Gel and Polymer Mediums

We’re going to continue our journey through the world of art mediums today by exploring the wonderful worlds of gel medium and polymer medium. Both are extremely versatile and can really give your project or layout that artistic feel.

Gel Medium
Gel Medium is one of those products that can do just about anything from altering photos to adding a protective coating to your project. Gel medium comes in a glossy or matte finish so you can get the look that you want. It is produced by many manufacturers, but my favorite is the Liquitex brand. Here are a few tips and techniques for you to use with your gel medium.

• Use it as an extender. By adding a small bit of the gel to your acrylic paint, you will extend the life of your paint, and it will not dry up so fast. This way you have longer to work with the paint. The great thing about this is that it won’t take away from the vibrancy of the paint color.


• Use it to alter your pictures. This technique is a bit advanced, but really is one of the coolest techniques I’ve seen in quite a while. Start by setting out two bowls, one filled with one part bleach and one part water and the other just filled with water. With your fingers, rub gel medium over the parts of the picture that you would like to have stay intact (all uncovered portions will be erased). For example, if you want to keep the people in the picture and erase the background, you’ll put the gel over the people and not the background. Now, dip the picture into the bleach/water solution for no more than five seconds. Immediately after, put the picture into the water and with your fingers, rub the picture all over to get the gel off. Now, hang your picture to dry. Once it’s dry use small dabs of water and watercolor crayons to create your own custom background around your subject in the picture.


• Use it as a sealant and an adhesive. Cover a project with the gel medium to protect it. You can then lay your main piece (an embellishment, quotation, photo, etc.) on top. Your main piece will stay glued down to your project, but will stand out from the rest because it won’t have the same finish.


• It can be used for decoupage. If you’ve run out of Mod Podge or PVA, gel medium makes a great alternative.

Polymer Medium
Polymer medium is used in one of my favorite techniques to add color to canvas or any other surface. It acts much like an oil base, so it can be used with any oil-based paints (like acrylic) to extend life. Polymer medium dries clear and non-sticky for protecting your projects. My favorite manufacturer of polymer medium is Golden. Theirs is the easiest to work with and creates the best results. Here are a few additional uses for this great medium.

• Use it with watercolor crayons to create color. Add color to the bland pages of your art journal or project by using polymer medium. To do this technique, all you’ll need is a neutral surface of any kind. (It can be patterned if you so desire.) Dip the end of your watercolor crayon into the polymer and then start to color your surface. Once you’ve got the colors applied, use your fingers to smudge the crayon marks until they’ve perfectly blended into the background. The more crayon you add, the more vivid the colors will be. This is a great way to blend colors together so that they look like they “bleed” together. Use your fingers to slowly work two colors together until there is no distinct line.


• Use as an adhesive alternative. This medium also doubles as an adhesive for your paper objects and is great for decoupage.


• Extends the life of oil-based paints. Just like gel medium, polymer medium is great for adding time to your acrylic paints. Since it dries much like an acrylic paint does, it won’t change the sheen of the paints. Simply add a touch of the polymer into your paint and mix together for desired results.

I hope you’ve been able to get a feel for these two great art mediums. I know that once you start playing with them, you’ll discover a hundred different uses. They’re so versatile and easy to use, making them a definite must-have for the paper artist in you.

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