Gels, Pastes & Mediums

Gel Mediums

Gel Mediums offer many ways to build texture. Golden offer five consistencies from our most viscous High Solid Gel to our Soft Gel. Each gel is available in Gloss, Semi-Gloss and Matte finishes. They are used to create glazes, extend paint and change finishes. Gels are essentially colourless paint, as they utilize the same 100% acrylic polymers as acrylic paint. Gels are also excellent adhesives for collage and mixed media, they dry with excellent flexibility with chemical, water and UV resistance.

Soft Gels (L-R,Gloss, Matte, Semi-Gloss) are thinner than Heavy Body colours. Mix with colour to produce a brilliant glaze. Soft gels can be a base for wet blending and also as an adhesive for collage. (Item # Gloss - 3010, Matte - 3013, Semi-Gloss - 3017)
Regular Gels (L-R: Gloss, Matte, Semi-Gloss) have the same viscosity as Heavy Body Acrylic colours and are ideal for extending paint and regulating transparency without changing consistency. Useful for impasto. (Item # Gloss - 3020, Matte - 3030, Semi-Gloss - 3040)
Heavy Gels (L-R: Gloss, Matte, Semi-Gloss) are thicker than Heavy Body Acrylic colours and may be blended with colours to increase body. Excellent for holding peaks. (Item # Gloss - 3050, Matte - 3060, Semi-Gloss - 3070)
Extra Heavy Gels (L-R: Gloss, Matte, Semi-Gloss) are thicker than Heavy Body Acrylic colours and may be blended with colours to increase body. Excellent for holding peaks. (Item # Gloss - 3080, Matte - 3090, Semi-Gloss - 3100)
High Solid Gels (L-R: Gloss, Matte) are similar in body to Extra Heavy Gels. Because they contain less water and more acrylic solids, they shrink less than other gels. They blend well with colours and will retain brush strokes upon drying. Available in gloss and matte. (Item # Gloss - 3120, Matte - 3130)

Molding Paste

Pastes can be used to achieve a variety of effects and expressions. When used in conjunction with acrylic colors they broaden working properties and expand creative possibilities. Unlike gels, pastes are opaque because they contain Marble Dust or other fillers that create a white or clay-tone finish with a variety of textures and properties. Molding Paste can also be used to create foundations for painting either to create texture over a smoother surface, or to smooth out a textured surface. The absorbent qualities of Molding Paste make it suitable as a ground for nearly every painting and drawing media.

Molding Paste - Excellent for building surfaces and creating textures. Dries to a hard, yet flexible, opaque film. Blends with colors to tint and extend paint. (Item# 3570)
Light Molding Paste - Offers dramatic weightreduction used in thick layers. Wet product is over 50% lighter than GOLDEN Molding Paste. This dramatic weight reduction is beneficial in creating large artworks, have thick material build-up, or both. Light Molding Paste dries to an opaque, matte finish. It is designed to hold stiff peaks for highly textured surfaces and it blends easily with colors. (Item# 3575)
Hard Molding Paste - Dries to a extremely hard, opaque film, it is useful for creating tough, durable finishes for smooth or textured surfaces. Once dry, it can be carved with hand or power tools. Blends easily with acrylic colors. (Item# 3571)
Coarse Molding Paste - thick, warm white colored medium, translucent up to about 1/8 inch thickness. Dries to a hard, stiff but flexible film with a tooth like fine sandpaper. Accepts wet and dry media very well. Mix with Fluid or Heavy Body Acrylics to create dense paint that holds good peaks and dries matte to satin with a finely pebbled surface. (Item# 3572)

Molding Pastes are water-based products formulated with 100% acrylic polymer emulsions, which give great flexibility and durability. Drying times greatly depend upon film thickness. They dry to an opaque, semi-gloss film to which subsequent layers of acrylic paint and mediums can be applied. All Molding Pastes can be easily tinted with GOLDEN Heavy Body, Matte, High Load and Fluid Acrylic Paints.
All GOLDEN Molding Pastes clean up with soap and water. Do not let products dry on tools. Keep tools wet while in use. Soak tools in soapy water to remove dried films.

Click here to see how to create a smooth surface using molding paste.

Gel with Aggregates

Available in this range are granular, glass bead and pumice gels. These gels can be used with Golden Acrylic colours to create a variety of interesting textures and effects.

Clear Granular Gel is made with granular acrylic solids and has excellent clarity and durability with a coarse texture that dries translucent. Clear Granular Gel can extend paint and add texture without altering color.
Glass Bead Gel made with genuine glass beads, offers a unique effect similar to condensation on glass - best seen in thin films over a light color to allow the glass beads to be illuminated. (Glass Bead Gel Item# - 3236, Clear Granular Gel Item# - 3215)
Pumice Gels (R-L Fine, Coarse, Extra Coarse) textures dry to hard films. They mix well with GOLDEN Acrylic Colors. Fine Pumice Gel is useful as a drawing ground. Coarse Pumice Gel and Extra Coarse Pumice Gel create more coarse textures to yield concrete-like finishes. (Item# Fine - 3195, Coarse - 3200, Extra Coarse - 3205)

Effects Paste

Available in this range are Fiber and Crackle pastes.

Fiber Paste when dry has the appearance of handmade paper. It can be skimmed with a wet palette knife to make a smoother surface. The dry off-white colour is absorbent, making it ideal for use with acrylic washes. (Item # 3240)

Crackle Paste is a thick, opaque material that cracks as it dries. The size and extent of the cracking pattern depends on the thickness of application, and environmental conditions during drying and other factors. Dries to an opaque, matte finish, with an absorbent surface suitable for acrylic paints and mediums. (Item # 3557)

Pourable Gel

These clear gels have a unique resinous, stringy consistency and produce an even film with excellent clarity. Their consistency makes them feel very different to other acrylic gels and they can produce unique effects.

Self Leveling Clear Gel produces an even film with excellent clarity. It has a unique resinous, stringy consistency resulting from its leveling property. Self Leveling gel dries to a flexible, high gloss film while imparting a leveling quality to other GOLDEN Acrylic products. It blends well with GOLDEN Acrylic colors to produce glazes. (Item # 3001)

Clear Tar Gel has a pully, tar-like feel, but in a clear, colorless gel. This extremely resinous and stringy consistency makes it feel very different from other acrylic gels. Useful for generating fine detailed lines by "dripping" it over surfaces, as it continuously flows from palette knives or other tools. It blends well with all GOLDEN Acrylic colors, although Fluid Colors work best. (Item # 3330)

Slow Drying Medium

The formula for the slow drying acrylic glazing liquid allows sufficient working time for a wide variety of glazes and faux finishes normally accomplished with oils.

Acrylic Glazing Liquid (Gloss, Satin) can be mixed with GOLDEN Acrylics to create glazes for interior application on walls or furniture. The slow drying formula provides sufficient working time for a wide variety of glaze and faux finishes normally accomplished with oils. It is also an excellent blending medium for painting. Available in Gloss (item# 3720) and Satin (item# 3721)

Special Purpose Mediums

GAC (short for Golden Artist Colors) Specialty Acrylic Polymers are based on 100% acrylic polymer emulsions. The GACs are useful as mediums or modifiers of acrylic paints. GACs can be used to extend acrylic colors, to regulate transparency, create glazes, increase gloss, reduce viscosity or improve adhesion and film integrity. GAC polymers can also be used for binding pigment solids for various effects and surfaces. Unlike the other GOLDEN Mediums and Gels, GAC Acrylic Polymers have only a minimum amount of thickeners, levelers, defoamers and surfactants to ensure good film formation.

The consistency of the GAC polymers is more fluid and thin than other GOLDEN Mediums, so they will reduce the thickness of most GOLDEN Acrylic Paints. GOLDEN Fluid Acrylics are slightly thicker than the GACs, but will exhibit less change in viscosity with the addition of a GAC polymer.

Each GAC is a unique polymer with unique benefits and applications. Refer to the product descriptions below to find the proper medium for a particular applications.

GAC 100 Multi-Purpose Acrylic Polymer is a sealer that helps prevent Support Induced Discoloration (SID) caused by impurities that are drawn up through a substrate as the acrylic paint dries. GAC 100 is also useful for diluting and extending colors, increasing flexibility and film integrity, sizing for fabric and sealing for wood. GAC 100 will wet out solids, including pigments, more readily than other polymers and is useful for artists formulating their own paints. (Item# 3910)

GAC 900 Fabric Painting Medium, when heat-set properly, offers a very soft hand and laundering stability. Mix with High Flow Acrylics to produce "tie-dye" effects, or blend with GOLDEN Heavy Body, Matte or Fluid

Fluid Mediums

Golden fluid mediums allow the artist full control over transparency, viscosity and surface sheen of their acrylic colours. The range includes mediums which adapt the paint so it is useable with an airbrush, can be used for glazing or even for silkscreening. Other mediums in this range reduce the gloss of the paint while maintaining consistency and can even be used as a nearly clear ground on canvas instead of gesso.

Polymer Medium (Gloss) is an acrylic liquid medium useful for creating glazes, extending colors, enhancing gloss and translucency and increasing film integrity. It has an oil-like feel and resinous nature that promotes flow and leveling. (Item # 3510)

Fluid Matte Medium is useful for extending colors, decreasing gloss and increasing film integrity. Particularly useful with GOLDEN Fluid Acrylics to decrease gloss while maintaining consistency. (Item # 3520)

Matte Medium is a pourable medium useful for extending color, decreasing gloss and increasing film integrity. It is also used as a nearly clear ground on canvas instead of gesso. (Item # 3530)

Airbrush Medium modifies GOLDEN Fluid Acrylics for spray application by reducing clogging and tip buildup during spraying. Recommended for spraying on garments, Airbrush Medium may also be used to thin other products for spraying such as Iridescent/Interference Acrylics and Gesso. NOTE: Airbrush Medium is NOT designed to mix with High Flow Acrylics (Use Airbrush Transparent Extender). (Item # 3535)

Silkscreen Medium is a waterborne system designed for use with GOLDEN Acrylic Colors. It increases the working time and retards drying in the screen. NOTE: Silkscreen Medium is NOT designed for clothing application. (Item # 3690)

Additives

Additives allow the artist to control the paint's working properties.

Retarder is an additive used to increase the open (drying) time of acrylic paints. Useful for wet in wet techniques and reducing skinning on the palette. (Item# 3580)
Acrylic Flow Release is an additive used to reduce surface tension of the water in the acrylic emulsion, thereby increasing the slickness and flow of the paint. It is effective for achieving rich stains on a porous surface. Not for use by children. (Item# 3590)