Wash pours and coated pours when used together in the same painting can create a range of hard and soft edged forms. In general, wash pours create soft edges, while coated pours create hard edges. A hard edge is simply defined as a clear visible boundary between two areas of color or between a color and background. A soft edge is when one color blends so softly into another that it is not always easy to discern where one ends and the other begins. A variety of edges can enhance the illusion of depth in a painting for both abstract or representational works.
Paint
Several acrylic paint colors
Substrate
Any primed painting surface
Tools
Painting knife or other mixing tool, a spatula or other spreading tool, paintbrush, several mixing containers
Products
An absorbent acrylic paste, a pourable acrylic medium of your choice (see Section 4: Tips for Coated Pours), spray bottle with isopropyl alcohol
Other
Water, water container, paper towels or rags
STEP 1 Start with Wash Pours
Follow Steps 1 and 2 in Technique 33 for applying washes of color over an absorbent surface. Here Acrylic Ground for Pastel is applied thinly onto a panel surface. When dry it is lightly sprayed with water then colored washes of Phthalo Turquoise, Quinacridone Red and Green Gold are brush applied and poured over the surface while it’s wet. Let dry.
Washes create fluid soft edged shapes.
STEP 2 Add Coated Pours for Hard Edges
Add pouring medium into a mixing container. Add one or two drops of paint color per 2 ounces of medium for a transparent color, or add more paint for an opaque color. Stir well. Pour the color mixture onto the surface, or spread it out to the desired shape with a knife or other spreading tool. Immediately spray lightly with alcohol to remove bubbles. Let dry undisturbed on a level surface. Here pouring medium is mixed with Violet Oxide in an opaque pour.
Another coated pour using Cobalt Blue is added. The hard edge shapes come forward, while the soft edge forms from washes recede into the background.
This painting uses a combination of wash pours with coated pours, creating a variety of edges and spatial depth.
RECKLESS
Bonnie Teitelbaum
Acrylic on panel
40" × 40" (102cm × 102cm)