Monday 4 April 2016

Glossary

Hi, Carol with you today.

For today's post I'm going to detail the different uses for the various mediums/pastes which are currently on the market.

I will link to the product in the shop where I can, but, some of it isn't on the website, so please contact the shop if you require any assistance.

Gesso is used to prime or prepare surfaces ready to paint.  The heavy gesso leaves paintbrush marks which gives a great texture, especially to journal pages.  It also stops paint seeping into the weaves of canvas' or soaking into your paper.  Gesso pages are stronger than non gessoed.
The texture of most gesso's is similar to a heavy acrylic paint.
Gesso comes in loads of different colours.
The clear gesso can also be used ontop of painted surfaces, and then when taken back leaves the colour underneath showing…a great technique especially for journal pages.  The clear can also be used as a sealant.
Gesso is waterbased so that brushes was out easily in water.

is a thick paste, a bit like polyfilla, and dries very quickly, it is used to create dimension and can be as thick as you like (obviously the thicker it is the longer drying time is needed.) The dried piece is solid, but, you can crack the paste so that you get an antiqued cracked effect. 
The paste can be applied using a paint brush or spatula, or fingers!  It is great for using thro' stencils to add texture to all projects.
When inks or sprays are applied to the dried paste the colour retains its tone, unlike embossing paste which significantly pales the colour.
Can be mixed with other elements to change its form prior to drying, i.e. add paint, embossing powder of different elements for texture.
Texture paste comes in lots of different forms, with the addition of beads, sand and in loads of different colours.

is a creamy consistency and dries rubbery, often shrinks when dry.

is very similar to Texture paste.  The consistency is very similar.  The main differences are that when heated the embossing paste doesn't bubble, and when colour is added, either ink or spray's, the colour pales.
The paste dries solid but is flexible.

Always remember that when using pastes and gels to wash/clean off stencils straight away as its a very hard job to clean once dry.

In addition to the gels and pastes currently on the market, there are a lot of different mediums…
The detail of the medium is often in the name, i.e. glossy, matte and so forth.  Mediums can be mixed with paint to extend the drying time, they are also a very strong adhesive and can be used as a sealant for your completed projects.  Gel mediums can also be used for image transfer.
Gel mediums are now on the market in different forms - distress, crackle and vintage which add a distinctive aged finish to your projects.

I hope that this gives you an idea for each product.  Each product offers so much more than is detailed here, experiment with your product and have fun!

If you would like any further information please leave a comment and someone will get back to you.

TFL xx


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