4 Weeks, 4 Paintings – Squeegee Painting

We’ve reached the third week of our 4 Weeks, 4 Paintings mini-series, and I’m super excited about this one!

Recently, squeegee art has been all over social media. I’ve been dying to try it, and I figured this mini-series was the perfect learning opportunity.

This technique teaches a lesson that took decades for me to learn—art isn’t about perfection. I’m often my worst enemy with my need to control and to be perfect. But art is fluid, and there is beauty in that fluidity. Embrace the process and go with it!

As always, I stretched and prepped my watercolour paper off-camera.

You’ll Need:

Acrylic Paint. Runnier paints work better with this technique as they scrape better. I used an assortment of Deco Art, Craft Smart, and Mont Marte Metallic acrylic paints in purples, blues, and greens.
A squeegee, credit card, or hard but flexible object with which you can scrape off the paint.
A painting surface. I used 140lb/300gsm cold-pressed, cellulose-based watercolour paper, which I secured with regular painter’s tape. If you use textured paper, the paint will fill the hollows and leave a textured effect. If you use smooth paper, the paint won’t have any texture.
Paper towel, a rag, or something you can use to clean off the squeegee between layers.

Step 1

Drip paint slightly off-canvas or on the very edge of your canvas. Tiny dots of paint make thin lines, blobs or lines of paint will leave thicker lines on the canvas.

Place the squeegee above the paint line.
Hold the squeegee upright and steady on the canvas.
Pull the squeegee towards yourself in a straight line, squiggle, or curve. Be creative with this, and do whatever feels good!
Lift the squeegee once you’ve cleared the edge of the canvas.
Clean the excess paint off the squeegee.
There’s no need to wait for the canvas to dry—the paint is spread so thin it dries almost immediately.