Friday

An ode to the glass bead gel medium...


Gold-tag-with-glass-bead-gel

Hello friends! It's no secret that I love my projects with a little [okay, a lot of] sparkle! *winks* And one of my fave ways is to use glass bead gel medium. I love the subtle sparkle of glass beads that still lets you admire the texture underneath.


Like on this tag. Can you guess the elements here?

Here's how I got this effect...
1. Adhere lace on watercolour paper using gel medium.
2. Apply a layer of gold metallic paint.
3. Apply a layer of glass bead gel medium.


What is glass bead gel medium?
It is a gel that is densely packed with tiny clear glass beads. It can be used on its own or with acrylic paints to create texture and reflective effects. I love to use it with metallic paints for an opulent finish. You can also use it with acrylic glazes to fully exploit the reflective properties of the glass beads.

Image via Dickblick

Golden Glass Bead Gel

This is my fave glass bead medium. The glass beads are super dense and a little goes a long way. It is easy to spread with a palette knife or a paint brush. It dries fairly quickly in my climate [hot and humid]. It is however, rather pricey. 
Image via Dickblick
Liquitex Glass Beads

Only one art supply store in Singapore [that I know of] sells Golden mediums so when they are out of Golden Glass Bead Gel, I go for my second option - Liquitex glass beads. The consistency is less dense, that is, fewer glass beads and more gel. And the dry time is a lot longer [like most Liquitex products]. However, you can "exploit" these "flaws". I add some mica flakes in between the glass beads for more shimmer. It is also about 40% cheaper than Golden so I use this to experiment. 

What about you? Have you tried glass bead medium? Here's a coupon to Dickblick.


P/s: Happy weekend friends! Last weekend to play along with LESSology Challenge #34: Laundry Day!


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36 comments:

Laurel said...

So pretty!

Creations by Shirl said...

Ooh this is really gorgeous... love the gold tones....

Vijaylaxmi Siyal said...

Pretty Tag n love the gold ...thanks for sharing the info...:)

Jasleen Kaur said...

Although I've never tried glass bead gel medium but from the looks of it, looks like I should. How glamourous your tag looks!!!

Somdeepa Das said...

Ooooh, a tag fit for royalty!

Unknown said...

It looks pretty darn amazing. I LOVE it.

Hugs~

SD pooja said...

Super Awesome Tag Yvonne..filled with richness of gold :D !! Nice to know about glass bead gels ..

Suman Pandit said...

looks stunning :)

Kirsty Vittetoe said...

Absolutely love this, it is GORGEOUS!!!!!

Hussena said...

Gorgeous tag, Yvonne. And, thank you for all that information on the glass bead gel. I was very curious about what it was and you have given such a detailed explanation about it. Thanks for sharing :D

Lynn said...

This is the first time I've heard about this product. I've got to find some because like you I can never have enough sparkle on my craft work (or on me)! Thank you for showing me something new and beautiful. I love that I found you in blogland because you are so adventurously crafty.

Lizzy Hill said...

THANKYOU...even though I have some, given to me by a lovely scrappy friend (winks!!)...& I've used it quite a bit..it was still REALLY interesting to read this....& what a lovely effect you've got using it this way on the tag!!!!!

Joni Andaya said...

So BEAUTIFUL!!! What a lovely tag this is Yvonne! Fabulous :)

Lizzyc said...

I do not have any of these bead mediums, it looks like a wonderful product to use, thanks for sharing your tips!

Julie Tucker-Wolek said...

Wow wow wow! This is gorgeous! LOVING those textures!!!!!

Sherry Eckblad said...

Gorgeous and I love that bauble!

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing your tips Yvonne. I have never tried any of these mediums but now I have got a good excuse to do so..... Love your tag :)

Annette Allen said...

wow totally stunning.. i love it.. of course.. heehee

Happy Friday

Diane Jaquay said...

Wow, this is really STUNNING!

Radhika said...

Elegant tag Yvonne ..love the effect using the lace and gold paint .. :)

Evelin said...

love this! <3

Lisa said...

This is absolutely gorgeous!! The lace looks amazing with the gold paint and beads!! I have some glass bead gel medium that I haven't used in a while...you have inspired me!! Have a great day :)

Lisa
A Mermaid's Crafts

dstandard said...

Awesome tag !! Have never tried the Beas mediums but love this and am going to try it

Chantal Vandenberg said...

Totally stunning!!! :D

Kim said...

Really Cool!
~Kim

Ashley Horton said...

Stunning Yvonne! I love the texture this technique created!

Rose said...

beautiful :)

Unknown said...

oh wow!The tag is totally delish!I loveee what you have done.I need the glass bead gel now,like right now.:-)

Karon said...

WOW, beautiful!

Cindy deRosier said...

Beautiful! Lace, gold and bling... it's an Yvonne Trifecta!

Leigh said...

This is so pretty.

Audrey Pettit said...

Wow! OMGosh, this is SO, SO stunning, Yvonne! I love the lace and all that gold, and the glass beads add such a glamorous and fun element!

sandi said...

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ella Swan said...

I love the stuff! Still have the one I bought with YOU!! Sounds like Golden is the better of the 2 so yay for me! Beautiful tag!!

latidart said...

QUESTION: So this tutorial is quite simple....adhere the watercolour paper to the tag...got it.

But....Apply an EVEN coat of Gold Metallic Paint [yours looks swirly]? Is the 'web like' material around the stone embellishment lace or something else?

Thanks.

latidart said...

...and so then you painted a complete layer of gold metallic paint onto the watercolour paper? And the, it the material that surrounds the stone embellishment lace or some other type of fabric media? Thanks --

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Thanks for visiting my blog and taking time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it. Have an awesome day!:)

Cheers, Yvonne.

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