Acrylic paint mediums

All Royal Talens gels, pure or mixed with paint, are eminently suitable for working materials such as sand, sawdust, paper, wood, stone, etc. into the paint due to their great adhesive strength.

Acrylic medium, Gel medium, Heavy gel medium and Extra heavy gel medium can be added to the paint without limit. Only the Amsterdam Acrylic retarder and thickening medium must be added in very small quantities.

Acrylic retarder may be added to the paint up to a maximum of 5% and extends the drying time by up to 20%. If it is desirable to add more retarder, it is better to use Amsterdam Slow drying medium.

The purpose of a medium is to influence one or more properties of the paint and make it suitable for a particular application. These include consistency, gloss, flow, drying time, transparency and durability of the paint film.

Talens supplies Gel medium, Heavy gel medium and Extra heavy gel medium, each in both glossy and matt. These Gel mediums can be added to achieve 3D effects/ textured effects.

Mediums are used to change the properties of paint. These include thickness, gloss, flow, drying time, transparency and durability. Many painters apply only water with acrylic, which does not always give the best results. With mediums, you can achieve better, more durable results with less paint. Adding too much water can loosen the pigment in the paint from the binder; the pigment then lies unprotected on the painting.

Talens glazing medium is the modern replacement for traditional glazing mediums such as stand oil and Venetian turpentine. Differences are mainly expressed in a more durable and non-yellowing paint film. The medium increases the flow and gloss of the paint, has no effect on the drying time and is dilutable with turpentine or white spirit. Only use in the final layers.

Whether a painting is painted wet-on-wet or in layers, a glaze can be applied as a final layer. A glaze is a transparent layer of paint whose effect can be compared to that of a coloured sheet of glass placed on a particular picture: the picture does not change, the colours do.

For glazing with acrylic paint the best results are achieved with Glossy medium or Amsterdam Glazing medium. When thinned with water, there will be less binder and the colour becomes more matt. When thinned with a glossy medium, we add binder, the colour becomes shinier and thus the colour impression stronger. If extreme thinning is desired, it is always advisable to use glazing medium instead of water, because adding a lot of water can loosen the pigment in the paint from the binder; the pigment then lies unprotected on the painting and can run off.

Acrylic medium, Gel medium, Heavy gel medium and Extra heavy gel medium can be added to the paint without limit.

For more texture and visible 3D effects, Talens supplies Gel medium, Heavy gel medium and Extra heavy gel medium, each in both glossy and matt. Adding Gel medium to the paint enables a clearer brush stroke/structure. Heavy gel medium allows even more brush stroke. Using Extra Heavy gel medium, very sharp structures and extremely thick layers can be applied. Furthermore, all gels, pure or mixed with paint, are ideally suited for incorporating materials such as sand, sawdust, paper, wood, stone, etc. into the paint due to their great adhesive strength.

Due to the high adhesive strength of the binder, acrylic paint and the various gel mediums are ideally suited for working with different materials. A prerequisite for good adhesion is that the surfaces of the materials to be glued are grease-free and somewhat absorbent. The most durable result is achieved if the materials are completely encapsulated by the paint or gel, especially in connection with adhesion when it concerns less porous materials such as sand, pebbles, glass, etc., but also more porous materials such as paper and cardboard are then protected against harmful external influences. If the natural colour of the material must remain visible, use one of the gel mediums.