Thursday, May 10, 2012

Mediums, Gels and Extenders .....oh my!

If you stop by here occasionally, then you know that I very much enjoy experimenting with paints as well as inks. Most of the time the paints/inks are not used straight from the bottle, they have to be mixed with something to help them flow across the fabric easier. I decided to make myself a little sample piece as reference to see what happens to the fabric when each of these products are added to paint and then applied to fabric. Here is what I did. I took 2 pallets, one for SetaColor transparent paint and the other for FW acrylic inks.(also transparent) I have a number of gels, mediums,and extenders....each with its own viscosity.
On each pallet, I mixed my colour (paint or ink) with roughly equal amounts of each of the products you see in the photo.
On fabric, I drew decent sized circles and labeled them. One row is the SetaColor paint mixture and the other is the inks. The first circle in each row is the paint or ink straight from the bottle, so you can see the true colour. I used colours that looked  fairly close to each other......Vermillon in the paint and Scarlet in the ink. The colour intensity will depend on the ratio you use when mixing the paints or inks with the mediums.
The hand of the fabric changes very little with any of these products, you may notice a different "feel" if you pass your hand across the painted surface, but the fabric itself is still very pliable and easily stitched.
In case you can not read the labels in the photo.....I used....Clear Aloe Vera gel (find it at the drugstore....has to be the clear stuff) there is an acrylic glazing liquid by Golden, a Floating Medium by Folk Art, Colourless Extender by Jacquard and Lightening Medium by Pebeo.

I seem to have fallen behind in The Creative Prompt Project once again.....the current  word was Present, my response is this quick paper cut.


9 comments:

Unknown said...

Fantastic paper cut pattern - it would make a great tree skirt

Joan said...

I love the way you experiment - Its always so interesting. Liked your prompt too :)

Jaye said...

Thanks so much for the tutorial/info on gels, mediums & extenders. What kind of inks do you use? I have a bunch of Tsukineko inks that I have just begun to play with.

Love the CPP response. I love the shape of your presents!

Diane J. Evans said...

"Quick paper cut"????? I'm giggling as I write this, because a paper cutout like this one would take me HOURS. You are amazing, amazing, amazing. And thank you for letting us know that inexpensive, easily available aloe vera gel works just as well as the high-priced spreads.

Diane

Karen S said...

OK -- did I miss it? Which product do you like best? DOES the aloe work as well as the extender? IS cheap extender as good as the expensive stuff?

--Love the paper cut!

Quilt Rat said...

Not certain I liked one product over the other......they all work...some are easier to blend (the gel is a little gloppish when mixed especially with the ink....BUT it is still easy to apply with a brush...the Folk art floating medium is the most fluid...none of them are overly expensive. The point is that you don't HAVE to use a specific product...I am very much in favour of trying what you have on hand, something that is readily available and within your budget.
I hate the thought that not having exactly the same stuff might prevent others from trying a technique...remember..it is all about enjoying how you spend those precious moments in your studio/sewing space.

Rosalind said...

Did you do any test for permanence?
I keep wondering if the Aloe Vera would keep the inks as stable as a fabric medium?

Katie said...

I would like to know how all of these extenders handle when washed. I just recently painted my first quilt, and only used WATER as the extender I'm a newbee!!!!!

Denise :) said...

You know, that would make an awesome tree skirt! What fun ... what creativity!!! :)

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