A Review of Whites for Gourd Art goal is to help you solve a frequent problem. No matter what your color schemes, an artist needs a way to add shading by creating tints and tones. White has to be a part of your palette. Take a look at the GourdMaster dyes and you will find no pastels but you will find white. I find it very opaque and hard to blend into the dyes to get close tones. I have wasted so many of the white bottles! This is not my favorite!
White Acrylics
If you are a painter using acrylic paints, then you know that there are several whites to choose from? Every white has a number to identify its pigment recipe. But it may have a different name depending on the company, so pay attention to the numbers on the tube when looking for white.
The two main white acrylics are titanium white, an opaque white, and zinc white which is a transparent white. Zinc white (PW4) is a cool, semi-transparent white pigment composed of zinc oxide.
Author’s Tip:
An art professor told me as a student to never skimp on the white, buy Golden, it is the best for quality.
Two main white acrylics
When Zinc (PW4) is added to Titanium (PW6), it is commonly labeled as Mixing White or Transparent White. Mixing this white with color creates a subtle change that is easier to control and allows the color to retain its brightness and saturation.
Titanium White is an opaque white which lightens the color, creating a muted pastel color. It takes very little paint from the tube to radically change the color. It is a good choose as a white for gourd art.
If you like to cover your gourd with a white before you start to paint your images on the gourd, you might consider a special Golden white paint call Titan Buff. This is a warm white which will blend well with the tone of the natural gourd color and will enhance the warmth of entire painting technique on your gourd. I think this a great choose and is part of my collection of bottles of white for gourd art.
GourdMaster Transparent Acrylics Paints.
I really like the GourdMaster Transparent Acrylics Paints. These are fun to use. They look like acrylic paint with intense colors, but they contain more water, so they flow on just like the dyes. The acrylic spreads evenly and is easily wiped off with water or Formula 49 if still wet.
By using both, my palette of GourdMaster colors of dyes and transparent acrylic my color choices broaden and makes creating color gradations easier.
Both the dyes and the transparent acrylic paint bottles fit in my Ranger tote box and the Welburn bottle caddy. The acrylic bottles stand out with their white tops. Both have a white which means I have two different effects available.
Both the dyes and the transparent acrylic paint bottles fit in my Ranger tote box and the Welburn bottle caddy. The acrylic bottles stand out with their white tops. Both have a white which means I have two different effects available.
GourdMaster Transparent Acrylics Paints
Let me explain how to use the GourdMaster Transparent Acrylics Paints.
I will share pictures from the Welburn video, At https://welburngourdfarm.com/pages/maple-leaf-gourd-vase.
You can watch them paint fall leaves on a gourd and it takes about 30 minutes to watch. Below, is my short version, using a few images from the video.
They are using four fall colors so the beginning color is yellow. I like to use a brush or a small applicator which I can throw away when I am finished! These paints flow on easily and are transparent.
Next, begin to add the middle tone colors where the shading will happen. I like using a brush or just a Q-tip to begin to blend the tones. When finished, I use transparent white to create the highlights. When you have finished, it needs a heat gun to set the paint which helps the color to soak into the gourd.
The product dries very pale and the gourd can be seen underneath. When you cover it with a waxing medium and then buff it, the colors will brighten.
Let’s get back to the two whites I now have in the collection. This Welburn video is a great way to see how these whites are different. They will show you how to add them to gourd dyes with just drops of white so you can get several tints of colors without wasting paint. If you have an Easter gourd in mind, this demo will show you how to get great pastels.
New Ways to Use White Transparent Acrylics and Ink Dyes
Alcohol inks
Now, I want to cover white alcohol inks. I often use them and have trouble getting pastels. With this medium, we are using alcohol, not water to control the flow. Use 91 or 99% isopropyl alcohol. Don’t buy anything weaker. There are two main brands of white I like. Ranger’s Snowcap and Pinata’s Blanco Blanco
Ranger’s Snocap
The best white for gourd art in this category, Snocap is my first choice. They blend well with alcohol and the Ranger Blending solution and also with Formula 49. Futhermore, it blends with the Ranger metallic mixatives which I also use. This has no metallic paint in it so I don’t know why they have it in their mixitive collection.
Snocap has a smooth consistent flow. But you do have to blend it well before you use it. The pigment often separates especially when you keep it upright. It does have a ball bearing inside to help you when you shake it vigorously. It is also more expensive.
Jacquard Pinata’s Blanco blanco
This dye blends well with Claro Extende, their Clean-Up Solution and with other Alcohol Inks and Metallic Mixatives.
Blanco blanco won’t separate in the bottle, so it doesn’t have a ball bearing, yet you still need to shake it well before using it.
If you don’t combine them consistently, it tends to clump when you mix it with alcohol. Apply it too thickly on the gourd, it will sometimes crack when it dries, which may be an effect you may like. Also, this brand is cheaper and you can buy it in a bigger bottle.
Author’s Tip:
You can save the price of either of these companies on their blending solutions by making your own. The secret here is to fill a spouted bottle with alcohol and add several drops of glycerin until the solution reaches a flowing consistency to your likening.
White Marker
My last white is one in pen form. Gel pens don’t work and the pens filled with paint don’t come out evenly.
The best markers in white for gourd art are the metallic fine line pens. I have used them for years on my gourd jewelry and have never had a problem. I like the brush tip and have learned that you need to make sure the cap is tightly in place. Also, keeping them in my hot studio is not a good plan. They dried out! Find a cool place.
The last great point I will make is that they will not bleed when you spray them with Workable Fixitif.
I am always on the look out for a better white for gourd art. If you can suggest something, leave me a comment. My last tip is to begin a habit of always having a tissue around when working with white. You need to keep the cap and the edge of the container clean. At these prices, I don’t want to throw away anything!
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I use a gesso for my base coat. My favorite white acrylic craft paint is Martha Stewart brand.