2-in-1 Gesso and Modelling Paste for Mixed Media
This product is part of Part 2 of the Playing with Gels & Pastes series, where I explore the individual gels and pastes included in my experiments.
Little Birdie Mixed Media Paste is described as a 2-in-1 gesso and modelling paste that can be used both to prepare surfaces and to create texture.
According to the product information, it can be used on a wide variety of surfaces including canvas, paper, wood, metal, chipboard, glass and plastic.
It can create both smooth and highly textured finishes and is also suitable for use through stencils.
I included this product in my Getting to Know Your Gels & Pastes experiments to find out how it behaves and explore some of the different ways it can be used in crafting.
To me, this paste behaves quite similarly to gesso, but there is one important difference: it dries much harder and is therefore less flexible.
Characteristics
Little Birdie Mixed Media Paste is quite thick and dries completely white and opaque with a matte finish.
The finished texture depends on how you apply it. It can create both smooth and textured surfaces, although the dried paste itself feels mostly smooth.
Most importantly, it dries very hard.
This makes it better suited to stable mixed media surfaces than flexible pages. When used on book or journal pages that bend frequently, the dried paste can crack and may eventually chip off.
Ways to Use Mixed Media Paste
Create Texture and Stencilled Designs
The thick consistency makes this paste very good for building texture and creating stable, raised surfaces.
It also works beautifully through stencils and can create either smooth or highly textured patterns depending on how it is applied.
Prepare Surfaces for Paint and Ink
Like gesso, Mixed Media Paste is designed to accept paints and inks.
This makes it useful for preparing surfaces before adding other mediums, but it also means that it does not create an ink resist. Rather than resisting Distress Ink and Distress Oxide Ink, the surface accepts them.
Paint Over It
Once dry, the paste can easily be painted over, making it useful as a base for further layers of colour and mixed media techniques.
Use It as an Adhesive
My adhesive tests produced mixed results.
The paste successfully held lightweight materials such as sand, but it did not create a durable bond with the heavier button.
Because the paste dries so hard rather than remaining flexible, I would not choose it as an adhesive for most applications.
Heat Embossing and Foiling
I was able to use the paste for heat embossing.
The foiling result was less successful, with the foil adhering to the paste in only some areas. If foiling is your goal, I would choose a product with better adhesive properties instead.
Tint the Paste
Mixed Media Paste mixes very well with water-based ink, so you don’t have to keep it white.
Tinting it before application makes it easy to create custom colours to coordinate with your project.
Silicone Moulds
Although the paste took the shape of the silicone mould successfully, the finished embellishment broke into lots of small pieces once dry.
Its hard, brittle finish means this is not a product I would recommend for silicone moulds.
My Favourite Uses
Little Birdie Mixed Media Paste
- Creating texture
- Building stable raised surfaces
- Stencilling
- Preparing rigid surfaces
- Painting and inking over
- Creating custom colours
Not my first choice for:
- Flexible journal or book pages
- Adhesive
- Silicone moulds
- Foiling
I would reach for this when: I want to prepare a rigid surface for paint or ink, or create a stable, raised design or textured area that doesn’t need to bend.
Explore More
- Getting to Know Your Gels & Pastes
See how I tested the different gels and pastes in my stash and what I wanted to discover. - Ways to Use Gels & Pastes
Explore which gels and pastes worked for stencilling, ink resist, adhesives, moulds, heat embossing, foiling and more.
PLEASE NOTE: All the opinions are my own. None of the products have been sponsored.