Mixed Media 101

I can speak to what I use personally.

Gesso is a primer. Just like you prime your walls before painting. It allows the paint mediums to better adhere to the page. It can also strengthen the paper if you are adding a lot to it. It now comes in white, clear, and black. If you use gesso, you will use less paint on your page/canvas as the paint won't soak into the surface as it would without. If I'm working on canvas or in a non-mixed media journal (think $.25 junk store books), I always gesso. If I'm working on a mixed media paper, it depends upon my mood. Gesso can be used like a glue with thin objects (cloth, tissue paper, etc.). You can put a thick layer down and make marks it it for added texture to your project (almost like using a thin coat of texture paste). You can also color the gesso. I buy white gesso in large tubs and buy a cheaper student brand to save money. Some cheaper brands have more water so they have a longer drying time, just see what you like. For clear and black, I only buy liquitex.

For all other mediums, I tend to buy only liquitex or golden. The exception is I might try a scrapbook company brand, however, I usually find a 40% off coupon at HL, Ms or Js makes the my preferred brands cheaper by volume.

Gel mediums dry clear (unless you color) and come in different "strengths" (soft to extra heavy) and different sheens (gloss, semi-gloss, and matte). They dry clear. I use gel mediums to adhere items (papers/cloth) to my page/canvas. For metal/wood etc, I use E600 glue). Gel mediums also come with different textures (premade). Or you can just add your own glass beads, sand, etc to a plain medium.  You can also color them with wet mediums for a more transparent color look. If you want to seal your project either after the whole thing is complete or during the process to keep colors from running to your next layer, just apply a layer. You can use this through a stencil to have a really cool resist effect. As far as strength, the extra heavy will allow you to see brush strokes (think impasto). I typically use a medium for art journaling. I tend to think of this as my "better than mod podge".

Texture paste/modeling paste dry white (unless you color). Many scrapbook/mixed media companies sell precolored paste now. But you can easily color your own. You can add glass beads or glitter to the paste as well. You will see them used with stencils giving a 3-d image. My favorite is to take a shape stencil over a craft mat and fill with colored paste and put things into it like gems and things, let it dry, peel off and use. I use light modeling paste which keeps some flexibility unlike the hard which is very rigid.

HTH.

Thank you Lisa, I printed this for my notebook.