This all started with an O.O.P.S., an Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly, when I spilled an entire bottle of Art Spray. The quest to keep that from happening again introduced me to what I call Splotters.

Splotters are empty bottles with a dauber top that I filled with the rainbow. They became juicy, fat graffiti style markers to make coloring in large areas a breeze but what I love about them most is they make playful splots of color.  Hence the name.

You can fill these with anything fluid, so why Art Sprays?  They allow me to quickly get vibrant translucent color in my art and when dry, it’s permanent.   What that means is if layers are added on top, the color won’t move or reactivate.

Watch Splotters, Make Your Own Graffiti Markers on YouTube.

When you’re filling the bottles, you have the flexibility to put as much or as little in them as you want.  I love using these, so I put a whole bottle of Art Spray in each one.

Any time you want to add more color to a bottle, simply remove the dauber top and refill. Just be sure to always shake it well before adding to the bottle.

You have the flexibility to make these as juicy as you want.  Squeeze them while applying the color and you get puddles of color.  Don’t squeeze them and it acts like a wide marker.

What will be added next to this background made with the Latitude and Longitude stencil?  Don’t know yet but since all the layers on here are permanent once dry, whatever is added won’t reactivate these colors.

Of course, I’ll be sharing here when more layers are added so get signed up for my newsletter so you’ll know what happens next to this.  Plus you’ll get weekly creative encouragement and inspiration.

Here are the colors of Art Spray that I put in the Splotters: Bordeaux, Raspberry, Tangerine, Lemon, Raseda, Aquamarine, Caribbean, Gentian, Lavender, and Black.

Here are the supplies used. Some of these links are affiliate links which means I get a small percentage. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and it helps keep the free tutorials coming!

The leftover paint in the bottom of the cup from a dirty pour is an invitation to make another canvas.  Plus it feels criminal to not use that gorgeous color mingling in the cup. So I just have to make another canvas.  Can you see the muse twisting my arm and forcing me to play?

But there isn’t nearly enough in there to cover a canvas.  Problem? Nope.  An opportunity to use up the remaining solid colors in the cups.  Will there still be cells and colors moving around? You bet thanks to gravity and a palette knife.

How was the paint mixed? What was added it?  What is that thing the canvas is sitting on? It’s all explained along with everything you need to make your first pour in this video.

Watch Paint Pouring with Leftovers on YouTube.

It looks like there is a grand plan but there isn’t.  The goal is to just use up all the paint in the cups on the canvas. It might start looking like this, but it will change a lot before it’s done.

The solid colors are nice but the magic is in the dirty pour leftovers in the cup.  Where did those dregs in the cup come from?  You can see how the colors were added to the cup and the canvas it made here.

No plan here, just having fun dripping that color all around the canvas. But it won’t be enough paint.  Reinforcements will have to be brought in – white paint added to the areas that didn’t have enough.

How did it go from the solid areas of color to the cells and pattern below?  Gravity.  By tipping the canvas, the paint ran.  To help it along, swipes were made with a palette knife.  You can use anything to swipe with, so whatever you have will do the job.  The video shows it far better than words can- click here to jump to this part of the video.

Paint pouring is magically mesmerizing as the color moves around.  If you’ve been thinking about getting started or are just curious about the process, check out my earlier post and video that walks you through the process.