5 Art Techniques Trending Right Now

Right now, five techniques are showing up repeatedly in artist studios and online galleries. What makes them worth your attention isn't hype. It's that they solve real problems or unlock genuine possibilities with materials you can actually source and afford. Here's what's working, why, and what you need to know before you start.

Alcohol Ink: Controlled Chaos on Non-Porous Surfaces

Alcohol ink has been around for decades, but it's trending now because artists have stopped fighting the material and started understanding it.

The core principle: alcohol ink doesn't dry through evaporation like watercolour. It dries when the isopropyl alcohol base evaporates completely. Until that happens, the ink moves. That's the entire mechanism. Understanding this changes everything about how you use it.

What surfaces actually work: Alcohol ink needs non-porous substrates. Yupo paper is the standard (synthetic, slick surface, acid-free). Ceramic tiles, glass, polycarbonate sheets, and white melamine also work. The non-porous surface is non-negotiable. Porous paper absorbs the alcohol and leaves the pigment behind in blotchy patterns you can't control.

Core techniques artists are using now:

Dropping and blowing: Drop concentrated ink onto wet Yupo, then blow it directionally with a straw or air tool. This creates flowing lines and bloom patterns. The alcohol carries pigment where the air pressure pushes it.

Layering: Drop one colour, let it spread to your desired point, then drop another before the first fully sets. Colours blend where they meet. The timing window is tight, usually 30 seconds to two minutes depending on humidity.

Lifting: Use a cotton swab or tissue while the ink is still wet to remove pigment and create highlights or corrections. This only works before the alcohol fully evaporates.

Blending: Some artists use isopropyl alcohol itself (90% or higher) to reactivate and blend dried areas, extending the working window or creating gradations.

Why it's trending: Fast results, luminous colours, and the ability to work on surfaces that other media can't. For artists working digitally most of the time, alcohol ink offers tactile immediacy.

Safety reality: Isopropyl alcohol vapours require ventilation. Work in a well-ventilated space, near a window or with air movement. Some artists use it outdoors. Skin contact is fine, but avoid inhaling fumes during application.

Acrylic Pour: Fluid Consistency, Predictable Unpredictability

Acrylic pour painting isn't new, but it's trending because the bar for "quality results" has risen. Early pour paintings often looked amateurish. Now, artists are getting sophisticated control by understanding the chemistry of consistency.

The fundamental principle: Acrylic paint needs to be diluted to a fluid consistency, usually around the thickness of single cream. Too thick and it won't flow. Too thin and colours muddy together without definition. Adding a pouring medium (silicone oil, commercial pouring mediums, or even water with flow aid) keeps pigment stable while reducing viscosity.

Dirty pour vs. clean pour: A dirty pour mixes colours directly in the cup before pouring. A clean pour layers colours in the canvas, then swirls them. Clean pours allow more directional control. Dirty pours create spontaneous complexity. Neither is better. It depends on the outcome you want.

Silicone and cell formation: Fine cells (the lacy patterns in poured paintings) form when silicone breaks surface tension locally. A single drop of silicone oil in the paint layer creates cells during the pouring process. Heat (torch, heat gun) can enlarge them after pouring. This is why cell-formation is controllable now, not accidental.

Drying flat: The most commonly overlooked step. Pour paintings need to dry on a completely level surface. Uneven drying creates drips you didn't intend. Placing your canvas on a perfectly flat, level table for 24 hours before moving it prevents this.

Why it's trending: Low barrier to entry, immediate visual impact, and the fact that online galleries amplify the most striking results. The technique works for large-format paintings that would be expensive to create with traditional methods.

What you need: Acrylic paint (fluid or heavy body diluted), pouring medium or water with flow aid, silicone oil (optional), plastic cups for mixing, a level surface to pour and dry on, and a torch if you want cells.

Resin Art: Embedding and Coating with Precision

Resin art has exploded because epoxy resin is now accessible in small quantities, and artists understand the mixing ratios that prevent common failures.

The chemistry: Two-part epoxy (resin and hardener) undergo an exothermic reaction. Mixing them correctly is critical. Standard ratios are usually 1:1 or 2:1 by volume, depending on the product. Weighing on a digital scale is more accurate than volume measures. Under-mixing creates soft spots. Over-mixing creates lumps and heat that can scorch embedded objects.

Colouring options: Alcohol inks work in epoxy. Mica powders create pearlescent effects. Pigment pastes designed for resin don't seize like some acrylic paints do. Avoid water-based dyes, which don't mix evenly and can cause yellowing.

Embedding objects: The technique is simple, the execution critical. Pour a base layer of clear resin, let it cure to a tacky state (usually 12-24 hours), place your objects, then pour the final layer. Pouring while the base is tacky prevents objects from floating. Objects with air pockets (porous wood, flowers) should be sealed first or they'll trap bubbles.

Bubble removal: A heat gun held just above the surface creates a brief spike in temperature that pops surface bubbles. Avoid prolonged heat, which can damage the resin or trap interior bubbles permanently.

Why it's trending: Instagram-friendly results, the ability to create custom jewellery and home goods, and the fact that small resin batches cost less than ever. Desktop resin casting is genuinely viable now.

Safety essentials: Epoxy resin requires ventilation. Wear nitrile gloves and avoid skin contact. Mix in a well-ventilated space or wear a respirator rated for organic vapours. The hardener component is the most irritating. Once cured, epoxy is inert. Never dispose of uncured resin down the drain.

Chalk Pastel Art: Precision and Blending on Dark Grounds

Chalk pastel work is trending among artists who want to move away from screens and into tactile, high-contrast work. The renaissance is partly about materials: quality chalk pastels from makers like Hagoromo offer precision that older soft pastels couldn't deliver.

Why dark surfaces: Chalk pastels on white paper wash out. On dark paper (black, charcoal grey, navy), the same pastels sing. The colour saturation, luminosity, and perceived richness jump dramatically. This is why so much contemporary chalk art uses black paper or cardboard as a base.

Blending techniques: Chalk pastels blend with tissue, cotton swabs, or your finger. Hard blending (tissue) gives crisp transitions. Soft blending (finger) gives atmospheric gradations. Layering thin applications and blending between layers builds depth without muddying colours.

Fixative reality: Fixative spray sets chalk pastel work so it doesn't smudge further. It doesn't seal the surface permanently. Multiple light coats work better than one heavy coat. Hagoromo chalk holds particularly well, so some artists skip fixative or apply it minimally.

Why it's trending: The tactile immediacy, the speed of results compared to oils or watercolour, and the ability to work with high-impact contrast. For artists interested in portraiture or expressive mark-making, chalk pastels offer directness that other media can't match.

What you need: Quality chalk pastels (Hagoromo Fulltouch if you're investing), dark paper or card (220 gsm or thicker to handle blending), a fixative spray, and brushes or blending stumps if you prefer tools over fingers.

Watercolour Brush Lettering: Combining Control with Fluidity

The fifth technique trending now is watercolour brush lettering. It marries the precision of calligraphy with the fluidity of watercolour, and it's genuinely accessible to anyone willing to practice letterforms.

The core skill: Using a mop brush or broad-edged brush loaded with diluted watercolour to form letters. The brush angle, pressure, and water content control line weight and colour intensity. Unlike rigid calligraphy, watercolour lettering allows variation within a single letter.

Why it's trending: Art journalling has expanded beyond doodling into serious lettering practice. Social media has amplified beautiful lettering, and watercolour's transparency creates effects impossible with opaque paints. It's also genuinely portable. A brush, watercolour pan, and water bottle work anywhere.

Essential tools: A synthetic or natural hair brush with a broad edge (size 6-12), watercolour paints, watercolour paper or cold-pressed paper sturdy enough for repeated glazing, and a brush pen for flourishes if you choose to layer.

What you're actually learning: Muscle memory for letterforms, water control, and the interplay between pigment saturation and transparency. The first attempts won't look polished. By month three, if you're practising, they will.

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These five techniques are trending because they deliver real results to artists at varying skill levels. Alcohol ink and acrylic pour attract artists who value speed and visual drama. Resin appeals to makers and jewellery artists. Chalk pastel suits portraitists and atmospheric work. Watercolour lettering serves journallers and those building a lettering practice.

The common thread: each has clear mechanics, available materials, and online communities sharing specific knowledge. None requires expensive studio space or years of foundation training. They're accessible without being trivial.

Pick one that aligns with how you like to work. The technique that attracts you usually does so because it solves something you've been struggling with in your current practice.

Ask Klumpf about trending techniques, the materials behind them, or how to try one without the full kit. Micador's in-house art expert. Bottom-right of every page.

Next in this series: "The Art of Slowing Down: From Japanese Brush to Plein Air"