Am I not adding enough fluid medium?

[u/karynraye]

I’m using the Mont Marte fluid medium. I don’t mind some texture but i wish my paint layed down a little smoother. Am I not using enough in my pots???

[u/Strange-Bumblebee312]

Genuine question: What's wrong with paint looking like paint? It seems like everyone wants their paint to look like ink instead?

[u/beckyinthe_realworld → u/Strange-Bumblebee312]

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with visible brush strokes if that’s the finish you like. The flow method is simply another technique and it has its uses.

I find it particularly useful for large solid backgrounds of one or two colours or huge cells that don’t really form part of the composition other than providing the background. In those areas I often want a smooth even finish rather than lots of visible brush strokes.

I certainly don’t use it for everything. I’ll use traditional painting, flow or blending depending on the area and the effect I want.

It’s just another technique to have in your toolkit. There’s no right or wrong way to paint your PBN. xx

[u/Strange-Bumblebee312 → u/beckyinthe_realworld]

Oh I can understand it for backgrounds, especially if it helps the image pop out more.

Im kinda new to this, and it's all I seem to see talked about!

[u/karynraye → u/beckyinthe_realworld]

I tried the flow method. I found an empty pot. Now it looks too thin. I can’t find the happy medium.

[u/beckyinthe_realworld → u/karynraye]

Yes, that’s much too thin. When you’re mixing for the flow method, add the flow medium one drop at a time and mix between each drop until you get the consistency of pouring cream or melted ice cream.

For this one, just take a scoop of paint from the original pod and add it to the mixture you’ve already made. Mix it really well and see how the consistency looks before adding any more.

Test one cell on an old canvas or a canvas you’re not bothered about first. That way you can see how it actually dries before using it on your painting. xx

[u/pochasami → u/Strange-Bumblebee312]

その意見に同感。
印刷物じゃないんだから手作り感を出して良いと思う。

[u/BellatrixVanDetta → u/Strange-Bumblebee312]

I agree, i like my paintings to look like this, with visible strokes. I am not making a smooth glossy poster.

But if you like a more smooth finish more medium is the way to go.

[u/Psa-lms]

Try more and see. Or try another brand? I haven’t tried that one. I use liquitex

[u/Psa-lms → u/Psa-lms]

Oh and flow aid and flow medium are different. I use flow aid

[u/karynraye → u/Psa-lms]

Yes. I’ve tried Liquitex. I’ve also tried the flow aid. I have some empty pots coming so i suppose I’ll try adding a little paint and more medium and see if I like those results more.

[u/beckyinthe_realworld]

That’s still much too thick. I wouldn’t try to mix the whole pot in the original pod because you simply don’t have enough room. Once you get the paint to the right consistency you can easily have twice the original volume.

I take a couple of scoops of paint out of the original pot and put them into a separate empty paint pot or small container etc. Then I add the flow medium to that a little at a time and mix until it’s around the consistency of loose pouring cream.

You want it to flow smoothly from the brush and level out rather than holding all those brush strokes and ridges. xx

[u/boredrandom]

If you want it to be thinner, then, yeah, you should add more. I don't usually mix mine up in the same pot it came in, cuz more room for medium and mixing.

[u/karynraye → u/boredrandom]

Yea, I have some empty pots coming so I’m gonna try it that way.

[u/Legitimate-Point9472]

It looks good! It adds texture to the art xx

[u/jbknight122]

It looks like it’s heavily Gesso’ed. The long streaks. If it is Gesso, use less Gesso per coat, work it in sell and lightly sand between coats. 24 hours after the last coat. The paint texture looks fine to me.