There is a growing appreciation of non-traditional artists, who rely more on pouring techniques instead of careful brushwork. The acclaim such artists can receive these days extends author-and-illstrator Eric Carle selling multi-million copies of his children books, featuring his colorful cutouts, to Jackson Pollock’s splash paintings, which have sold for $140 million. But when I try to replicate some of their techniques, I just end up with an expensive mess. Ugh. I thought, maybe I could find some tips somewhere… but couldn’t. Nothing that was actually helpful. So I was delighted to find this fantastic book. It saves both time and money while helping inspire my own art to new heights.

The book features plentiful, colorful photos of both finished works and step-by-step photos. The book is so well-written, with real-life practical tips, offered from a voice of experience, and phrased in an engaging and friendly style. It’s very well done. Just tips like what the most popular papers are for certain approaches will save so much frustration down the road. Many approaches are super fun, surprisingly simple, yet really quick to make, like using shaving cream(!) as a printing press of sorts.

There’s an introduction to “fluid art,” along with helpful hints about color usage and alcohol inks. There are 12 projects, with several variations, included. The projects include alcohol ink abstract paintings in three styles, alcohol ink and resin petri molds, alcohol ink ceramic coasters with two techniques, ceramics with two techniques, acrylic pours in three styles, geode resin painting, and paper marbling with alcohol ink. There’s also a helpful FAQ to troubleshoot resin projects and a resource guide which is super valuable in itself.