Cool technique! Acrylic & watercolor paint/gesso/workable fixatif
I’m modifying the covers of two journals - paint, paper, embellishments - and I started by coating both of them with a mixture of white gesso, titanium white acrylic paint, and a teeny-tiny dab of a purple and pink tube watercolor. It’s JUST BARELY colored, though - only a little bit off from being white. The first coat I made “more purple” and the second “more pink” and I layered them ever-so-slightly for a subtle purpley-pink look.
Since this is going on over a gloss surface, I’d planned to give it a light coat of matte acrylic spray to seal it, so it hopefully wouldn’t chip off. Well - I didn’t have enough. So I grabbed my workable fixatif that I usually use with chalks and pastels. I didn’t think it would do a thing other than “fix” the paint.
Instead, it took the paints and pearlized them!! They’re now this lovely swirled gloss (but not too shiny!) all over the books… absolutely gorgeous! I couldn’t believe it when I saw it!
I can’t wait to paint some more!
__
Edit two days later…
I just tried the same technique using just gesso+acrylic metallic paint, on a cardboard box. The effect is just about non-existent. I’m wondering if the workable fixatif is reacting with the watercolor paint to produce that effect?
I’m feeling a little bit like a mad scientist.
