An ode to the glass bead gel medium...

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!