The opacity of the medium is important if you're mixing it with color as it will have an impact on what the color looks like when it's dry. Just add a varnish to give the finish you want. Whether it's glossy or matte isn't critical since you can change something from glossy to matte (or matte to glossy) when you varnish a painting relatively easily.

Be aware that there are differences so that if a new tub of texture medium doesn't act exactly as you expected, don't panic that you're doing something wrong. If it doesn't, see if there's an information sheet available from the manufacturer, or test it before you use it on a canvas.

How do you know what it'll be like? Read the label on the container, which should give you this information. The medium may also act as a drying retarder to give you more time to work with it. They all do the same job of adding texture, but some will be glossy when dry and others matte some will dry completely transparent, others will be slightly opaque or stay white. (You can usually judge what is meant by the context in which the word is used.)ĭifferent brands of acrylic texture medium are formulated differently and variously labeled as pastes, gels, and mediums. Texture mediums come in white and clear, so if you have a preference, pay attention to the label.īy the way, the word medium can also mean the type of paint, for instance, acrylic or watercolor. You can create peaks and grooves with a palette knife, brush marks with a coarse-haired brush, press patterns into it, use it as glue to add collage items. You can mix it with a color, or put a layer of the gel down and paint over it.Ī tub of texture gel has the consistency of cooking lard: When you scoop out a lump with a palette knife, the medium holds its shape. It's also cheaper than paint, so adding a texture medium is an economical way to build up thick layers of impasto. It's stiffer than paint straight from the tube, so will hold a form or shape more readily. Texture medium (or gel or paste) is, as the name suggests, is a material that you mix with paint to change its consistency, in particular, to add surface texture to a painting.

3d texture painting on canvas