I saw on facebook someone using ox gall when for an effect when painting a beautiful red cardinal bird. So, what did I have to do, go and buy some!!! Here are my exercises and comments, for anyone who hasn't come across it. Don't ask me what it's made of I've no idea.
The above were dropped into mainly dry washes, staining colours and non staining. I found different speeds and reactions with different colours.
Getting more adventurous here. These were all wet washes. The best reactions were the bottom two, where a softer line is shown using ox gall on a brush directly into the mixed colour wash, and the second a mixture of ox gall and water wash, where I put in lines of fairly neat paint or pen.
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| I painted this black bird then painted neat ox gall on his back and head for highlights. |
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This was playing with brush strokes into a wash of water and ox gall. All the lines are soft and haven't dispersed very much.
As far as I am concerned most of what I tried could be done with water. Probably there is less risk of a run back. But sometimes I love those cauliflowers that you get.
Conclusion: Possibly a waste of money. Would be pleased if anyone has something more to add. |
Interesting information, Polly. I had never heard of ox gall and looking at your results it does seem like the effect you'd get with measured application of water. It's good to know though, so thank you!
ReplyDeleteMay save you thinking of buying it in the future. If it's for slowing down the drying time when it's hot then I use glycerine, much cheaper
ReplyDeleteI don't know what ox gall is, but I see you have been having fun ... your conclusion makes me think that I am not going to buy any though :-) So thanks for the info ! xx
ReplyDeletePleasure to help
DeleteReally interesting post and thanks for sharing Polly. I like the snowflake textures on the crosses in the middle but not sure if that is hit and miss as is the case with water. So perhaps not enough control for me to bother with. Thanks for saving me a few of my pennies. :-)
ReplyDeleteSmall bottle cost £6.30! May try again seeing as my husband paid for it. So if there are any stunning results will let you know.
DeleteI've always wondered about ox gall. Thanks for doing the experiments for me. Have you tried gum arabic, yet? That is another one I have never gotten around to trying but have been curious about it's effects. Thanks Polly.
ReplyDeleteI'll see if I've any tucked away in a drawer somewhere. Don't think I'll be buying any after being so disappointed with ox gall. Will do a post if I find some.
DeleteThanks Polly for the info ... it's always nice to save a few $ on the stuff that isn't great and have it for the stuff that is ... a product that I really enjoy playing with is granulation medium ... I'm a late bloomer in the art journey and I hope to do lots of travelling ...
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