Getting to Know Your Gels & Pastes

Testing Different Gels & Pastes

This is Part 1 of the Playing with Gels & Pastes series.

In this series, we’ll explore a variety of gels and pastes by putting each one through the same set of practical crafting tests. The goal is to understand what each product does best, making it easier to choose the right one for your next project and get more from the supplies you already have.

Gels & Pastes for Scrapbooking and Papercrafting

If you’re anything like me, you probably have a drawer full of gels and pastes that looked exciting when you bought them… but now you’re not quite sure what each one does or which one to reach for.

Some create beautiful texture, others work as adhesives, some can be coloured, and others are perfect for mixed media techniques. The challenge is knowing which product is best for the job.

Rather than guessing every time I start a project, I decided to test every gel and paste in my craft room using the same set of practical techniques.

The goal isn’t to tell you which products to buy. It’s to help you understand the products you already have so you can confidently use your stash and get more enjoyment from your crafting.

Products Included in This Series:

What We’ll Be Testing:

How I’ll Test Each Product:

1. What was this product designed for?

This information will be obtained from the label on the packaging or from the manufacturer’s website.

2. Is it thick or thin?

I will evaluate the consistency of the paste or gel as I apply it to a piece of cardstock. This will already be an indication of how difficult it will be to work with. A thicker gel/paste will typically build up layers more easily and will work better with a stencil.

3. Does it dry clear or opaque?

This will be a visual evaluation after it has been applied to cardstock and is completely dry. This will indicate if you can use it to seal something with, only gels & pastes that dry clear can work for sealing as you will still see the original paper underneath.

4. Does it dry matte or glossy?

This will be a visual evaluation after it has been applied to cardstock and is completely dry. Glossy or matte finishes are usually just a personal preference.

5. Does it create a smooth or textured finish?

To determine how rough or smooth it is I will touch it when dry. This will often be a determining factor of how you will be able to use it.

6. Does it dry hard or flexible?

I will evaluate how flexible it dried by looking at the application on a piece of cardstock and bending it a little. This test is conducted to see if the gel/paste will do well on softer applications like altered book pages or scrapbook pages. If the gel/paste dries hard and is applied to a soft page, it might crack and splinter off when the page bends.

7. Can it be used through a stencil?

I will apply the gel or paste through a stencil to see how well it works for stenciling. Thicker gels/pastes should typically work better for this.

8. Can it be used as an ink resist?

A sample of each product will be applied through a stencil onto white cardstock. Once dry, I’ll blend Distress Ink (Faded Jeans) over one half and Distress Oxide Ink (Picked Raspberry) over the other to see whether the dried surface resists the ink.

9. Can it be painted over?

I’ll paint over dried samples using acrylic paint (Bright Green) as well as Distress Ink (Faded Jeans) and Distress Oxide Ink (Picked Raspberry) mixed with water.

I’ll also test the products as primers on plastic embellishments, such as buttons, to see whether they make it possible to change the colour of otherwise difficult-to-colour surfaces.

I am adding the gel/paste I coloured to the button too to see what it will look like on an embellishment.

10. Can it be used in silicone moulds?

I will put some of each paste or gel into a silicone mould and leave it overnight to dry to see how well it works when used in a mould. If it works, it can be used to create embellishments.

11. Can it be used as an adhesive?

I’ll test each product by adhering a button to cardstock and by sprinkling sand onto the wet medium to see how well it holds lightweight embellishments and textured materials.

12. Can it be used for heat embossing?

I will sprinkle embossing powder (Blue) on a wet sample of the paste or gel, leave it to dry and then attempt to heat emboss the embossing powder.

13. Does it work with foil?

Foil (Gold) will be added to a wet sample of the paste or gel, let dry and then I will attempt to remove the foil backing to see if the foil stays behind.

14. Can it be tinted with ink?

I’ll use Tsukineko All Purpose Ink (Lemon Yellow) to see whether each gel or paste can be tinted before use.

15. Can it be used with alcohol ink?

Some gels and pastes seal the surface of the cardstock, allowing alcohol ink to remain on top instead of soaking into the paper. I’ll test each product to see how it behaves when alcohol ink is applied over the dried surface.

My Testing Results:

I’ll record the results from every experiment in a single reference table so I can quickly compare products when planning future projects.

I will be using some abbreviations for the products just to save some space on the table:

TPG Texture Paste Gloss – Couture Creations (Anna Griffin)

TPM Texture Paste Matte – Couture Creations (Anna Griffin)

EP Embossing Paste – Studio 490 (Wendy Vecchi)

MMP Mixed Media Paste – Little Birdie

HG Heavy Gesso – Prima (Finnabair)

CG Clear Gesso – Prima (Finnabair)

GM Gel Medium – Dala

SGM Soft Gel Medium Gloss – Little Birdie

HGM Heavy Gel Medium Matte – Little Birdie

SPW Sparkle Paste Whipped Cream – Little Birdie

SPP Sparkle Paste Passion Pink – Little Birdie

PEP Patina Effect Paste – Prima (Finnabair)

REP Rust Effect Paste – Prima (Finnabair)

IP Icing Paste – Prima (Finnabair)

NM Nuvo Mousse – Tonic Studios

I’ve also included a blank downloadable table so you can test your own products and build a personalised reference guide for your own craft room.

DOWNLOAD TABLE

Over the next few posts, I’ll put each of these products through the same set of practical tests and share the results, along with real project examples and ideas for using them.

By the end of the series, you’ll have a much better understanding of what each gel and paste can do, and hopefully feel inspired to dust off a few forgotten favourites in your own stash.

PLEASE NOTE: All the opinions are my own. None of the products have been sponsored.