Gamblin Printmaking Inks

Gamblin Printmaking Inks are made with the same respect for traditional materals that have made Gamblin Artist's Oil Colours. Their goal is to advance printmaking by providing artists with materials that offer tradtional working properties while improving studio saftey. Artists' studios are immediately safer when artists remove strong solvents, especially turpentine, from their artistic processes. None of the materials require the use of strong solvents.

Printmaking: Block Print

We have a variety of surfaces to create block prints, from the traditional battleship lino to more recently found surfaces such as polyprint - a very soft easily markable foam surface, or sintra - a less expensive plastic material. Oil-based inks from Speedball are available in 1oz. tubes only whereas the waterbased inks are available in one and five oz. tubes. Ocaldo makes larger 300ml tubes of water-soluble inks. Oil-based inks will allow for a longer working time. Ink retarders for watersoluble inks and extenders will help your colours go further.

Printmaking: Screen Print

For your screen printing needs we stock watersoluble inks and mediums, screen frames (10 x 14")and replacement screen material, squeegees, kits, how-to videos and more. Speedball screenprint ink is non-toxic and can be used on paper or fabric, available in 9 colors including 'Nite Glo' (phosphorescent).

Gold Leaf

Guilding is the adornment of a surface with gold or metal leaf. The tissue thin leaf is magical. It creates a warmth and luster that is unachievable with any other material. It transforms the ordinary into the remarkable. It adds distinction to what may otherwise be overlooked. From ancient times to the present picture frames, furniture, signs, architectural details, mouldings, domes and precious objects have all been transformed by the application of metal leaf. This magnificent process creates an exciting, sensuous and elegant finish.

Pure Pigments

We carry a wide range of pure artist quality dry pigments - you can make your own paints or pastels, or perhaps you have a different use for them. Pigments are categorized as organic or inorganic. Organic pigments are metal-free. They are complex organic molecules of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen generally obtained from dyes fixed onto an inert pigment. These pigments are virtually nontoxic and are characterized by high chroma and colour purity. Their exceptional tinting power makes these colours very economic to use because little pigment (if well dispersed in media)is needed to make a very colour-saturated paint. Inorganic pigments include various colours of pigments that aren't organic or mineral color. Generally these colors are metal oxides, such as iron oxide black. Metallic pigments are literally metals ground to an almost microscopic size. Because theses grades are non-reactive, they can be mixed in any media (acrylics or oils), very useful in "faux finish" and decorative works or to enhance any paint. Pearl-Ex pigments are mica particles derived from mica platelets. These offer a wide range of metallic colours which are non-tarnishing and light-fast. IMPORTANT: Please use caution with dry pigments - a dust mask will help to avoid inhalation of these fine powders.

Fabric Paints: Sets

Getting started in fabric painting is easy. Choose from our extensive selection of textile kits from Jacquard and Pebeo. Tip sheets and colour charts are available free of charge.

Fabric Paints: Jacquard

Create your own textile designs on silk, t-shirts, or any fabrics you choose, by painting, dying, batiking, or your favorite method of applying colour. The possibilities are boundless. (Acid dyes are available by special order.)

Fabric Paints: Pebeo Setacolour

The Setacolor Soleil paints are photo-sensitive, allowing imprints into your fabric designs such as seen here. We also carry Pebeo's regular transparent and opaque fabric paints and mediums.

Glass & Porcelain Paints

Paints are available for decorating glass items or porcelain items such as dinner plates, mugs and tea pots. Create a stained glass effect or decorate with more solid paints. Felt pens and Outliners can help with linear design needs.

Jo Sonya's Decorative Paints

These paints are popular with tole painters, having a large range of hues and mediums especially made for craft projects. They are suitable for wood, paper and card/board, canvas and terra cotta pot applications. Jo Sonya's Woodstain Gels are transparent colours for staining, antiquing, and faux finishes. Brochures available.

Sculpture

Do you want to make your own cast of something or model something directly? There are air-dry clays to choose from or non-drying plasticene in a dozen different colours for direct modelling. We carry a selection of tools and other materials to help shape the clay. Use rubber latex to create a flexible reusable mold, or choose 'Siligum' - a silicone moulding paste that can be used to create over 50(small) casts in a plaster, wax or resin. Casting of hands and feet is easily done using an alginate product which is totally harmless to the skin. See Gedeo's 'A Charming Little Foot' for this product. Masks and casts can be made with a plaster bandage material called Pariscraft. Plaster for carving, casting or making moulds can be purchased in small or larger quantities. Paper mache (see Sculptamold) can produce an amazing variety of forms, is lightweight and easily painted or decorated.

Airbrush

We are currently stocking the well-known Iwata Eclipse brush - a traditional brush capable of very fine detail, several of the popular Aztec brush sets which is more a more modern brush,the parts made of plastic require less delicate handling. The air hose conveniently leaves the back of the brush vs the side as in the traditional brush. For an air source, you can choose compressed air in a can, which is most suitable for shorter projects or just testing the airbrush experience before purchasing the more permanent air source - the air compressor, which will give you an unlimited working time. We carry a number of accessories such as extra bottles, cleaning stations, and nozzle tips(for the Aztec) and paints specially formulated for airbrush use from Createx, Golden, and Tri- Art. Also see our acrylic section for more mediums suitable for airbrush use.