Painting mediums are wonderful, and when you incorporate them into your practice you will find that you can alter and enhance the properties of paint in a myriad of ways. Determining what you want to achieve (more transparency, more texture, less sheen, less brush strokes, more working time, faster drying time, etc.) will help you decide which mediums to try.
Based on numerous artists’ request, we are very excited to introduce a new range of mediums for Atelier Interactive that make traditional acrylic painting techniques even more successful, and even more fun. After all, Interactive was designed to be used by all acrylic artists, not just those who want to rework paint, and these new mediums round out the line.
By traditional, I mean standard, fast-drying techniques, such as glazing, building texture, and rapid layering. You certainly can do these techniques successfully without using any mediums, but these new mediums make the painting process much easier. These traditional mediums will make Interactive act like a conventional acrylic paint - once dry, you will not be able to get back into the layers and rework. I encourage you to try some, because although some may sound similar, they all have a different feel under the brush!
Matte, Satin and Gloss Mediums: Sometimes you may want your paint to have a particular sheen throughout a painting session - perhaps you are working plein air or "alla prima" (at one sitting). Using a medium that alters the sheen from the beginning can help you build your painting and compare color against color accurately. In addition to changing the sheen, these mid-viscosity mediums add translucency and promotes flow and leveling.
Acrylic Glazing Liquid: Glazing, the method of applying a transparent layer of paint on top of another layer of paint, is a tried and true method of painting. This low-viscosity medium is perfect for glazes, and it slightly extends open time and is waterproof when dry with an oil-like gloss sheen.
Regular Gel (Gloss and Matte): This acrylic gel medium has the smooth buttery consistency of Interactive, so it is great as a paint extender, while adjusting gloss. It be mixed with paint for translucent textural glazes, or applied directly on top of a dry paint layer for a transparent textural effect. The milky color is transparent when dry.
Heavy Gel (Gloss and Matte): This gel medium exaggerates structure and sharpens textural edges of the paint. It can be used as a very strong adhesive for bonding objects in mixed-media work. It can be mixed with the paint, overpainted once dry or applied on top of a paint layer for a translucent textural effect.
Look for (or ask for) these mediums at your neighborhood art store - they will be coming soon!
The above descriptions are merely suggested uses, as we artists like to experiment and use mediums in multiple ways. And don’t worry, you can still use all the other mediums, like Slow, Thick Slow, Clear and Unlocking Formula, in your process. For example, you could mix Satin Medium with color to create a fast drying underpainting, and then use Thick Slow Medium to give the next layers even more time to be adjusted. Or you could use Interactive mixed with Clear Painting Medium for your first few layers, and when dry, apply a coat of Gloss Medium to even out the sheen, and then add textural translucent glazes with Regular Gel (Gloss). Or you could mix Matte Medium with Interactive to make a fast-drying base coat of color, and then apply a straight layer of Heavy Gel (Matte) with a palette knife to create an interesting surface, and then apply glazes made with Slow Medium to get into all the nooks and crannies, and then some more wiped back later after spraying some Unlocking Formula on your painting. As you can imagine, the possibilities are endless!
The attached image was created using the new mediums. I made extensive use of the Acrylic Glazing Liquid in "Sonshine," and you can read about the painting’s progress
here. Look for more articles and videos highlighting ways to use these mediums over the upcoming months, and be sure to tell us how you use them too!
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