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Impasto Gel

What is Impasto Gel?

Impasto gel are oil painting mediums specially made for impasto work. These impasto gel act as extenders, bulking out the oil paint.

Impasto gel helps keep the cost down

If you are working on a large oil paint, impasto gel can be helpful to cut the cost of your oil paint down. By mixing your oil paint with impasto gel, you will not have to use as much oil paint. You will probably need about half the amount of oil paint you would have used if you don't mix the oil paint with impasto gel. Impasto gel also help the oil paint to retain the marks of the oil paint brush and speed the oil painting drying process, which is an important factor when more oil paint layers are to be added.

What is impasto gel painting?

Impasto gel painting is using impasto gel to do oil painting in the impasto style. We already discuss the definition of impasto and impasto painting.

Alternatives of Impasto Gel

Without impasto gel, you can still do impasto gel painting but without impasto gel. You can use the oil paint and apply directly to your oil painting with an oil paint brush or oil painting knife for impasto work. You can also squeeze the oil paint out straight from the tube.

Some makes of oil paint are oily. If you have oily oil paint, you should blot excess oil  with blotting paper or the oil painting brushmarks may become blurred. If the oil paint is too thick, a little linseed oil can be added to thin out the oil paint. These impasto techniques for oil painting are useful for impasto work. 

Click here to read about Impasto Painting Technique.