Textured Surfaces

Written By Ben Eccleston

Intro:

There are many ways of creating texture with artwork. There are are also different forms of texture, not just the actual or surface texture. This article is more concerned with changing the surface texture, with a few interesting ideas as well as product reviews.

Textured Paste/Modelling Paste

Many brands offer the general ‘modelling paste’, which allows you to easily create a heavily textured canvas surface, impasto effect. It can be quite expensive, especially if you’re just messing around and experimenting. I’ve posted a link to my favourite brand to use, Liquitex’s. It is a lot more cost effective to buy the larger amounts and it’s something that I definitely use up quite quickly. You can get the texture you desire by mixing this with pouring medium, until the consistency is something you’re happy with.

Value For Money: Liquitex Professional Modelling Paste.

  • Very Cost-Effective, Especially in Larger Sizes (per litre)

  • Dries Fast

  • Easy to Paint On

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Liquitex-Professional-Modeling-Paste-Medium/dp/B001ICZRQG/ref=sr_1_20?crid=1ADW87LEQ7HP5&keywords=artist%2Btexture%2Bpaste&qid=1700225787&sprefix=artist%2Bte%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-20&th=1

My Personal Favourite: Golden Modelling Paste

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pro-Art-Golden-Light-Molding-Paste-8/dp/B0007W2DCY/ref=sr_1_5?crid=14TPYC0TN13D8&keywords=modelling+paste+galleria&qid=1700227876&sprefix=modelling+paste+galleria%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-5

  • Very High Quality to Work With

  • Reasonably Priced

DIY Mediums

I’ve read a few different DIY recipe formulation online - most seem to mix various amounts of baby powder or baking soda with PVA glue. I’ve tried some of these when experimenting with new idea. My only reluctance is there’s no garuantee with DIY formulations as to how it will cure, dry and perform over time. It can be handy to do with when ‘practising’, just to get an idea of different textures in context to the work. What I’ve found works well is using cheap decorating paste or decorating filler. Quite a few stores offer different versions. Home Bargains, for example, has a few options, all under £2. Mixing decorating filler with added PVA glue to modify the texture until you’re happy works well. The good thing is that no matter the ratio of these things, they all harden and cure well over time. Just be careful not to load too much onto any given canvas or board area. If applied too heavily it can become brittle over time and would be more likely to ‘flake’ off. For this reason, opt for quality options that you can rely on, when it comes to important or professional work.

Some Interesting Options

More recently, artist brands have expanded their range when it comes to mediums for changing textures. The Galleria Range by W&N is one of the best. It’s not too expensive and offers a few novel options. It also cures well and dries quite fast.

  • Sand Paper Texture

  • Crack-ing Texture

  • Glass Beads Texture Gel

…stay tuned for my post on how to use these mediums.

Ben Eccleston
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Finding Inspiration