How to use the Princeton Catalyst wedges & blades

Here are my Princeton Catalyst Blades and Wedges, I often bring these when i am working on mixed media artworks that have loads of thick textures.
Quite often they get mistaken for cooking utensils so its a fun talking point :)

Impasto is a painting technique where the paint is laid on really thickly in a section or over the whole canvas. You can buy "Impasto" medium that you mix with acrylic paint to help you to create the Impasto style on your artwork. I have found my variations with the impasto medium so it helps to try a couple if you like to create in this way. You can also make your own. The impasto medium can be applied with or without mixing it to paint. There is no right or wrong way of using it, here is one of the ways I like to use it.

When creating a thick Impasto style these blades and wedges allow you to create many different effects and once I started using them I don't want to go back.

The nice about using these tools is the big handle that is made like a brush it feels smooth and wonderful and easy to handle. The wedges are molded to fit easily in your hand so they aren't difficult to hold and use.
The really great thing is the soft but firm silicone used for the wedges & blades. Its firm enough to hold the paint but pliable enough to bend slightly as your moving it around. Which feels much better than a really hard skewer or piece of plastic that i have used in other applications.'

 

The different variety in the edges of these creates some really interesting effects that can be quite difficult to do otherwise. I especially love the one which as all the little spokes on it. I have used that multiple times in various works. The pic left is of a finished artwork that i used these all over to create a interesting texture with the paint.
For this first pic i want to have a really thick edge of the impasto, so this tool is one of my favourites to do that.

The wedge is great for creating a smooth surface

These last two create some really great different textures. Best thing to do is experiment and with the impasto i doesn't dry straight away so you can just wipe it flat and start again.
Clean up is really easy with these guys i mostly just wipe mine off, and then every now and then i give them a really good clean and bring them up sparkling new. I read on their website you can use them in baking and also put them in the dishwasher if you want to  :)

Hope you enjoyed this one :) - Belinda