GLASS BEAD GEL

 I've had my tub of Golden Glass Bead Gel for many years and thought it was about time to have another play with it. It creates amazing texture on a background but it can also be used in a thin layer over an image to give a frosted effect. You can colour it with acrylic paint before applying it, or you can paint over it after it has dried. To keep the translucency, your paint should have no fillers in them or you will lose the shine from the glass beads as they are suspended in a gloss gel medium. 

You can make your own glass bead gel as buying it pre-made is quite pricey. Simply mix gloss gel medium with a small size of glass beads and you have glass bead gel. The glass beads are the same ones used in line road-marking as when the headlights of vehicles hit them, they reflect the light back. So when you use glass bead gel on a silver or gold metallic background, they really stand out, as seen in my first sample below. That particular background was Ranger Foundry Wax in gold and silver smeared on a plain black piece of card but the addition of the glass bead gel on top takes it to another level entirely. This product is one that really needs to be seen in the flesh to appreciate it. 

"In the dark"


"Live your story"


Close-up to show glass bead detail.


"The stranger within"
(The glass bead gel was coloured with paint
before applying it to the frame.)


"Wet spider"


"Fake smiling"
(You can see the frosted effect that
the glass beads give when used over
a whole image.)


"The dating pool"