Three Gel Mediums with Three Different Strengths
This comparison is part of Part 4 of the Playing with Gels & Pastes series, where I compare similar products and explore when I would choose one over another.
At first glance, gel mediums can seem very similar. They are all clear acrylic mediums, and many of the suggested uses overlap.
But after putting three different gel mediums through exactly the same series of experiments, I discovered that they each have their own strengths.
I tested:
- Dala Acrylic Gel Medium
- Little Birdie Heavy Gel Medium (matte)
- Little Birdie Soft Gel Medium (gloss)
The biggest difference between them is their consistency, and that has quite an impact on what each product is best suited for.
How Are the Three Gel Mediums Different?
The Little Birdie Soft Gel Medium is the thinnest of the three and is almost liquid in consistency.
The Dala Gel Medium has a soft gel consistency. It has more body than the Soft Gel Medium but still spreads easily.
The Little Birdie Heavy Gel Medium is much thicker and firmer. It holds its shape far better, making it useful when you want to build dimension or create raised texture.
Their finishes also differ. Dala Gel Medium dries clear and matte, while the Soft Gel Medium dries clear and very glossy. The Heavy Gel Medium did not dry completely clear and wasn’t quite as matte as the Dala Gel Medium.
All three, however, dried with a smooth, flexible finish.
What Do All Three Gel Mediums Do Well?
Despite their different consistencies, the three products had several things in common.
All three:
- created excellent ink resist effects
- dried smooth and flexible
- could be tinted to create custom-coloured gels
- worked for heat embossing
- worked for foiling
They could also all be used through stencils, although the very fluid Soft Gel Medium moved underneath the stencil during my experiment and didn’t produce as crisp a result as the thicker gels.
The differences became much more obvious when I tried some of the more specialised uses.
Which Gel Medium Is Best for Everyday Crafting?
For me, that is Dala Acrylic Gel Medium.
It was the most versatile adhesive of the three products I tested. It successfully adhered both the button and the loose sand and also performed very well for heat embossing and foiling.
More importantly, it suits the way I actually craft.
I use it for decoupage with paper napkins, sealing some ink techniques in my journals and as an adhesive. I can also customise it by adding something such as glitter when I want to create my own speciality gel.
It is locally manufactured, relatively inexpensive and easy for me to find in stationery shops. I also personally prefer its matte finish.
I would choose Dala Gel Medium for:
- decoupage
- sealing journal pages
- adhesive
- everyday mixed media
- creating customised gels
- projects where I want a matte finish
When Should You Use Heavy Gel Medium?
The Little Birdie Heavy Gel Medium is the one I would choose when I need body and dimension.
Its thick consistency holds its shape much better than the other two gel mediums, making it particularly useful for raised applications and dimensional texture.
It also works very well through stencils because it has enough body to hold the design.
Interestingly, it wasn’t the best adhesive in my particular experiments. It failed to hold the button securely, and although the sand initially adhered, it later began falling off.
I would choose Heavy Gel Medium for:
- thick applications
- dimensional texture
- holding raised peaks
- stencilling
- thickening or extending acrylic paint
- projects where the body of the gel is important
When Should You Use Soft Gel Medium?
The Little Birdie Soft Gel Medium is almost liquid and dries with a clear, glossy finish.
That makes it useful for smooth, thin applications and glossy overlays rather than heavy dimensional texture.
It was also the clear winner in one of my more unusual experiments: silicone moulds.
The Soft Gel Medium produced a complete, flexible moulded embellishment. By comparison, the Heavy Gel Medium produced a hollowed-out shape, while the Dala Gel Medium almost completely disappeared as it dried, leaving only a small rim behind.
I would choose Soft Gel Medium for:
- smooth applications
- glossy overlays
- projects where I want a glossy rather than matte finish
- silicone moulds
- thin applications where I don’t need a heavy-bodied gel
Comparing Gel Mediums in Silicone Moulds
This experiment really demonstrated why the consistency and properties of a gel matter.
Soft Gel Medium: produced a complete, flexible shape.
Heavy Gel Medium: created a hollowed-out shape that looked good from the outside but wasn’t solid.
Dala Gel Medium: shrank dramatically and almost disappeared, leaving only a small rim.
So while all three products carry the name Gel Medium, they certainly aren’t interchangeable for every technique.
Three Gel Mediums at a Glance
| Properties | Dala Gel Medium | Heavy Gel Medium | Soft Gel Medium |
| Consistency | Soft gel | Almost liquid | Very thick |
| Finish | Clear, matte | Not completely clear, mostly matte | Clear, glossy |
| Flexible | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ink resist | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Stencilling | Very Good | Very Good | Less defined |
| Adhesive | Best of the three | Poor in my tests | Mixed |
| Silicone mould | Poor | Hollow shape | Best of the three |
| Heat embossing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Foiling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tinting | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Everyday versatility | Dimension and texture | Smooth glossy applications and moulds |
So, Which Gel Medium Should You Reach For?
Rather than asking which gel medium is best, I think it’s more useful to ask:
What do I need my gel medium to do?
For everyday crafting, decoupage, sealing and adhering, I reach for Dala Gel Medium.
For thick, dimensional applications, I would choose Heavy Gel Medium.
For a thin, glossy application or silicone mould, Soft Gel Medium makes more sense.
And despite testing all three, the humble Dala Gel Medium is still the one I use most often. It isn’t the specialist winner of every experiment. It simply does the things I need a gel medium to do most often.
Sometimes the everyday product really is the one you reach for most.
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. - Dala Acrylic Gel Medium
- Little Birdie Heavy Gel Medium (matte)
- Little Birdie Soft Gel Medium (gloss)
PLEASE NOTE: All the opinions are my own. None of the products have been sponsored.