Do you feel you should be using mediums? You’ve probably brought a couple and had a play around, but are you using the right ones? Or is the overuse of mediums doing more harm than good? Acrylic mediums can change the consistency of acrylic paint and allow you more flexibility and creative freedom than any other type of paint. The trick is to use the right ones for the right situation. What is the difference between gels & mediums?

Gels are usually used thickly, to keep shapes and add texture. Mediums are pourable and used to thin out paints and give the Acrylics extra working time for blending Part 1 Acrylic Gels: How to read an acrylic gel label The name is often descriptive of the consistency, binder and lustre finish. For example: • Soft Gel Gloss – Soft (thinner consistency) gel (binder) gloss (lustre) • Regular Gel Matte – Regular (same consistency as regular paint) gel (binder) matte (lustre) • Heavy Gel Semi-Gloss – Heavy body (thicker consistency) gel (binder) satin (lustre) So if you are using a heavy body acrylic and want to make it go further but don’t want to change its consistency, then you can add ‘Regular Gel’ (either in matte, semi-gloss or gloss) This will increase the volume of your paint without having to use loads of pure pigment. (It will, of course, dilute the coverage quality of the paint) The name doesn’t mean that a soft gel will have a soft finish when it has dried. It just means it has a softer consistency, i.e: thinner consistency, it is a bit misleading.

If you think of them in cooking terms mediums are like pouring cream, gels can range from double cream to clotted cream! In the video tutorial above I demonstrate Regular Gel and Extra Heavy Gel The 7 main properties of gels and mediums Consistency: Gels range from soft to extra heavy depending on the finish you are after. Lustre: Usually you will have a matte, semi-gloss and gloss finish. Transparency: Glazing liquid can create thin, translucent paint films – ideal for classical painting techniques such as glazing.

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Gluing/Laminating: Soft Gel Gloss can be used as a glue substitute for collage effects. Paint film: Creating a layer of paint than ‘holds together’, if too watery an acrylic paint film can often not hold in a thin layer it can separate out. Using a medium, such as glazing medium, you can work with thin layers that don’t run, but still have a glass like finish. Cost: By using a medium to extend the paint you can make the paints go further. Adding Texture: Instead of using thick paint, you can create texture with a gel and paint on top.

Number In A Circle Microsoft Word more. Why are there so many? Good question, some manufacturers have a huge selection of mediums which can often be overwhelming to choose from, so often you just plum for one, a random choice on instinct and this doesn’t achieve the results you want, so you don’t try any at all. I’m very keen on trying to keep your painting as simple as possible when you first start because the less you have to worry about technically, the more time you can actually get painting. I use Soft Gel Gloss & Glazing Liquid Gloss on 90% of my acrylic paintings. The Soft Gel Gloss has 2 distinct uses: 1. To dilute the paint consistency yet still keep visible brush marks.