Creating Texture with
Acrylic Mediums
There is now a wide range of mediums which can be used
on their own or added to paint to give it more texture.
Some, like Golden Heavy Gel and Golden Extra Heavy Gel,
dry clear. Others, like Modeling Paste or Light Modeling
Paste, are opaque white. Because they contain polymer
most take a while to dry. A hair dryer tends to dry only the
surface skin, leaving the layer beneath still soft. This can
play havoc with your brush when you try to paint over it.
It works better to leave the medium to dry naturally over
the course of an hour or so, depending on thickness.
Meanwhile be prepared to work on a different painting.
Golden Light Molding Paste, however, is full of tiny air
pockets, so it dries much faster. It also absorbs the paint
quickly, darkening it. A pre-coat of regular matte medium
will act as a sealant, allowing a glaze to be added more
predictably. Garnet or pumice gels contain granules, either
fine or coarse, in a polymer base. Micaceous Iron Oxide
has a texture like sand. The polymer dries clear, leaving
the granules dark.
ss I CRE ATIVE PA I N T W ORKSHOP
Bring out the rough texture of garnet or pumice gel by allow-
ing the medium to dry, then applying a fairly thick, light-colored
opaque paint that just catches the peaks of the granules. The
effect is like that of a rough stucco wall.