint color, so that by the time you add 4 colors, you still have 70-90% pouring medium in the mixture. The alcohol moves the lighter weight paints upwards through the poured paint layer, and leaves the heavier weight paints to sink down. This movement, along with having both light and heavy weight paint colors, will create the cell. If you only use one color, you won’t get a cell, which is actually an outline of one color around another. If your surface is absorbent, as in using canvas, primed canvas, or paper, the pour will sink into the surface, which doesn’t allow the pour time to separate colors into cells. If you don’t pour your mixture thickly enough, this will also allow the pour to dry too quickly so the colors don’t separate into cells. For best results use a rigid surface like a wood panel, that is sealed by applying a gloss medium (this keeps the pour on top of the surface instead of sinking into it), make sure the panel is level (!!!very important because if it isn’t level, the pour will move towards the lower side, and making it too thin on one side to dry slow enough for the cells to form. Hope this gives you some helpful guidelines to get the cell pouring you are looking for.
Nancy