What, Why and How: Painting with GOLDEN Acrylic Gel

[@rockykelley]

I attended a Golden demo years ago. Excellent presentation. I have been using Golden ever since. I recommend Golden to everyone

[@rebeccaspringer4512]

I emailed Golden a few weeks ago. Not only were my questions answered promptly, I was sent links in the response to your KZbin channel. I am impressed with your service and really impressed with your videos. What a great resource! Thanks!

[@ashleyw23]

I love golden so much from your products, customer service and everything in between. I appreciate these videos as well. They are so informative! Golden you are awesome!

[@GoldenPaints]

Thank you!

[@littlenonni75]

I just love you the way you just get to the point and visually show it done perfect yesterday landing I love it thank you and I learned a lot in just a few minutes with you Then I have learned in my whole KZbin lifetime of tutorials

[@cicada2022]

Love your hair! Thank you for the tips! 🎨 🖌

[@PropheticAnomaly]

Super excited to try this out!

[@bellaca4326]

So very interesting! have to try things out now 🙏🙏

[@GoldenPaints]

Please do! Happy painting!

[@PRAKASH-cm1vo]

Well explained Madam .

[@heeheetube]

도움이 되었습니다.

[@cinderblockstudios]

Interesting new labels! Should be easier to find the right gel in the store with them.

[@anony5021]

Ty

[@CnithTheOnliestOne]

What's the difference between soft gels, heavy gels, and high solid gel?

[@MiArcangel]

Does it take 2 days to be completely transparent? I'm making a piece with what is supposed to be water, add a thick layer of glass bead gel thinking that when it dries it would become transparent, it has dried but it still looks white

[@AHibbs-tu7ks]

For sealing a wood panel is soft gel medium or gac 100 better? I adhere paper to the panel with soft gel after sealing.

[@user-cp3ww2xu2p]

Is there any acrylic medium that make transparent color to opaue? I wonder how KAWS painted perfect flat and opaque color. as far as I know he use Golden paints.

[@VickiClose2023]

How can I thin my regular gel matte?

[@bohemiantinker]

Once a Layer of the clear leveling gel has dried, may another layer of acrylic paint go on top of the leveling gel?😊

[@GoldenPaints]

Yes, our products are compatible in both mixing and interlayering. If it helps, you can think of gels and mediums as paint without pigment. They just have some unique properties like leveling or viscosity built into them. We hope this helps!

[@TOKIDOKI0430]

I purchased the regular gel gloss to use as the 1st layer on some sanded wood before applying with gesso so I can use acrylic paint.. Am I not supposed to use the gel as the 1st layer to protect the wood and prepare it for acrylic paint?

[@GoldenPaints]

You can apply GOLDEN Gesso directly to wood. Acrylic Gel does not need to be applied beforehand in terms of adhesion. However, some artists will apply 2 layers of either GAC 100 or Gloss Medium onto the wood if there is a concern about Support Induced Discoloration (SID), which you can learn more about in an older video here: . kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaTVY4RjmLiWsKs&ab_channel=GoldenPaints . Regular Gel is a bit too think for this purpose and would require a lot of thinning with water to make it into a sealer coat for wood. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at [e-mail]

[@dorothajordan]

Are you supposed to seal the wooden panel first to keep the paper archival?

[@GoldenPaints]

We would need more information on your project to understand and give informed advice. Feel free to send us an email at [e-mail] to connected directly with a Materials & Applications Specialist. The best archival papers are available from book conservation suppliers, such as Talas. They might also be able to consult what materials are appropriate for your project.

[@rhondamagee7459]

quick question, why are all of the mediums labeled so closely. People such as myself, have purchased the wrong ones. Labels should be different colors, to distinquish, more easily.

[@GoldenPaints]

We're introducing NEW labels across all of our non-color products. You should begin to see them in stores now. The new labels have much larger and easier to read product names and color codes that correspond to categories of products like gesso and grounds, gel mediums, fluid mediums, additives and varnish & topcoats. Please look for them next time you're at your art supply retailer and let us know what you think.

[@rhondamagee7459]

GoldenPaints awesome! that will be so helpful, thank you

[@CarolReidCA]

GoldenPaints Yrs! I've seen them! It was a bit scary at first! I know a couple of products were really easy to grab one that was named similar, especially if we sent someone to the art store to grab something! I've even heard of mail-order (Internet) big box stores sending the wrong medium to a friend, but we can always use them, so just let them know & ordered the right one. Perhaps different colored lids for similar products? (Black & white would be fine! Maybe gray when 3 are very similar!) I heard a gal was tired one night & instead of varnish, she painter over her beautiful painting with gesso! (I know of no save for that mistake! Ouch!) Anyhow, I love the labels & the info they have on them! SO very useful! Love your products! Great stuff! Customer service is wonderful too, from what I hear! I've never needed to return your products, yet having someone on the end to answer simple to the serious technical questions is a valuable resource, and they know their stuff too (& if they don't know a quirky, chemical question, they'll find out!) This is why so many of us buy your products! Golden (& some other companies too) really care about what they do, and it's appreciated!

[@RealCoolWorld]

Do you have an academy? I'd love to learn from you! I am a retired Haircolor Specialist and find myself fascinated by the colors and the techniques. Thank you.

[@GoldenPaints]

Hello BG, there is no formal academy other than the training we do for our Artist Educators and Working Artists. However, all of the people who've been through training offer courses in painting - look in the calendar on the GOLDEN website for workshops near you!

[@CarolReidCA]

Do you have a hard copy sheet that has the uses for each of your mediums & their properties? (such as matte softening colors, lighter, etc.)? Difference between sealing a painting with string gel vs this medium? There are SO many! Some of us need a hard copy in front of us to pull what we need, or to make a shopping list. Thanks! Also, do you have a paint chart for your heavy body acrylics, high flows & others used in multimedia projects too? a check-off or swatch chart we can paint when we buy the colors, so we can reference what we have? A glazing & mixing chart we can paint on, write notes such as pigments, transparency, etc. on them? If not, it would be incredibly helpful to have a blank chart we can paint in the squares (a swatch chart) that can fit in a 3-ring binder, or hang on the wall (a nice one, instead of those with our chicken scratch on it, and everyone had their own versions! When visiting/teaching, it would be great to have a standard chart we can look at, that we are familiar with, and know what a person, classroom, party, etc. has right away, without digging through paint drawers! :) Thank you! Love your paints, and have for many years!

[@GoldenPaints]

Carol! So many good questions, I don't think I can cover them sufficiently here. Please take advantage of our free product support, either by sending an email to [e-mail] - or calling directly 607-847-6154 (toll-free in the US 800-959-6543)

[@peaceforchildren4303]

what is the best product for thickening heavy body acrylic paints in order to paint impasto with palette knives? thankyou

[@GoldenPaints]

There are several choices. If you want a product with translucency, try Heavy Gel or High Solid Gel. If you prefer a bit more opacity, the Molding Pastes will hold an impasto mark nicely but may have a slight tinting effect. This article provides examples and ideas around the topic of super textural painting. justpaint.org/super-textural-painting-with-acrylic/ Reach out anytime to our team of Materials Specialists with your questions at [e-mail]

[@tica506]

Hi! Can you tell me please what is the temperature you supposed to store your golden soft gloss gel and your acrylic , is 50-55 F good or is it to low or is it ok ? Thanks!

[@GoldenPaints]

Great question! If the temperatures are a relatively constant 50-55 degrees F that should be fine. It’s best if they do not experience large temperature fluctuations. Ideally, we recommend storing acrylic paints between 60 - 75 degrees F, but 50 F should still be ok.

[@tica506]

@@GoldenPaints thanks for the reply!

[@laurar8486]

Hi, I'm looking for a medium that I can put in a squeeze bottle with a syringe tip to make detailed textures. Which one would you recommend? Would the high solid or extra heavy be too thick? Thanks!

[@GoldenPaints]

Hello Laura! Always take advantage of our free product support ([e-mail]) for your questions... the answer depends a lot on the results you want, whether your adding color or using the gel straight, etc.

[@karenscofield1237]

I have some Golden Fluid Acrylics (not High Flow or Matte). I want to work mainly with fluid acrylics but may want to occasionally wander over into thicker paint territory, e.g. doing a reproduction of a Van Gogh work for my new home. Can I achieve that by adding Golden Fluid Acrylic colors to Golden Extra Heavy Gel in Gloss, or should I wait until I can invest in some heavy body paints and use them with little or no gels added? (Money's a consideration since we lost everything in a housefire a few months ago.)

[@GoldenPaints]

Hello Karen, absolutely use the Mediums to create an impasto effect with your Fluid Colors. You will be surprised at how little color it requires to get the effect you want. You may also consider Molding Paste - as that will be naturally opaque and help tint your colors.

[@karenscofield1237]

Thank you!

[@zartist]

Can a thick layer of gel protect magazine transfers and ink jet prints from fading?

[@GoldenPaints]

Hello Eva, much of the answer to your question depends on the quality of the ink-jet or printed material. I would expect that the properties of the gel might be more important than the thickness - for example our Gel Topcoat with ULVS is designed to mitigate the effects of sunlight. But this is a pretty technical question and the best way to get an answer is to call the number on our website or send an email to [e-mail]

[@vildekm]

I would like to create a skin from a gel medium to paint on - but i'd like it to not be too flexible when dry. I want it to be almost like a sculptural base to paint on. Would extra heavy gel be the right one for this?

[@GoldenPaints]

Hello Ines, this is a terrific question! The short answer is that almost any acrylic medium will remain flexible - that's just the nature of the material. We have formulas that are harder and less flexible (GAC200) but that probably will not do what you want. You probably need something to give your base structure in addition to acrylic medium. Something I do in my work is incorporate a fabric mesh. I use synthetics because I want to retain flexibility - but if you were to use a natural fiber (like cotton gauze) you could stiffen it with GAC400 prior to coating it with acrylic medium and that could be reasonably stiff. If you need transparency, you may want to just start with an acrylic sheet (hard plastic material) and we have some details on preparing that material for painting at JustPaint.org/exp - the best answer, probably not short, can be found by asking our product support team ([e-mail])

[@vildekm]

@@GoldenPaints thanks so much :)

[@BuddhaCareBear]

How does dry ??

[@desireeh1967]

Hi can i make from the golden heavy gloss gel make a pouring medium voor acrylic pouring?

[@GoldenPaints]

Hello Desiree, we do not recommend thinning Heavy Gel to a pouring consistency as the amount of water necessary would compromise adhesion and increase crazing as it dries. The Color Pouring Medium formulations (Gloss and Matte) will provide the correct consistency straight from the bottle and provide much better results.

[@mamascorpio]

Dear Golden: so...I'm about to commit a sin I'm sure but I want to ask. Can your gels and other additive products be used with non-Golden brand acrylics? Also, can they be used with dry/powder pigments? I'm on a budget...would like to add Golden (and a different brand of additives) to my supply list. Thanks

[@GoldenPaints]

Not a sin, and we don't judge. GOLDEN acrylics should work fine with other brands of acrylics and with dry pigments - we simply cannot vouch for the long term (archival) quality of those materials. When/if you have an issue with something you've created using those materials, we can't be as helpful because we (you) won't really know about all the materials in your work. This brings up two really helpful suggestions, if you care to use them: 1) test all your materials before committing to an important project with them. Best practice is to keep smaller or scrap pieces of material around and layer materials onto it as you work. 2) keep a log or journal of materials you use on the works you create - there is nothing more frustrating than creating something you like and not being able to recall what you used to create it.

[@mamascorpio]

Good call about the journal. I have journal of medium swatches. I haven't made myself create enough artwork yet to have built up a log of what was in each piece but I'm glad you've put that idea in the air for me! Thanks!

[@Bona_kidd]

Can I varnish an impasto painting?

[@GoldenPaints]

Hello Bon! YES.... but you will probably want to use a spray varnish. Our product support team can help you get started, just email [e-mail]

[@teresagibson4946]

What was the red paint added at 1:47?

[@GoldenPaints]

Hello Teresa, that is Alizarin Crimson Hue, one of our historical color blends -- "hue" designates a mixture made to address a particular color space or replicate a traditional pigment that is either no longer available or not sufficiently light fast.

[@Blackrain4xmas]

can I put two-part epoxy resin over dried gel?

[@GoldenPaints]

Hello Blackrain - yes, you can. I suggest you look at Art Resin and follow their directions for use. The have videos demonstrating the use of their product over acrylic color, there should be no difference in using over completely dry acrylic gel or fluid mediums.