I’ve heard a lot of good things about Faber Castell Gelatos so I recently bought a set of metallic ones. I figured if I was curious how well they worked in different Bibles some of you would be too. I decided to start my experimentation in some of the journaling Bibles we’ve already featured and show you gelatos in various Bibles.
The pack I purchased included 12 gelatos, 2 blending tools, and a brush. Just like in my various art mediums posts I’ve included the backs of the pages so you can see the amount of show through, bleed through, or crinkling involved for yourself.
Blended Background in Inspire Bible
I used the metallic melon, iced rose, and iced chai gelatos blended together with a tool provided in the pack to make this background. It was amazing how quickly and easily this went. I chose this verse because I’m currently trying to memorize it.
I decided to use stickers for the lettering (I’m not sure I can manage this script hand done consistently yet). I love the look of these stickers but they are not the easiest ones to use. They are so thin you have to have a lot of patience when working with them (especially the capital d and the dot on the i). The lettering of this portion of the verse took enough space that I couldn’t fit the next line but not enough to fill the entire page so I found this Bible sticker from my stash that I thought fit the verse very well.
Gelatos as Paint in My Creative Bible
Researching how to use gelatos one of the techniques I saw was using them as paints. I thought that would be perfect for one of the already drawn pictures in this Bible.
I chose the word JOY not because I was feeling particularly joyful, but because I wanted to remind myself that we can have God’s joy even when we are not at our happiest. Happiness and joy are two different things. I also thought the shimmer of these gelatos looked joyful.
I rubbed a little of the gelato on my acrylic stamping block and then added water with one of my water brushes. It took a little trial and error before I got it mixed just right but I love the results. I did end up using a small regular brush to spread my gelato “paint” especially in some of the tiny areas. There is a little bit of show through.
Gelatos & Stencil in ESV Single Column Journaling Bible
I easily decided on a stenciling project as my last example for this post. (Picking the exact stencil and verse took a bit longer.)
I rubbed just a tiny bit of gelato on the page through each hole of the stencil and then spread it around with my finger to fill the whole area, moving the stencil as needed to fill in the entire side of the page. After letting the gelato dry and practicing my lettering on a scrap piece of paper I wrote in the verse. The present stamp from my Mason Row Bible set seemed perfect for the theme of this verse. It even fit almost perfectly on the little squares I had stenciled in.
Isn’t this a great thing to remember – God is bigger, and more capable, than we can imagine.
To Gesso or Not To Gesso
Gesso is NOT necessary to keep Gelatos from bleeding through Bible paper. I did a sample of each technique on some copy paper (left one doesn’t have gesso, right one does) to show what sort of differences you might get. The gelato doesn’t bleed (or even show) through either way. With the gesso however the gelato doesn’t set on the page as quickly and is easier to blend. The non-gessoed page didn’t blend completely even after going over it quite a bit with a water brush. On the gessoed page I was able to blend easily using either my finger (the larger square) or a blending tool. The stamped ink shows through easily anywhere it’s not directly on top of some of the gelato on the non-gessoed side. I ended up gessoing all my pages before starting but don’t feel it was necessary on the gelato as paint picture.
Conclusion
I’ll definitely be using more gelatos in the future. I love how quickly you can make beautiful backgrounds with them. They clean up easily and (with a bit of practice) make nice paints. I’m hoping to include painting without gesso underneath and the reverse stenciling technique (laying down color and then taking the stencil shape off using a baby wipe) in future posts. I’d even like to try using them to tint texture or glitter paste (I’ll have to get some first).
With how friendly they are to Bible paper and such a variety of ways to use them they are a great addition to your art supply kit. You can use them to make beautiful backgrounds as a very beginner and keep learning new skills and uses for them for a long time.
Do you use gelatos? Do you have a favorite color? Are there any other ways to use gelatos you think i should try? Any posts or videos teaching techniques I should look at? Any other Bibles you’d like me to try them in? Let us know in the comments.
If you want to know exactly what products I used for these pictures: (the clickable ones are affiliate links)
Inspire Bible NLT: The Bible for Creative Journaling
My Creative Bible KJV: Pink Hardcover Bible
ESV Single Column Journaling Bible (Black)
Illustrated Faith Journaling Bible Mat
Prima Marketing Art Basics Gesso, 8.5-Ounce, Clear
FaberCastell Gelatos Set – Metallics
the Paper Studio Alphabet Stickers – Script 7/16″ Navy
Stick-A-Bilities – Church Foil set
Pigma Micron Royal Blue
Trasfit Assorted Water Coloring Brush Pen, Set of 6
Apple Pie Memories Stamp Blocks – 3PK
FolkArt Craft Stencils, Backgrounds
hampton art Calligraphy Marker – Blue (I think I got mine at Walmart)
Mason Row ROUNDz – Bible set (If you order direct from Mason Row don’t forget the discount code – BBG16 for 20% off)
Stampibilities Mini Ink Pads – Set of 12
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