Testing Faber Castell Gelatos! ✨ 3 ways to use them 🎨

[@sandrarahimi5688]

I like to use gelatos for creating backgrounds/ under painting because as someone else wrote, once you activate them they are permanent. I have a hard time blending them with water because it’s hard to dissolve the line. so if I am using water I put them on a palette and use my brush to blend them before putting in paper. If I use them directly on the paper I use baby wipes to blend them. It results in a very smooth blend and after the baby wipe they are permanent too.

[@KatieMoody]

That's really helpful to hear, thanks Sandra! I hadn't realised they didn't reactivate so that's a huge bonus - they'll work so well for a base layer! Yes I agree, I was a bit frustrated by the initial marks and lines but I think using them on a palette works really well! Thanks for the tip about using baby wipes too! 😃

[@sandrarahimi5688]

@@KatieMoodyit might have been clear, but just in case. So your pear had not been activated so it will continue to smear and blend. Your peach was fully activated so you can do anything on top without worry. I suspect that in your apple you did not put enough water to fully activate all the levels in all spots. Because normally once activated gelatos are kind of like a smooth surface. Usually only non activated gelatos can be scraped by pencils or otherwise. Btw I love your pear. You used colors so would not have thought to use and it really turned out well. I like your apple too because many apples do have those kinds of streaks and lines of color

[@bodyofhope]

I have a difficult time using them in mixed media bc they can repel certain adhesives and pens. Even though the color deposit pigment payoff is really beautiful. You have to be careful what layer you use them in your work, or you have to seal them over with something like modge podge (or other sealant) before continuing to work over top of them. But they do have a lovely effect blended over something like printed paper and mark making. It blends down very buttery and smooth, buffing right into your page like an oil, absorbing, becoming part of the page instead of sitting on top of the work (like an acrylic or oil pastel would). But not so completely translucent like a watercolor. It does have some body to it. The neutrals like dark brown and black work beautifully for finishing edges instead of using ink- it's a lot like a shoe polish in a stick form. But again, my usual adhesives and pens don't like to cooperate over top of the gelatos, so I rarely do pull them out.

[@fabd8067]

I absolutely loved your fruit illustrations, especially with the pear & apple technique! 🍐🍎🍏🍑

[@KatieMoody]

Thanks so much 😊 I really like how they turned out too! 🍎

[@fabd8067]

@@KatieMoody btw Katie I’ve since taken your advice & searched for secondhand gelatos online as we can’t buy them in store here in Australia… and managed to buy from a private seller a brand new /unopened current Gift set 1 for only AUS$75 (£39) with shipping included - which is fantastic for this part of the world! They should be arriving in the next couple of days, so can’t wait to try them out & will “try” to achieve something very similar to what you did with these wonderful fruit illustrations!! 🎉🤩🖍️🍐🍎

[@OhnMarWinArt]

I agree - it was such a task to find gelatos in the UK. It was really interesting to see how you use them in your sketchbook pieces.

[@sheilacym]

I have just checked on Amazon and they are available here in the UK ….several different types in various sets …but all at such a ridiculously high price 🥺 Just watched your video doing the comparison to Tempera by Shuttle Arts.

[@KatieMoody]

Thanks Ohn Mar - your recent video comparing them to the cheaper paint sticks was really great! So helpful to see how you use them in your sketchbook too

[@be_a_bright_sparkle3687]

I’m in England and ended up importing some of the boxes, I still don’t have the complete set and defo have FFS😂

[@miiaproductions]

What a fun medium, really love how the fruits turned out 😄 so many different results with one medium, looks so fun to play around with 💖

[@KatieMoody]

Thank you 🥰 Yes so fun! I love materials like this because there are so many options for playing and experimenting 😃

[@hinaltanna3952]

I use Kwik Stix tempera paint sticks and they're so lovely. I've tried the Gelatos but prefer the Kwik Stix. They're marketed for children and fairly cheap but they're so buttery and pigmented. They have skin tone sets, a landscape set and a pastel set in addition to the regular rainbow set and they match the plastic casing exactly to the pigment, which is really helpful. The Kwik Stix also come in different sizes. Thought I'd mention them here for you or anyone looking for alternatives.

[@KatieMoody]

Thank you for this, Hinal! I've seen quite a few alternatives on Amazon but those ones sound great because of the different colour sets! And it's so rare to find the casing matching the actual colour too! Thanks for sharing this info 🥰

[@karenetaylor5758]

Love how you free us up to use the material!

[@KatieMoody]

Thanks so much, Karen! 🥰

[@juliart5]

Hi Katie! I`ve been to the "creative world" fair in Frankfurt in january this year and asked the guys from faber castell, why the gelatos aren't available anymore. They said, it didn't sell at the time and so they stopped producing them. I told them, that Gelatos are kind of a big thing for mixed media artists and they laughed and were very surprised but didn't give me hope, that they would start producing them again. They (really) said: “We are so happy, that we got rid of them!” 😳

[@sheilacym]

How strange !! Maybe that’s why the price is now so high…supply and demand especially if they are not so easy to get hold of !! They are currently available on Amazon at silly prices….i.e…far too expensive 😳😳😩😩🧐🧐🙄🙄

[@KatieMoody]

Oh my gosh, no way!!! What a shame they dismissed them like that, especially now they're having a resurgence and we all want some 😆 Such a shame that they wouldn't think about relaunching them either!

[@KatieMoody]

Yes I definitely think that's why Sheila! Now we are all sharing and wanting some and there is only a finite amount left 🥲 Such a shame!

[@mb3938]

When they were launched people were wrongly comparing them to neocolors pastels and gave them awful reviews. No wonder why they stopped making them. Check the videos of a while back of the bad reviews. I think gelatos are a medium of their own and they didn’t have a niece back then.

[@anndeboeck179]

What a strange reaction from a salesperson from Faber C. 🤦🏼‍♀️😂 Even if a product sells less ...you NEVER talk down a product in your range. You can say:' People are not ready for it' or ' We are thinking of a new procedure for maybe making them again and even better, who knows ' or 'We are in the developing stage of something different and new😃' (making people wanting!😍) or ' We already have so many fantastic products, we have to chose where we put are expertise in...💁🏼‍♀️'🤗 I even wonder if this person is creative him/herself? And who is working at their HR department.😉 Lots of colouringfun everybody!!❤🌸

[@ChantelleArts]

Wow, these look so cool!! I'd never seen them before until your ig post 😮 I feel like because these are flat they'd be good for filling in areas quickly and then using a different medium on top for details 🥰

[@KatieMoody]

Thank you so much! 💜 Yes that's so true, they fill in areas really quickly! Much quicker than neocolors 😊

[@bodyofhope]

Yes but they don't play great with all other mediums unfortunately.

[@cindyfromsydney7693]

I think I recall hating them on a plain paper because I couldn’t get rid of the original put down line once I added water but IIRC they work great on a gessoed page.

[@cindyfromsydney7693]

I have the complete set because I have full set syndrome…must work out where I’ve put them!😂

[@KatieMoody]

Haha oh I'd love to have a full set - hope you find them 😂 And super helpful to know they smudge and work better on a prepped page - that makes sense! Thanks for sharing 😊 When I used them over paint I found they worked better too at hiding those original marks!

[@impish22]

looks like a fun art supply, thanks for sharing Katie

[@KatieMoody]

Thanks for watching! 🥰

[@beedee4427]

Super helpful. Thank you for just being a free spirit in your testing videos.

[@KatieMoody]

Thank you so very much 🥰

[@kanderdraw]

Absolutely lovely! Might have to add these to my wish list...

[@KatieMoody]

Thanks so much! They're so fun for mixed media work 🥰

[@riverAmazonNZ]

Happy to see this! I always forget to use my gelatos but they’re actually pretty satisfying. I only bought them to try to replace an italian brand I used to be able to get. I think they might have been discontinued - I wish I could remember the brand. Loved that brand, intense opaque colour soft as lipstick that would dry flexible on fabric. It had a neon pink I really enjoyed.

[@riverAmazonNZ]

One thing I like: if you use them like watercolour with a palette, they are permanent once dry. I think I will use them as an alternative to the inktense pastel paint pan set which I found to be a bit too chalky.

[@KatieMoody]

I think these will be one of those supplies I'll go in phases with, maybe put them away and the rediscover them again and enjoy all over again! Oh the Italian branded ones sounded great, what a shame they're hard to find now! And thanks for sharing about the fact they don't reactivate - I hadn't realised! Thats definitely a big plus point and really separates it from the neocolors!

[@colorme19]

Thanks you so much for a very video! I just got the silky crayons as an alternative. It works well also, but less pigmented.

[@KatieMoody]

Thank you for watching! 😊 I've not heard of the silky crayons!

[@liz-anna2365]

I don’t have a white Neocolour II so I’ve used my white Gelato with my Neocolours and I found it worked fine.

[@KatieMoody]

Oh that's good to know!! Thanks so much ☺️

[@karendirmish2696]

Wonderful to watch you, I’m learning more and more about mixed media from you! I will try Faber Castile Gelatos, never have used them. So Much to learn, so much to purchase! I will try to pick up some luminance pencils! You are a wonderful teacher, thanks for sharing. Karen Dirmish, learner

[@KatieMoody]

Aah your comments are so lovely, thank you so much for all your support Karen! So glad to be teaching you these things and hope you enjoy the Luminance pencils as much as I do!

[@hippofaitdestrucs]

Hi Katie, thank you for the video. I asked Faber-Castell support because I can't find Gelatos in France. They answered this article is only available for the USA market. I wonder if it is because of some components.

[@KatieMoody]

Thanks for watching and for sharing your findings -- how interesting!! What a shame that it's so tricky to find overseas. Another commenter mentioned they are no longer in production 😥

[@hippofaitdestrucs]

Your video makes me want to try them before they disappear for real@@KatieMoody I always find good opportunities on Vinted too, I am going to look if I can find some gelatos there. 🤞🐞🍀

[@kreativbienchen7828]

hello Katie your video is so very great inspired….thanks a lot to share with us….

[@KatieMoody]

Thank you for watching! 🥰

[@marielouiseweeksb33attitud33]

At the beginning of the video I thought immediately NOPE to these but when I watched you work some magic I changed my mind… but they’re still quite pricey

[@KatieMoody]

Thank you so much! It's definitely versatile but I do worry about how quick they'll wear down for that price. I wish all art supplies were cheaper 😆

[@margaretmcglynn5077]

Katie, I love your content so much! I've been binging it for days! I have a question - which of your mixed media work to layer over the others? There must be an order to follow in the layering. I'm playing with Inktense and Neocolor II and I notice my pencils don't draw too well over either of those. Thanks!

[@KatieMoody]

Oh thank you so much, that's so lovely to hear 🥰 I'm so pleased you're enjoying it! And yes, generally I will always do neocolors last! I find the least amount of materials go over them, but it goes over everything else! For Derwent Inktense, I tend to use them watered down as my base layer so usually they're first (along with gouache, acrylic paint etc which are also my 'base' mediums). I find things go over them better when watered down (same with neocolors)! Generally my process is base then details, and for the detail layers it's always coloured pencils followed by neocolors. I hope that helps! 💕

[@kylakemp9000]

i love playing with gelatos❤❤

[@KatieMoody]

They make me feel more playful than other supplies! 😄

[@guylainemorinstudio7869]

Thank you for all those informations. Have a nice day.

[@KatieMoody]

Thanks so much for watching and commenting 🥰

[@GeekieGock]

Try layering with neocolor i over dried neocolor ii...I find it works better than luminance pencils, which are way harder than neo i. It is softer, so it sticks to the texture of the dry neocolor ii very easily. When I do that kind of layering, I find the neocolor i has a very opaque grab to the color below.

[@KatieMoody]

Oooh that's really helpful to know, thank you!! I have a couple of the neocolor 1s so I can try that out! The fact that it's softer than the pencils makes a lot of sense for layering!

[@GeekieGock]

@@KatieMoody neocolor i & ii were made to be mates 😁

[@missdeesaccount]

I like this review 😊thanks. Can you please tell me what blue sketchbook you use? Thank you so much 😊

[@KatieMoody]

Thank you so much! It's a Royal Talens Art Creation sketchbook, the 13x21cm size 😄

[@majerart]

@KatieMoody You should try the Kingart sticks too.

[@KatieMoody]

I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the rec!

[@alexcampbellstudio]

oooh i love them! i have some Crayola ones!

[@KatieMoody]

Oh that's awesome, Alex! Do you use them often?

[@alexcampbellstudio]

@@KatieMoody no, I got them to use as part of experiments but haven’t a lot. They’re so nice though, buttery is the right word 👌

[@mzebony]

They work better on watercolour paper when using with water or a palette, but in the art creation book, it’s better to smudge with your finger. There are 90 colours in the whole range. The translucent set has unfortunately been discontinued and very hard to find. Looking at your tube, you have an older version of gelatos. Keep creating 💛💙💜 Got to the part of the video where I mentioned everything at the beginning, so disregard that.

[@KatieMoody]

I would really love to get the translucent set, I’m so sad it’s been discontinued! I’ve seen them on eBay but they’re so expensive 🥲 I’d love more colours though!

[@oficinacaracolinho]

Always like your reviews and testing of art supplies Katie 🥰 I have some gelatos and usually I use them dry, bc they leave 'lines' when I had water which I don't like, need to test it in other papers too! Have a nice week 👋

[@FutureLandscapes]

If you recently got these from Facebook marketplace I'm very sad for myself because the seller refused to post and I'm pretty sure it was this set for £11!

[@KatieMoody]

I bought these in January but I think I saw the ones you mean too!! They were the translucent set (which I'd LOVE!) but they wouldn't post for me either 🥲 £11 seemed too good to be true though!

[@FutureLandscapes]

Aw, lucky you! I actually did manage to get a set of translucents which are gorgeous. I wish they were easier to access because everyone should have them!

[@PaulaScardamalia]

They have an Iced Currant and Watermelon that might work as reds for you.

[@KatieMoody]

Thanks so much Paula! The names are just fantastic 😃 I'll keep my eye out though it's a shame I can't buy them individually!

[@hansendesigns]

Fun but not lightfast. Not sure I would put time and effort into the learning curve for something only good for scanning into digital files. :)

[@joanpringle-canning2834]

🌷🌷🌻🌻🌸🌸🌼🌼🦋🦋🌹🌹

[@juststartingover2735]

Neocolors would last a lot longer than gelatos. The gelatos remind me of glue sticks how they are applied..

[@KatieMoody]

Yes Neocolors would definitely last longer as they're much harder! I can totally see the glue stick comparison too 😄

[@KleinStadtKunst]

On one hand, they seem amazing and I am sad that they aren't available anymore... but on the other hand, it is a lot of plastic 😢

[@KatieMoody]

Yes that's very true! I wonder if they'd work in a cardboard/recycled tube if they were ever to relaunch them!

[@charlottesmom]

I never heard of these but would’t buy them even if they were still available due to the plastic tubes. Our family is trying to cut back on plastics that are not necessary to us. They do look like an interesting product if not for the packaging.

[@Alliekat423]

@Alliekat423 0 seconds ago Great video and demo! Just a friendly tip: for those looking for a more affordable introduction/option for gelatos, Faber Castell makes a kid product called “gel sticks” which are essentially gelatos (same packaging and formulation) for less money. There are less color options with the kid gel sticks, but they may be a good start for those wanting to try gelatos without spending as much- or if you can’t find any gelatos second hand.

[@KatieMoody]

Ooh thank you so much for this! Really helpful to know of alternatives, especially if they're more affordable! I love using kids art supplies for that reason, though I'm always wishing for more colours 😆