Furthering Mediums: Gloss Gel

Before I dove into mixed media painting, I worked almost solely with acrylic paint and found myself with an interest in acrylic mediums. I bought a set of four mediums; iridescent, texture gel (very sandy), matte gel, and gloss gel. In line with my love of all things glittery, I was most intrigued by the iridescent medium, unaware that all the magic would happen with the gloss gel. Obviously it can be used as instructed, to thicken acrylic paint, slow its drying, and provide a lovely shine, but there is a whole other world of possibility just waiting to be discovered.

The first time I discovered this hidden world I was working on creating a representation of a broken snow globe. Gloss mediums dry clear, which allowed me to illustrate water flowing through broken glass. I was able to layer the medium with paint and bits of paper representing snow. This opened my eyes to how the medium can be manipulated and extended beyond mixing with acrylic paint.

Glitter became my next focus. I have always loved working with glitter, but most methods are quite messy and I was struggling with getting the precision I wanted in smaller pieces. At first I thought of transitioning to glitter glue which led to the realization that if the gloss medium dries clear it can be used as a vehicle to carry glitter - in essence creating glitter glue without glue. Mixing glitter with the gloss gel completely removes the powdery mess aspect (unless of course the mixing process sends some glitter floating about) and allows me to apply with a brush in a similar way to paint which gives me stronger precision. It did take awhile to get accustomed to using the glitter "glue" as it is much thicker than the paint I was used to working with, but everything comes with a learning curve.

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I continued my experimentation through combining different ratios of glitter and gloss gel. With a large amount of glitter and a smaller amount of gloss gel the mixture becomes very thick - like a paste. Fine versus chunky glitter changes how precise you can be when in the very thick paste form, however the paste form creates intense areas of glitter, usually complete coverage. When this paste dries it is usually more textured as the glitter is not as covered by the gloss gel. Complete coverage can be achieved with an even mix of glitter and gel as well through multiple layers or a very thick original laydown. Mixing a small amount of glitter with the gloss gel is how I create "glitter washes" where the glitter is more spread out. I also realized I could combine multiple glitters to create a "new" glitter. The options feel endless. Recently I used the glitter "glue" to create an ombre effect with the glitter!

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I often go on the search for new materials to use in my art which led me to discover resin inclusions. I realized that I can use the gloss gel as a vehicle for anything that can be mixed into it. My favorite resin mix-in so far are these little bubbles. They have such a satisfying texture on paintings and they look so whimsical! Anything powdery like loose pigment is a fantastic mix-in as well. This can be made matte or glossy (unless the pigment is glittery!) and used like a paint. Another interesting use for gloss gel is as a protectant. Not like a sealant for artwork, but as a way to cover sharp edges while maintaining the illusion of sharpness. I have used this in my glass sculptures as well as in my paintings that include glass or any broken ceramic on them. For sculptures, it also lets you scare people a bit as you can just grab the glass! The last use I have discovered so far is as a glue. Since the gel dries clear I can use it for thread, fabric, charms with holes, etc. Now, I know what you're thinking, why don't I just use regular glue? Most of them dry clear and faster than the gel does. But that right there is my problem as I am quite indecisive, so the ability to move it without really damaging the artwork is incredibly important to me. Also the gel is thicker than most glues, so when a charm or addition is irregularly shaped it is much easier to attach it to the canvas and wipe away any excess.

This medium has opened my eyes and truly expanded my art horizons. I absolutely love using it. My favorite brands for it are Golden and Liquitex. I usually go for the heavy or thick gloss gel but there are many options to try! I hope this inspires some of you to give gloss gel or any other mediums a chance!