I'm a big fan of cells in fluid paintings. If there's not enough cells, I cry and pour again (sometimes I leave it as it is, if looks pretty with a low amount of cells but rarely). I am getting asked a lot how I produce my cells so here are few tips for you:
1. They don't always appear no matter what you do - be patient with your cellsIt's sad but true. Even if you do everything absolutely perfect cells might be moody and not appear. Just don't give up and try again. Wine and chocolates help in those dark moments...
2. What silicone you use makes all the difference.I have tried so many things... from cooking oil (don't recommend) to hair products, washing liquid, silicone oils for art... with various results but in the end, I settled for K2 Silicone Spray and I don't plan on switching it for anything else since it rarely disappoints me. You might have your own products that work just as well but where I live floetrol is not really accessible and amazon doesn't always want to deliver from the US :( Most importantly: experiment like I did and see what works best for you. And don't be afraid to be ridiculous in your experiments - you never know what you might discover ;)
3. Try pouring from a height.
If you pour paint into one cup and you pour each colour from height, more air bubbles will be created and that equals more cells :)
4. You gotta own a heat gun or a torch.
Those are essential. I myself prefer a heat gun on low air flow setting (high air setting will smudge the paint) but both are great. Just no hairdryers - air flow from those is too strong.
5. What paint you use make a difference too.
I have noticed that with cheaper paints, fewer cells develop and I'm not sure if it's completely random or if there's some secret ingredient in more expensive paints but never be too stingy on your paints - not only colours will be stronger with more expensive ones but also cells will be prettier.
6. Too similar colours = cells not as visible.
Use colours like yellow and blue or pink and black rather than dark blue and dark green only. If there's more contrast between your colours cells will be more visible.
7. Don't rush it.
You don't have to rush with heat gun straight after the pour, let paint settle for a bit, some cells will develop on their own. Take your time and plan where you want most cells to appear :) Use heat gun there! Before you say 'but I heard him use pouring medium to get cells' or 'but I heard her use floetrol to get them' - yes it's all true, I met plenty of people who used different methods of achieving cells to mine... and to be honest I'm not sure which method is best, I'm just describing which is my favourite one.
Hope you enjoyed reading this blog post,
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