Are you looking for a virtual workshop on Atelier Free Flow? Then click here to watch this video playlist!

NOTE FROM JIM COBB - ATELIER FREE FLOW

This is a special digital magazine section of the Atelier website, which is primarily directed to viewers in Australia where Atelier Interactive is well known and readily available, although the information presented is useful for all artists. Each month in Australian Artist, Jim Cobb, Chroma's Owner and Paint Formulator, will be presenting a product or group of products, and be expanding on that information here on the "digital page."

To understand what is going on, you need to download the text from Australian Artist, which is provided here in PDF form, so that you will be able to understand what is going on in the digital video sections on this website. (To access past newsletters, please click here.)

If you are interested in receiving a Free Atelier Free Flow Kit and arranging a Workshop for your art group or art store (as seen in Australian Artist), please contact marketing@chromaonline.com for details. Offer valid in Australia only.

Please note: This month, the free products kits are available only in Australia through local retail art shops who have arranged to carry out group workshops with art groups, that like to explore new ideas and who will hopefully look forward to each monthly program.

Atelier Free Flow Techniques

As featured in Australian Artist Magazine

In order to understand what makes Free Flow so special, it's best to watch the below videos in order. They will serve as a virtual workshop!

Introduction to Free Flow and other liquid paints new to Australia

Comparing the brands and consistencies (there are two distinct consistencies)

Showing Free Flow diluted to be very liquid, and bodied with Holding Medium to make it thicker

Follow Jim Cobb for a slide demonstration of Free Flow as gouache / watercolour

Tricia Reust's Mixed Media Techniques

Download the Australian Artist Magazine article here

If you are interested in exploring fluid painting techniques, mixed media, gouache or watercolour effects with acrylics, then this is the issue for you. Atelier Free Flow Artists' Acrylic dries to a brilliant matte finish, and the velvet surface quality make it particularly accepting of pencil, pastels, crayons and permanent markers - if you love to layer then you will love Atelier Free Flow.

For technical questions or feedback about Free Flow, our videos and this digital newsletter, please contact Jim at jcobbchromatech@gmail.com.

What Is Atelier Free Flow?

Chroma used the latest advances in pigment and polymer technology to develop Atelier Free Flow. It is a vivid, lightfast, artist-quality acrylic with a wonderful, fluid consistency and remarkable versatility. An exciting substitute for ink, watercolor, or gouache, it’s perfect for washes and glazes, mixed media pieces, art journaling, gestural painting, quick studies, and much more.

They can be used straight from the bottle or diluted with water for greater transparency. They dry to a rich matte finish with a velvet sheen that seems to glow from the inside. Because they dry so quickly, overpainting can proceed very rapidly and layers don’t get muddy.

Ideal for Mixed Media

The most widespread use for a liquid paint like Free Flow was developed in the US some years ago. There are many ideas you can pick up on YouTube which are devoted to mixed media and need to have a liquid paint like Free Flow. If you want to follow American videos, you need only choose a flowing paint - the most well known brand of which is Golden Fluids and you simply substitute Atelier Free Flow. Click here to download a Conversion Chart.

Watch The Video

We are fortunate to have a video made by local artist Tricia Reust, which sets out a wide variety of mixed media techniques. I suggest that you watch the above video before attending any workshop to choose which techniques you would like to explore. The video is not about a particular subject matter and is not a project video. It is a general purpose video about techniques which I think you will want to keep, and Tricia has videos on her website which give you actual projects to carry out in Mixed Media. The website is www.triciareust.com.au. All of the images featured on this page are examples of Tricia's work.

Use Atelier Free Flow To Duplicate Traditional Watercolour and Gouache Effects

If you are an acrylic painter and you understand how acrylic paint behaves, it is much easier to do a Free Flow "watercolour" or "gouache" style painting on paper than it is to learn the different traditional techniques that are needed for the real thing.

Gouache effects: These type of matte, brilliant paintings done using Atelier Free Flow are very easy because you can overpaint as much as you like and make alterations wherever you feel like it.

Watercolour effects: You can maintain the the appearance of transparent watercolour stained with pigment, but if you make a mistake and want to introduce alterations, you can overpaint with Atelier White Free Flow.When it dries, you can use washes which will maintain the staining effect. It’s interesting that the Atelier Free Flow colours do granulate when you use the same colours which granulate in real watercolour.

Mediums for Free Flow

For horizontal paintings Free Flow is mainly used with just water because it dilutes sharply and becomes runny. However for easel paintings we have developed Holding Medium (coming soon) which prevents dribbling.