Artist Spotlight Collaboration: Changing Leaves – Fall Foliage and Autumn Colors Paint Pouring
It’s been exciting to learn about the amazing artists in our community through The Artist Spotlight Program, and we’re thrilled to bring you more inspiration by celebrating individuals in the Paint Pour Academy (PPA) community. This is our monthly Artist Spotlight Collaboration, where we challenge the artists with an Inspired theme and let them pour! Our goal is to inspire you and your art through these themed challenges and share the wealth of knowledge, skill, and artist stylings of our spotlight artists.
We’re keeping it simple and allowing the participating artists full creative control with a theme-featured challenge. Here’s what we asked them to do:
“Create a new paint pour art piece inspired by the theme “Changing Leaves: Fall foliage and autumn colors” using any technique you prefer and colors inspired by the season. Here are three recommendations that you could use: Orange, Red, and Yellow. (Feel free to use any color combination that inspires you with the main theme.)
And, here’s what they came up with!
Project Specifications:
- Colors/brands of paint. Amsterdam, Deco Art, TLP, and various Micas
- Paint Pouring technique(s) used. Ring Tree Pour, Custom Pour & Hand applied Acrylics & Micas.
- Canvas (or substrate) size. No canvas – this is a Pour Over Glass !!
About the Project
What inspired the techniques used in your piece?
I have spent the last three years developing a variety of Glass techniques that I have been perfecting & using. The techniques will vary from piece to piece. Trial & Error is the inspiration!
What challenges did you have completing this piece?
The challenge with Glass is always keeping the paint from sliding & losing your patterns. I’m getting very good at controlling that so I’m quite thrilled with the way that this piece turned out!
Do you have a favorite part or element in this artwork?
I LOVE the beautiful patterns, colors & texture in this particular piece. This is VERY difficult to achieve with Glass & I am so happy to have accomplished doing so.
Are there any specific tools or materials that you found particularly helpful in this project?
The paint that you use when pouring over Glass is very important and must be highly pigmented & of high quality. It also must be mixed properly specifically for Glass especially when using micas or pigments.
Do you have any tips to share with the readers?
When using acrylic on Glass the paint must be thick! A 1:1 ratio of Floetrol to acrylic is a good start. Micas & pigments are very difficult to work with over Glass especially to get proper coverage so much experimentation will be needed when just starting out.
About the Artist
Rhonda Willman, Blind Awakening Art
Hometown: Brighton, Illinois
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Project Specifications:
- YouTube Video of this project: https://youtu.be/6tOisBRhKxQ?si=G0HRGpetHUhrwzRN
- Colors/brands of paint. Greens: Custom Arteza Green, Custom Arteza Sage Green, Arteza Lime Green Other Colors: Arteza Orange Yellow, Arteza Tomato red, Arteza Bordeaux Red, Custom Arteza Plum Crazy Pigments Used: TLP Pigments – Honeycomb, Cappuccino, Eye Candy Pigments – Senshi Red, Okinawa Sunset, Golden Temple. Cell Actuator: Amsterdam’s Titanium White at a 3:1 ratio Australian Floetrol to paint
- Paint Pouring technique(s) used. Shelee Art Bloom Technique with a Vine Bloom for the leaves.
- Canvas (or substrate) size. 12 in round canvas
About the Project
What inspired the techniques used in your piece?
It really was a last-minute decision. I was just going to do one big bloom, but the title “Changing Leaves: Fall Foliage and Autumn Colors” inspired me to challenge myself and do a vine bloom with a bouquet.
What challenges did you have completing this piece?
The biggest challenge I had with this one, which is a common issue I deal with because I work slowly, and my house paint, which I use when doing blooms, gets too thick on me. It makes it difficult to spin enough paint off the canvas to avoid cracking when drying.
Do you have a favorite part or element in this artwork?
The cells in these blooms are outstanding. The shimmer is incredible. The fall color palette is something I truly love. I was able to achieve negative space, which isn’t easy to do at times.
Are there any specific tools or materials that you found particularly helpful in this project?
I only used 2 tools for this one. My World’s Smallest Leaf Blower, my spinner, and an embossing tool. All were key in making this piece.
Do you have any tips to share with the readers?
Don’t overthink it. When you have an idea, let it flow, let the paint do its job and just go with it.
About the Artist
Joyful Pouring with April | April Carr
Hometown: Easton, MA
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Project Specifications:
- YouTube Video of this project: https://youtu.be/8Kim4PYbdkM?si=_1dlG_nVC5XAsFSI
- Colors/brands of paint. Liquitex Burnt Umber, yellow ochre, primary orange, gold, primary red. Cell activator Amsterdam oxide black and titanium white
- Paint Pouring technique(s) used. Bloom and blowout
- Canvas (or substrate) size. 17-inch wood round.
About the Project
What inspired the techniques used in your piece?
Fall colors made me think of mums and a bloom seemed to be the technique to achieve that look.
What challenges did you have completing this piece?
Oh my gosh, I really, really don’t like working with these colors, so that was the first challenge.
Do you have a favorite part or element in this artwork?
My favorite part has to be all the little details that I added at the end. It needed some points of interest.s.
Are there any specific tools or materials that you found particularly helpful in this project?
As always, my blow dryer to the rescue!
Do you have any tips to share with the readers?
Never give up! If it doesn’t feel right to you at first, scrape and start again, it is only finished when you say it is.
About the Artist
Let’s Pour with Pattie | Pattie Lear
Hometown: Erie, PA
YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Project Specifications:
- YouTube Video of this project: https://youtu.be/47sKnZxglX4
- Colors/brands of paint. Base paint: Amsterdam’s titanium white and Prussian blue (tree #1 only). Background colors: Amsterdam’s Naphthol deep red, Azo Yellow lemon, Phthalo blue, and turquoise blue. Liquitex fluorescent pink, TLP’s Techno, Mosh, and Deja Vu. Cell activators: Amsterdam’s Oxide black, copper, and deep gold.
- Paint Pouring technique(s) used. Tree Swipes
- Canvas (or substrate) size. 16″ x 20″ level 1 canvas
About the Project
What inspired the techniques used in your piece?
The theme of celebrating autumn inspired the technique I chose. I have never tried to do a tree swipe, but as soon as I heard about this project, it was all I could think of doing. I had a lot of fun doing both trees.
What challenges did you have completing this piece?
My biggest challenge was the fact that I recorded my first painting in timelapse by accident. It forced me to do another one. I didn’t mind, though; I learned how to prevent the second challenge I dealt with, which was backflow on the edges when trying to swipe over the edge. Paint would puddle a little and cause these weird bloomy things on the side I didn’t like. I learned towards the end how to go over the sides without that happening. It’s all in the wrist. lol
Do you have a favorite part or element in this artwork?
I love how my second tree turned out. It’s the best tree I have ever drawn in my life. I don’t draw, because that is not where my talent lies. But I like the second tree a lot.
Are there any specific tools or materials that you found particularly helpful in this project?
The most helpful tools were the pieces of plastic I used to swipe my paints with. They worked great and created amazing swipes with fantastic lacing.
Do you have any tips to share with the readers?
Every mistake is a chance to learn something. It’s never a failure if you are learning from it. And as I always say, keep creating. It does the soul good.
About the Artist
Fluid Art with Erika | Erika Tenney
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Project Specifications:
- YouTube Video of this project: https://youtu.be/5DMH0qj4xJE?si=kC90C5bR6qZXMX00
- Colors/brands of paint. CraftSmart Yellow, Orange, Red & White, DecoArt Satin Enamel White
- Paint Pouring technique(s) used. Swipe, Blowout, Acrylic Skin Embellishment
- Canvas (or substrate) size. 12 wood round
About the Project
What inspired the techniques used in your piece? This is the eighth version of this project. Even though I used the colors, my previous versions didn’t remind me of the theme, “Change Leaves: Fall Foliage and Autumn Colors”. This version is a mix of techniques I love, including using acrylic skins that I cut out into the shape of an autumn leaf.
What challenges did you have completing this piece? My biggest challenge was getting the fall theme from my paint pours. I love all my completed versions, but this last one was my favorite. It almost tells a story. To me, it looks like the wind is blowing the paint and pushing the autumn leaves.
Do you have a favorite part or element in this artwork? I LOVE how the mix of techniques looks and how it starts to tell a story.
Are there any specific tools or materials that you found particularly helpful in this project? My World’s Smallest Leaf Blower is always a trusted tool, and I enjoyed using a resin scrapper to swipe the paints.
Do you have any tips to share with the readers? Keep going! It is easy to get frustrated with a project; keep going and adjust your viewpoint. For me, it was making eight pieces before I found the one I loved! Enjoy the process and have fun.
About the Artist
Joyce Farkas Fluid Art
Hometown: New Windsor, MD
Project Specifications:
- YouTube Video of this project: https://youtu.be/M77qm97cEPw
- Colors/brands of paint. Burnt Umber -Liquitex
Burnt Sienna -Liquitex
Gold- Liquitex
Carmine- Amsterdam
Copper- Liquitex
Cadmium Orange Hue-Liquitex
Primary Yellow- Amsterdam
Twinkle -TLP
To be honest, I didn’t write the colors down, so I am guessing the best I can. - Paint Pouring technique(s) used. A simple bloom
- Canvas (or substrate) size. 10x10x1.5 deep canvas
About the Project
What inspired the techniques used in your piece? I love the colors of fall, especially the reds and oranges. So I knew I wanted something very bright and colorful and lots of red and orange.
Do you have a favorite part or element in this artwork? I love how the white cell activator picked up color from the paint giving me yellow and pink cells. The pink was a mix of the Carmine, and Twinkle, so cool.
Are there any specific tools or materials that you found particularly helpful in this project? My Blow dryer is my friend! I suffer from asthma, so I just can’t blow with my mouth. So I feel I have perfected my bloom with the use of my small blow dryer.
Do you have any tips to share with the readers? Don’t be afraid to use more paint. The trick to my vibrant blooms is generous puddles of paint. I also dont blow down into the center to spread the Cell activator/paint. I catch the edge of the cell activator and blow toward the edge, pushing the cell activator and paint toward the edge. This goes against what we all have been taught, but when using a blow dryer, you have to find what works for you, and the technique above is what works for me.
Join Our Artist Spotlight Program!
Are you a talented Fluid Artist looking to share your passion and creativity with the world? We’d love to feature you in our Artist Spotlight program! Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out on your artistic journey, we want to showcase your unique style and story. If you’re interested in being featured, simply reach out to us through our contact page. Let’s shine a spotlight on your artistry together!
