gGlazes, flows, retarders???

[WorkingStiff]

Probately all I need is to be directed to a thread or article on this, but can I get the skinny on these paint helpers? Are they used in combinations? Are some used exclusive of each other? Are they all used in wet blending?

 

[Equus]

Wow...you\'re really pumping the community for info eh?

I think people mostly use a combination of them, or none at all.

Mess with proportions on the retarder and flow extender, if you want to use them. Put a mix in a bottle with a lid or something so you can use it easily to dilute stuff and not have to keep remixing.

Glaze mediums I haven\'t tried yet, but there was a neat article on brushthralls.com that had some info on that.

 

[War Griffon]

Not much help on this I\'m affraid I don\'t use glazes, and I don\'t use a retarder or extender.

About the only thing I add is a flow enhancer mixed as per the bottle instructions with my mixing water.

Oh and being one of many on this forum a brush licker I guess you could add saliva to the list along with whatever I am drinking at the time - guinness works well to keep the point on a brush whilst working lol

 

[Equus]

Hmm...Guiness as a component in diluting...I can do that.

On other nights it\'ll probably be amber ale or red wine. I\'ll report on the results. Honestly, I\'m not a card-carrying member of the brushlicking club, but I do tend to do that nowadays with a clean brush before dipping into paint. Maybe that\'s the first step?

 

[War Griffon]

Originally posted by Equus
Hmm...Guiness as a component in diluting...I can do that.

On other nights it\'ll probably be amber ale or red wine. I\'ll report on the results. Honestly, I\'m not a card-carrying member of the brushlicking club, but I do tend to do that nowadays with a clean brush before dipping into paint. Maybe that\'s the first step?

Careful with the wine it is more acidic than guinness and might affect the paint I would recommend it is used sparingly when the vision go blurey stop painting and finish off the bottle of wine lol

 

[Equus]

Ah...there\'s my problem...the bottle is usually finished before my painting is. lol

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by WorkingStiff
can I get the skinny on these paint helpers?

Retarder - slows drying
Too much retarder and your paint won\'t dry properly and can lift, will also tend to be patchy with gloss spots.

Flow improver - basically like detergent, improves flow and wetting
Too much can lead to bubbles forming easily when brushing over a textured surface, especially with a heavily-thinned mix, so you need to be careful. But remember, sometimes you might want to have water with a higher surface tension!

Glazing medium - usually a fluid acrylic medium with some retarder, might also have some flow improver added
Some people consider these the best of both worlds as they give you a blend of characteristics but they vary from make to make.

Any of these sound like something you need with the way you paint? I would generally advise painting with water alone for a while and seeing how you get on, then if you have a specific problem you\'d like to address choose whichever is appropriate; remember a lot of people stopped using additives after trying them and thin with water alone so they are very much optional.

IMO:
Given the size we work I very much doubt anyone needs a retarder so I\'d cross that off immediately (if you have trouble with your paint drying on the palette a much better solution is a stay-wet palette).

I just add a couple of drop of dishwashing liquid to my cleaning and thinning water for a mild improvement in wetting, so flow improver can be dispensed with.

For glazing Liquitex and Golden both make glazing mediums specifically for acrylics but they\'re very different so if you want to try them choose carefully. But as I\'m sure you\'ve already heard Kleer works as a medium for acrylics and it\'s dirt cheap by comparison so I\'d definitely suggest trying it first. If you don\'t like it you can always just use it on your floors!

Smooth brushing is probably the most common problem new acrylic users face, so I\'d suggest a blending medium; even though it\'s meant for watercolours W&N\'s Watercolour Blending Medium is supposed to work really well with acrylics in the way we paint so you might like to try that.

Einion