There is something wonderful about flowing colour. Here are some tips for watercolour, fluid acrylics, and inks to encourage that mesmerizing flow to happen.
1. Prewet your surface (usually watercolour paper) generously.
2. Make sure you are working in a large enough area to have room for the paint to flow freely.
3. Experiment with how much (if any) water you need to add to your paint type. Drop generous colour in to find how thick or thin your paint type needs to be in order to get effects that you enjoy. The water in the painting surface will already slightly dilute the colour.
4. You can use a spray bottle of water to encourage the paint to move. Again, remember that this will further dilute the colour so you want to start with a stronger colour than you hope to end up with.
5. Try not to touch into the wet colour with a brush. This frequently loses the best flowing colour effects. Let it dry before working on top.
6. This one is key - let go of your expectations. Go with the flow and have fun working with what happens instead. I love it when the paint surprises and inspires me in unexpected ways!
