Flow Medium

We often get questions about Flow Medium for Paint by Numbers…

So, I love flow medium – as it thins the paint without diluting colour. It helps paints go onto the canvas more smoothly once mixed with FM (flow medium) and also makes your paints go further especially if you have a heavy hand when it comes to dipping. Flow Medium is also great to use when your paints have dried slightly or thickened (it won’t bring totally dried out paints back to life).

As FM is mainly used for acrylic paint pouring and has only recently become popular with PBNs, it’s quite difficult to find exact mixing instructions on how to thin paints in smaller quantities or pots.

Also remember the amount of FM you use, depends on how thick the paint is when starting and the consistency you are trying to achieve.

Here is a basic mix that can be “tweaked” to get the desired effect: (if your are unsure, I suggest testing on one of your spare/left over paints first)

Add about 1-2 small drops of FM in to the paint pot with 3-4 drops of water. Mix well with a toothpick. Add a drop of water at a time, mixing well in between until you get the right consistency.

OR

You can also mix 1 drop of FM and 3 drops water on a paint palette or saucer, dip the tip of your brush into the paint then blend with the diluted flow medium on the palette or saucer.

Always best to start with less and increase as you need.