A general purpose, pourable medium useful for extending colors, decreasing gloss and increasing film integrity. Can be used as a ground, instead of gesso.
 
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Lowering Sheen
To lower the sheen of a paint color or another medium, begin by adding one of the matte mediums in increments of about 10% of the total volume. It is helpful to brush out each mixture, and let dry on a piece of paper to note the difference in sheen. With some experimenting, it will become easier to know how much of the matte medium is required to achieve the desired gloss.
If it seems that additions of the Fluid Matte Medium or Matte Medium are too great to achieve the desired result, and that other attributes of the mix, such as color intensity, opacity, or thickness, are affected, switch to the Super-Loaded Matte Medium, which should achieve the desired matte-ness with about a third of the addition of the other matte mediums.
 
Use as a Translucent Ground
Both Matte Medium and Fluid Matte Medium can be used as translucent grounds, sometimes referred to as "clear" gessoes. They are thin enough to penetrate canvas and other porous substrates easily, and the matting solids provide an adequate "tooth" for additional paint layers. In thin applications both products can appear quite translucent, while darkening the canvas to a small degree. The darkening effect, similar to a "wet look", is somewhat more pronounced with the Matte Medium. Bear in mind that GOLDEN Gessoes will have excellent tooth, and are typically suggested for alkyd and oil paintings.
 
Apply the Matte Medium and Fluid Matte Medium in much the same manner as recommended for the application of a gesso layer. Apply one or more coats, keeping in mind that additional layers will gradually make a more opaque overall film. For more information about painting grounds, please refer to our Preparing a Painting Support Application Sheet:
 
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Note: Applying a matte product over an absorbent surface may cause a "frosted" appearance. As the acrylic medium penetrates, the matting solids are left behind on the surface. Over highly absorbent dark passages, such as on top of canvas coated with GOLDEN Black Gesso, severe whitening may occur. This can be corrected by applying a coat of GOLDEN GAC 100 or Polymer Medium (Gloss) over the frosted area, which will once again encapsulate the matting solids, returning the transparent look. The frosting can be avoided by applying a coat of GAC 100 or Polymer Medium (Gloss) before a matte medium is applied. Liquid and low viscosity Matte Mediums should be gently stirred or shaken before use, as settling of matting solids can occur.
 
Blending With Paints and Other Mediums
It is acceptable to add any amount of a matte medium to GOLDEN Heavy Body, Fluid, or High Load Acrylics. They can also be added to GOLDEN Decorative Glazes and GOLDEN Gels and Mediums. Some caution is required with the Super-Loaded Matte Medium: too much of an addition may dramatically lighten a color, or if used alone, it may crack in thick applications. Super-Loaded Matte Medium blended with GOLDEN Fluid Acrylics allows artists to make their own color gessoes. Some experimenting will allow an artist to understand the limitations for their manner of application.
 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
 
Use as a Decoupage Glue:
GOLDEN Matte Medium has been used successfully as a decoupage glue by many collage artists. The fact that it has a very low sheen makes it ideal, as it does not impart a "plastic" gloss to the work. If the whiteness of multiple coats does become troublesome, blend in Polymer Medium (Gloss) to decrease the matting solid level.
 
Multiple Layers of Matte Mediums:
The application of several layers of a matte medium will become increasingly opaque and begin to lighten the colors underneath. Multiple layers can also impart a grayish cast due to the natural color of the matting solids if built up to an extreme. If an artist is using a matte medium as a glazing base for multiple glazes, they should consider using Polymer Medium (Gloss) instead for the best clarity. After the artwork is completed, a matte varnish can be applied to give a flat finish to the work. This will result in better film clarity because there is only one layer of matting solids to look through.
 
Use as a Temporary Varnish:
GOLDEN Artist Colors does not recommend using any insoluble acrylic as a final varnish. However, we do realize that artists may need to view an entire work in one sheen, before completion. The Polymer Medium (Gloss) or the Soft Gel (Gloss) thinned 2:1 with water works well to establish an even coat, or a temporary varnish. Instead of applying a matte medium over the piece, the artist can use a sheet of matte Mylar to apply it over to allow them to temporarily view it in the matte state, or create a test piece.
 
The artist runs a risk when they apply layers of matte products over their artwork to lower the overall sheen. If they apply a matte medium over the work and it is not to their liking because of the whiteness or opacity of the matte medium, there is little they can do to counteract it. Being insoluble when dry, they can potentially ruin the work. If a matte varnish is applied, such as GOLDEN Polymer Varnish (Matte) or MSA Varnish (Matte), given they have followed all application instructions and have applied an isolation coat, then the artist can remove the varnish and apply a satin or gloss varnish instead. Another reason to use a removable varnish instead of just an acrylic medium is that being removable, one can remove years of dirt and grime from a varnished piece, while it would take many hours of careful removal to clean an unvarnished work.