How to Blend Colored Pencils With Gamsol (Mineral Spirits)
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- Want to learn more about using Gamsol in your coloring and colored pencil work? Look no further.
** What is Gamsol?
Gamsol is a clear 100% odorless mineral spirits - a lot of the time people aren't quite sure how they work, but it is a phenomenal tool if you work with colored pencils.
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** Gamsol Prep & Notes
Gamsols main purpose is to break down colored pencils and help them blend better.
This tool IS a solvent, which means you want to keep it closed when you're not using it so it doesn't evaporate.
We recommend storing a small amount of your minerals in a small glass jar, like a baby food jar, with a cotton ball in the bottom. Pour some Gamsol in until it's completely soaked the cotton but isn't layering the bottom of the container. This will help prevent spills and is easy to control the amount you're using.
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** How do you use Gamsol?
Gamsol is used to move the color on your page.
Layer your colored pencils in like you normally would. When you get to a point where you want a smoother look THAT is when you want to break out your Gamsol.
There are a couple of ways to use Gamsol to smooth and blend your colored pencil layers.
The first way is to use a brush.
- A flat tip brush is great for large spaces and a small round brush is good for detail work.
- Dip your brush into the wet cotton ball so it coats the tip of your brush.
- Take your paintbrush and start to brush in the direction your colored pencil lines are moving.
The second way is to use a blending stump.
- Dip your blending stump into the wet cotton ball to pick up some Gamsol. You should be able to tell where it is wet.
- Don't forget to close your mineral spirits so they don't evaporate!
- Use a circular motion to blend your colored pencils with the blending stump.
Note: some people don't like using a blending stump because it soaks up so much Gamsol, BUT it blends similar in feel to a colored pencil. So if you're more comfortable using a pencil than a paint brush. Try the blending stump.
Blending stumps need to be designated to a single color family OR you can file down the tip to remove a previously soaked color so it isn't transferred to your next project.
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Excellent and informative without any waffling....or ads or selling something.
Many Thanks.
I am a long time Prismacolor user (since the mid-1970's when I was in college). I bought Gamsol about a year ago and never got around to using it. I retired 1/31/2020, and I am rediscovering sketching every day. thanks for your tops and tricks on using Gamsol.
Thanks for this, I'll be keeping that in mind when I get my own. :D I've been using colored pencils since at the very least- the late 90s. I never knew that you could use Gamsol as a medium to blend them until later last year. So I went and used my bonus with work to treat myself to some fancy colored pencils (Caran d'Ache Luminanc.. used Prisma colors for *decades* and wanted something "nicer".) and some solvent :) can't wait to see how it transforms my art! If anyone has experience with Caran d'Ache hit me up!
Cotton balls is a great idea. Thank you for the help
Great video. Thanks. I love videos that get right to the point and this was perfect! Now to go color!
Your video was very helpful. Thank you for sharing.💖🥰
Thank you, absolutely just what I was looking for 👍👍👍
Great video! Wish you were posting again now frequently. This was excellent
Very helpful. Thanks a lot.
Good tip using cottonballs, very economical.😉
Thank you for coloring techniques!
What brand of colored pencils do you like to use
Have a Like because of the cotton-ball idea! :) Never thought of it and haven't seen any other artists use or talk about it. Great tip!
What can i use for blending large areas. Thanks for the video it is good information : )
Works great
Thank you!
Can you color over it once the gamsol is applied?
Yes, you can. I saw it on another video.
Great tips! One question, tho. Do you use/need special paper with gamsol?
Hi, thank you for the review, I'm still thinking whether to buy some gamsol or not, could I just ask if Gamsol is alcohol free?
I think it is, sorry for the late reply. Searched it up on Google and I don't believe it contains alcohol!
This is cool!
Great video! How long does it take for the gamsol to dry once it’s applied? Thank you in advance for your help! 🙏🏾
I've done this for decades and an article by me floating out there when I did portraiture but NOW I want to bring in watercolor, on watercolor paper this time not Strathmore 500 or others I did for my pencil BUT: WILL THE SOLVENT STAY IN THE PAPER AND RUIN MY WASHES?
Don’t colorless blenders work or is this better?
Where did you get the mandala used in video? TIA
Thanks for the tip!! after using brush, how do you clean them?
Just got Gamsol to try it out and it didn't really work and left oily marks on the paper. Any thoughts on why it's acting this way? I'm new to the product, so I'm confused.
you were probably using too much, you want to wipe any excess gamsol off on a paper towel before you apply it to the paper. A little bit goes a long way!
It works best on waxes based pencils like Prismacolor.
Can I use it with my father castle classic color pencils? Please tell me any one
It can be used with any color pencil, although you might get different reactions between oil or wax based colored pencils.
Why not use watercolor pencils and a brush with some water? Is the effect so different?
water color pencils tend to crumble a lot and I find that the pigment is not as strong. Also with watercolor it tends to be more washy when blended and the colors lighten a lot, whereas the colors become more vibrant and even a little darker with the solvent.
There are so many nicer color pencil brands out there and if you want your art to be nicer and more finished as an artist you would prefer (for example) prismacolor pencils with a nice solvent. With watercolor pencils, their much less effective in many ways.
Thank you. I have been using the Mona Lisa mineral spirits instead of gamsol do u think it makes a difference since they are really both the same but the Mona I get from Michaels with a. Coupon
If you're happy with the results, stick with what you like! You should be able to buy Gamsol at Michaels too. Check the paint section!
Posh Coloring Studio have never seen it at Michaels will have to look closer now thank you
U can get it at Blick's Art Supply.
Posh Coloring Studio I just got it at michaels will give it a try and see if it’s better than the Mona Lisa brand thank you for the reply
present I am from Indonesia
Could you use a pencil sharpener?
I'm practicing using solvents as a blending method, but I'm running into some issues.
Whenever I try to add additional layers in top of a layer blended with Gamsol, the additional layer won't stick to the paper, and can be easily stripped away by blending sticks, tissue paper, etc. Even the initial later blended with Gamsol can be scrubbed away using these methods.
Am I using too much solvent? Does some sort of fixative layer need to be added on top in order to keep everything in place? Please help.
Be sure that the paper is dry enough before making another layer of colored pencil.
Why pay a lot of cash for gamsol if it is a mineral spirit.
I buy the odorless.
Anyone who would want to sponsor me with Prismacolor Pencils? :(
Thank you for coloring techniques!