Share Thanks! Your advice has given me more of an idea of the properties of this Gel, and so for that I thank you. I had already noticed this in my work through using different brands of acrylic paint (i have Golden, Liquitex and W&N). Do you know if I could use Golden Soft Gel Gloss as a final varnish? Also, If I want to use a Liquitex Paint Marker or acrylic paint on top of the paper would I seal first or after using the marker or paint? An isolation coat helps to separate your painting from a final varnish layer and protect your painting from the atmosphere. What would you recommend, Fine pumice gel? is this possible to do with a tar gel? Heres where I could really use your help, Will. I do not want to use water to thin my heavy body paint and ruin the quality. The high solid gels have a high gloss finish and have very little shrinkage so could be poured over the top of the heavy molding paste so you have a satin inner that could be carved and then a shiny gloss outer. It turned out awesome and he loved it. Pro tip: I use the gloss version of the glazing liquid because on semi-gloss and matte versions, the matting agent contained within the medium can sometimes cause a milky finish, especially on very dark, black areas of a painting. Hi Semira, yes you just need to use a clear gel. Cheers, Will. At the art store, I was recommended the Atelier Traditional regular gel (gloss), a gel painting medium. Hi Jahangir, yes you could add a heavy gel to the Liquitex basic to make it thicker, but adding the gel would make the paint less opaque. Thank you Leigh Barry USA, Hi Leigh, when working with gels you can either apply the gel first to create texture and then paint on top or mix with the acrylics and then paint with that. Hi,i have question about the soft gel gloss.Is it ok if i wet sand it?Thanks in advance! Or must I first mix the gel with my paints then begin ? What type of gel would suggest? Fluidity without spread is a tricky one, as the effect is often achieved using resins, which have a resin and a hardener that have to be mixed together. You can see it in this video around the 50 second mark. (sorry about another baking analogy) this is calledlong rheology. Ive done a small monochrome painting and am wanting to experiment with glazing. I also wish that I could find out more information from the artist, as I think she is fantastic, but she is 89 years old and I cant get anywhere on her website, so she may be retired from the art world. It is a bit expensive for experimenting in large quantity in the artwork so I wonder if there is any other brands or material that resemble their property. I do not want to add color to change my picture color Thank you so much in advance for your help Semira, Hi Semira, yes you can add a moudling paste to add texture to the paint surface. Ill give it a go. Hi Linda, it depends which gels you have, these are the ones recommended from Golden paints for using as a clear gesso (GAC 100 is most commonly used for sealing MDF boards). WORKS WELL ON BUTTONS ALSO. Ive never worked with any mediums or anything other than retarders (which I want to cut down on). Will gel medium matte, glue all those and if so, how long does it take to dry? Yes, you can use Gel medium as a glue ontop of your painting, it works best if you apply the gel medium to the painting, then apply paper, then apply another coat of medium over the top. Many Thanks . Some manufacturers restrict retailers from displaying certain products at any price lower than a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP). I would go for a satin giclee varnish, you can get specialist varnishes for giclee prints that hold onto the print really well and will give a nice lustre. The acrylic medium that can also be used to great effect for collage techniques is Golden Soft Gel Gloss. I worry there may be some chemical reaction with the Mod Podge! They did have Liquitex Glazing Medium but I was unsure if this would be equivalent. Also, make sure you shake the spray more than you think so it it really well mixed. Its always best to test first. Will, Hi I am hoping to paint a person who is in more solid paint, but have translucent rays coming out of the chest area, the rays are beams that increase in sizehow to I make acrylic transparent like thissolid first with see through rays descending from chest outward and down..thank you, Hi Nancy, you can thin the paint with a glazing liquid or use a transparent pigment. Or can I just use mod podge for the fabric & paper and tacky gkue or fabri tac for the buttons & beads? Sometimes there will be small pocks or slight pooling or overlaps.Im hoping there is a way to apply it that is not so stressful and produces an soft even thick gloss. The only other self levelling gel Im aware of is by Tri-Art, but that works out more expensive than the Golden versions. Gels are made from the binder that is used in the creation of acrylic paints an acrylic polymer. Your suggestions would be incredibly welcome. To increase the working time of the acrylic paint, it stays wetter for longer. is this correct? Hey Will, Love your article and tutorials. You might find this video helpful that looks at the difference between Golden Gels and Pastes. I am attempting to emulate a painting that I have a photo of which was painted in all acrylic paint with deep troughs through the top layer to show the under coat of paint, which also then blended with the wet layer in the texture, so it was not just two colors, it was a graded color due to the dark undercoat mixing with the lighter top coat. What product do you recommend I use to achieve perfect lines/shapes? The subject matter is a whimsical/folk art style landscape, that might add some visual interest with texture even if I completely paint over any designs the paper itself might have. I used to use Acrylics all the time, but recently decided to risk it and go for oils as the colours seem so much more vibrant! I normally use glossy glazing liquid by Golden to scumble/glaze thin layers of paint. To answer your questions: I would like to create a collage (on canvas) of magazine and newsprint and then paint a semi-transparent image over it. I have no idea which product to use. GOLDEN Fluid Matte Medium, Matte Medium or GAC 100 (for acrylics) will all work well as clear gessoes to allow the look and texture of the canvas or other support to show through. Most comments said to use acrylic polyurethane, but the has no UV protection. Any insight would be very much appreciated. Which type should i use, the Gloss or Matte ? This all is soooo informative. So Im currently working on two paintings right now. Its also hard to get good art supplies where I live so I like to research my purchases well beforehand. Gloss or matte? could I sand and gesso before? it started out as a gold and black painting but ended up as a shine black with very little gold . Hi, do you suggest to dilute paint with water or soft gel, which one you recommend ? Hope this helps, Hi Will, I seem to have a bit of a problem. Using a medium, such as a glazing medium, you can work with thin layers that dont run but still have a glass-like finish. Before this dries, should I have my top (lighter color layer) mixed which, I think should be Titanium white (heavy body) mixed with either high solid gel gloss, or extra heavy gel gloss. The only thing to be careful of is buckling. Hello. Nice to hear from you, yes, you can apply a glaze over an area of the painting and then work over the top with thicker paint. The colour of the paste will dependent on the brand you use, but most are white. Hi Gloria, Yes, you can mix retarder and water to spray onto your paints. I have a question concerning how to varnish my acrylic paitings. If you knew any other language youd be able to tell that they all say GLOSS SUPER HEAVY GEL..,which it says on the frontin English. I cant figure out, though, what the purpose of that would be? Today, Liquitex offers a vast array of intermixable vibrant acrylic paints and mediums, enabling artists to continually explore new and innovative ways of working with Acrylic Colour. I am more of a mixed media girl and having to learn things about paints and mediums has been daunting. can anyone tell me if i can use regular mediums with OPEN acrylics, or do i need to buy mediums that are designed specifically for open acrylic paints. They come in a variety of textures and consistencies that can be combined with your paint to manipulate the effects you are after. Cheers, Will, Hi, I am an oil artist and I wanted to use my jar of Susan Sheewe White Texture Medium ( that I use for my watercolors) under one of my oil paintings to let the paint flow better. Michaels and the Michaels logo and other trademarks and logos used on this site are owned or licensed by Michaels Stores, Inc. All rights reserved. It is look like painting but it is not, just need to add more texture to the picture, to be able to make it like a real painting?? 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 an inexpensive small brush but doesnt seem to do the trick adding a nice thick layer. Hope this helps. Cheers, Will. Firstly, thank you so much for your helping so many of us and for this amazing website. I use it for collaging under paintings all the time. any suggestions? It might take a couple of coats, but the Matte Varnish will always give you a more consistent finish across your painting. Cheers, Will, Hi Will, thanks for a superb web site and wonderful courses. Please turn it on so that you can experience the full capabilities of this site. VERY EASY TO WORK WITH. An investment in artist quality white is one of the best things you can do to instantly improve your acrylic paintings. So glad I came across your site! This thins the paint consistency from the tube (using GOLDEN heavy body acrylics) yet creates the perfect consistency for my initial lay in stage of the painting. So far Ive tried using gel to get the right stiffness but it doesnt flow as well. Amazed at how clear it is once dried, very easy to control with application. I have some actual beach sand that I got yo adhere to the painting. The tar gel is usually best applied as a drip or blob and then left to its own devices to move around/settle on the canvas. Youve probably brought a couple and had a play around, but are you using the right ones? Click here for a glossary of Acrylic painting terms, including the different types of medium. Cheers, Will. 
Cheers, Will, Hi Will, I have OPEN gel gloss and is it possible to use it as an isolation coat and finish it with a semi gloss top coat? When applying directly to the canvas befoe painting however, the gel itself becomes gummy in most areas, leaving behind noticeable spots or lack of a better word boogers (sorry!) It didnt cover the metal uniformly either. Hi Dan, yes, the student grade paint is the issue. I use Soft Gel Gloss & Glazing Liquid Gloss on 90% of my acrylic paintings. Should I be using a varnish / Matte Medium coat at the end or should I try and source the Super Loaded Matter Medium (or equivalent?). Sign up now to get the latest posts, news about products & art inspiration, straight to your inbox, How Controlling Your Light is Key to Painting Realistic Florals Outside. CAN YOU USE A HEAT GUN, OR IS THAT A NO-NO ALSO?? Btwyour videos have been VERY helpful. I am curious if transparent airbrush medium can be used in place of pouring medium to do fluid art? Tell us what you think. and if so, how should it be applied? Video demonstrating Acrylic Glazing Medium & Acrylic Retarder. 1) Id like to try the regular gel just because I tend to use a lot of paint and hoping this will extend my paints and make them go further. I was wondering if I can apply gel medium to an acrylic painting after is has dried to further embellish the brush strokes, making them more pronounced, the way they are often added to a digital photo? i put two layers on (waited 24 hrs) in between) and noticed its not even and feels lumpy. Abena, the best thing to use for clear spheres would be a resin, poured in once you have created a mould, you might find this video of interest that goes through the process of creating a resin sphere. Sometimes with stronger colours like blues and reds they will work fine just mixed into the gel but it can be harder to get a good coverage if using student grade yellow paints. The matte will still make the black appear slightly more grey though because the matting agent is usually white. But the seem to only carry series 1-3 even in at their artist level (Im new to this brand as well).
Cheers, Will, Hi Will, I have OPEN gel gloss and is it possible to use it as an isolation coat and finish it with a semi gloss top coat? When applying directly to the canvas befoe painting however, the gel itself becomes gummy in most areas, leaving behind noticeable spots or lack of a better word boogers (sorry!) It didnt cover the metal uniformly either. Hi Dan, yes, the student grade paint is the issue. I use Soft Gel Gloss & Glazing Liquid Gloss on 90% of my acrylic paintings. Should I be using a varnish / Matte Medium coat at the end or should I try and source the Super Loaded Matter Medium (or equivalent?). Sign up now to get the latest posts, news about products & art inspiration, straight to your inbox, How Controlling Your Light is Key to Painting Realistic Florals Outside. CAN YOU USE A HEAT GUN, OR IS THAT A NO-NO ALSO?? Btwyour videos have been VERY helpful. I am curious if transparent airbrush medium can be used in place of pouring medium to do fluid art? Tell us what you think. and if so, how should it be applied? Video demonstrating Acrylic Glazing Medium & Acrylic Retarder. 1) Id like to try the regular gel just because I tend to use a lot of paint and hoping this will extend my paints and make them go further. I was wondering if I can apply gel medium to an acrylic painting after is has dried to further embellish the brush strokes, making them more pronounced, the way they are often added to a digital photo? i put two layers on (waited 24 hrs) in between) and noticed its not even and feels lumpy. Abena, the best thing to use for clear spheres would be a resin, poured in once you have created a mould, you might find this video of interest that goes through the process of creating a resin sphere. Sometimes with stronger colours like blues and reds they will work fine just mixed into the gel but it can be harder to get a good coverage if using student grade yellow paints. The matte will still make the black appear slightly more grey though because the matting agent is usually white. But the seem to only carry series 1-3 even in at their artist level (Im new to this brand as well).