Favorite Adhesives for Mixed Media Art

So many of the questions I get asked are about the art supplies I use. So, I thought I'd create a series of posts that go through some of my faves!

 

First up, let's talk about ADHESIVE.

 

Golden Soft Gel Matte: Thick and creamy, this gel medium is an awesome adhesive for collage. I prefer matte adhesives because you can't see them when they dry. So I can be as messy as I want to! And the soft gel is just the right consistency for me. It's soft enough to be brushed on, but you can also use it with a palette knife.

 

Golden Fluid Matte Medium: If it wouldn't kill me, I'd drink it. 😜 Fluid Matte Medium has the same viscosity as fluid acrylic paint. It's ideal for collaging thin papers, making acrylic paint glazes, and so much more! I buy a big jug of it and then decant it into a cake decorating bottle.

 

Glossy Accents: It's my favorite quick grab glue. If there was a matte version, I'd be the first in line to buy it. ❤ I love the needle tip and how quickly (and permanently) it dries. To prevent the needle tip from clogging, I use a fine line cap.

 

For dry adhesive, there are two that I like:

 

ATG: Adhesive Transfer Gun or ATG is the big bad boy of tape dispensers. I've had mine for more than a decade and it makes apply a line of dry adhesive easy and quick. These were originally used by framers and then became popular in the paper crafting crowd.

 

Artist-Tac: I didn't "get" what this adhesive did for a long time. It's a sheet of adhesive dots. When you press a die cut or lacy piece of paper to the dots, they only stick where the paper is. This makes it possible to quickly and easily apply adhesive to all sorts of intricately cut shapes.

 

UHU Stic: In my experience, most glue sticks dry out, crumble, and don't actually stick things together. But, I have had very good luck with UHU Stics. They stay moist (thanks to the screw on lid) and they really do stick. I always carry a UHU Stic in my travel art bag.

 

These aren't the only adhesives that I use, but they are the main ones and the ones I highly recommend.  Let me know if you have any favorite adhesives that you'd like to recommend!