The creative possibilities are endless and you can let your imagination run wild and produce interesting textures with a range of six different Golden Grounds, as Soraya French reports.

About Golden Grounds

Golden produce a whole range of gels, pastes and grounds with which to create exciting textured surfaces that are extremely versatile.

These products can be mixed with acrylic paints to change the whole look, feel and working properties of your paints or they can be used to prepare a textured ground prior to painting.

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Where to buy

Golden Grounds can be purchased from Jackson's Art Supplies by clicking here and from art shops and other online retailers.

Six Golden Grounds put to the test

Varying in hardness, tooth and transparency, the following six grounds can prepare myriad interesting surfaces ready for your marks, blends, scribbles, colours, tints and washes.

1. Golden Silverpoint/Drawing Ground


Roy Kinzer Study for the Transfiguration, after Raphael, drawing on Golden Silverpoint. Drawing Ground, (20.5x20.5cm)
 
 
It is quite magical to see a drawing come to life with just a sharp metal object, as shown in the sensitive and beautiful drawing above.
 
What is Golden Silverpoint Ground?

This is an opaque white liquid acrylic preparation that can be applied to any support that you might use for drawing.

How do I use Golden Silverpoint Ground?

It is ideal for use with metal styli and other drawing and mark-making tools. You can tint this ground with acrylic colour, but be careful how much paint you use as you may destroy the consistency of the ground.

It is best to apply Silverpoint Drawing Ground with a wide sponge applicator to create a smooth, even surface on which to work.

TRY SILVERPOINT WITH THIS GUIDE BY LINDA BIRCH

2. Golden Coarse Molding Paste

Experiments with Coarse Modelling Paste

ORDER GOLDEN COARSE MODELLING PASTE HERE

What is Golden Coarse Modelling Paste?

Coarse Molding Paste is a thick, warm, white-coloured medium that is translucent up to about 3mm.

How do I use Golden Coarse Modelling Paste?

Mixed with Golden Fluid or Heavy Body Acrylics it creates a dense paint that holds its peaks when used with brush or palette knife.

As it dries, it creates a hard and stiff yet flexible film with plenty of tooth, similar to sand paper.

The dry film works really well with all water media and is also great for use with dry media, such as pastels. I used it with acrylics.

Golden Coarse Modelling Paste in use

Hogweed on the Clifftop, acrylic mixed with Golden Coarse Molding Paste, (20.5x35.5cm)

For Hogweed on the Clifftop, above, the surface was quite textured in places, in others it was dragged to a smoother finish.
 
When dry, I painted the sea and cliffs with acrylic colours and then the hogweed with a mixture of acrylic and Coarse Molding Paste.
 
I created the flower heads by dabbing and lifting the palette knife.
 

3. Golden Crackle Paste

The effects of Golden Crackle Paste

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What is Golden Crackle Paste?

Crackle paste is a lightweight, thick, opaque material designed to develop deep fissure-like cracks as it dries.

The size and extent of the crackle pattern depends on the thickness of application and the temperature, humidity and air flow during drying.

How do I use Golden Crackle Paste?

You must be patient with this product. I suggest leaving it over-night to let the crackles dry and settle properly before staining them – the thicker the application, the deeper the cracks.

Crackle Paste creates an absorbent ground on which you can paint with wet or dry media.

Alternatively, you can tint the surface with diluted acrylic or airbrush colours (acrylic inks). The painted crackles can give your painting a mosaic-like appearance, as shown above.

Golden Crackle paste in use

Edge of the Forest, Golden Airbrush colours on Golden Crackle Paste, (25x20cm)

For Edge of the Forest, above, I applied the crackle paste a little thicker in the middle than in the outer edges.
 
It was great to see the crackle effect the following day, when I tinted the surface with washes of Airbrush colour and painted the trees.
 
The crackles resemble a dried-up muddy Field.
 

4. Golden Acrylic Ground For Pastel

Effects created with Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastel

ORDER GOLDEN ACRYLIC GROUND FOR PASTEL HERE

What is Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastel?

This is yet another useful and versatile medium that can be applied to paper, canvas, wood or any primed support.

It is useful as a ground for dry and wet media and offers a tooth similar to sand papers designed for pastel and chalk.

How do I use Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastel?

You can apply many layers of pastel, as it creates ample tooth, but you can increase the tooth by adding Golden Fine or Coarse Pumice Gel.

Acrylic Ground for Pastels can also be blended with Golden acrylic colours to thicken the paints, and works especially well with Golden Open acrylics.

As a ground it can be tinted with Golden Airbrush colours to create an archival coloured background for your pastel paintings – all these effects are shown in my sample above.

Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastel in use

Sunflower Power, pastel on Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastels, (35.5x35.5cm)

I sometimes apply this ground to create a really textured ground to get a hit-and-miss effect with my pastels.
 
In the painting above, however, I tried to achieve a smoother ground to give a softer look
 

5. Golden Fine Pumice Gel

Effects created with Golden Fine Pumice Gel

ORDER GOLDEN FINE PUMICE GEL HERE

What is Golden Fine Pumice Gel?

Fine Pumice Gel is a clear gel blended with finely ground pumice powder that dries to a matt, translucent, light grey film.

How do I use Golden Fine Pumice Gel?

It blends with Golden Acrylic colours, and has an absorbent, slightly toothy surface that is excellent as a ground for dry media and painting, and creates enough tooth for a few layers of pastel to be applied.

It mixes with the paints and gives them an extra bite – see my swatch (above).

Golden Fine Pumice Gel in use

Woodland, pastel and acrylics on Golden Fine Pumice Gel,(35.5x35.5cm)

Even though I applied the gel quite smoothly for Woodland, above, there were still plenty of rougher areas, which created quite attractive textures when the pastel was dragged over them.
 
I painted parts of the picture with acrylics.
 

6. Golden Fibre Paste

Impasto effect created withGolden Fibre Paste

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What is Golden Fibre Paste?

This has the appearance of rough handmade paper when dry and a thick, somewhat sticky feel when wet.

How do I use Golden Fibre Paste?

You can apply it in patches where a rough texture is needed, or you can turn a simple piece of card into a beautiful handmade watercolour paper.

Alternatively you can apply a layer of Fibre Paste to a shiny nonporous surface, peel it off when dry and stain with inks to use as pieces of collage.

Skimming the product with a wet palette knife can make a smoother surface. It dries to an off-white colour and is highly absorbent, making it ideal for use with acrylic and watercolour washes or inks.

It can also be used as a ground for dry media and blends with Golden Acrylic colours to give them more body for impasto applications. I have shown these effects in my sample (above).

Golden Fibre Paste in use

Cornish Cottages (detail), mixed media with Golden Fibre Paste, (56x45.5cm)

Fibre Paste was used to give the cottage exterior in the painting above a rough texture.
 
As the paste creates a lot of texture, I prefer to use acrylic inks or Airbrush colours to tint it, rather than using heavy body colour.

Explore Golden Grounds further with Tim Fisher by

Golden Grounds can be purchased from Jackson's Art Supplies

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