What is Gum Arabic Used For in Watercolor Painting?

In today’s post we answer the question: What is Gum Arabic Used For in Watercolor Painting?

Gum arabic is used as a binder in watercolor paint but you can also buy it separately as a medium. As a watercolor medium it is used to increase color brilliancy, gloss and transparency. Artists also find that the addition of a little gum arabic medium to watercolor paint actually makes it easier to lift color from the paper, which is very helpful if you make mistakes or if you desire color lifting for specific effects. Gum arabic can also affect the flow of your watercolor by making it spread and flow slower which creates some very interesting edges. You can see this demonstrated in the first video below from arttutor.com. This wonderful medium can also be used as a masking fluid and is demonstrated in the second video below by Winsor & Newton.

Gum arabic can be added into your water or mixed directly in with your paints.

Be careful not to use too much gum arabic medium with your paints as it can make them brittle or too glossy. A few drops will do.

How to Use Gum Arabic in Watercolours – By ArtTutor.com

Learn how to use gum arabic in watercolour with artist Rob Dudley in this watercolour painting tutorial.

Masking Fluid vs Gum Arabic when masking in water colour painting | Winsor & Newton Masterclass

Above is a short video that demonstrates how Gum Arabic can be used as a masking fluid. The artist paints both normal masking fluid and gum arabic on piece of watercolor paper side by side and then allows them to dry. After they both are dried, a wash is painted over them both. After the was has dried, the masking fluid and gum arabic are then removed to reveal the masked area. The results are quite interesting!

Final Words

I hope this post answered your question: What is Gum Arabic Used For in Watercolor Painting? If you need to purchase this medium, you can do so over at Dick Blick Art Materials at a discounted price. I am an affiliate of Dick Blick and will receive a small commission should you purchase via the links below. I thank you for your support!

Winsor & Newton Gum Arabic Solution

Gum Arabic increases watercolor brilliancy, gloss, and transparency, giving greater depth to each color. It slows down the drying time of paint, and can also be used for controlling spread when painting wet-on-wet.

Purchase Winsor & Newton Gum Arabic Solution over at Dick Blick at a Discount using this link!

View watercolor painting lessons and demonstrations from our site here!