My Michaels/Hobby Lobby doesn't sell Gamsol!!
 

Or any other brand either. I'm driving to the bigger stores tomorrow, and I REALLY hope they have it. I'm sure if I ordered it online the shipping would be more than the product, wouldn't it?

I was SO ready to play!!

On a good note, Hobby Lobby is having a 1/2 price sale on their prismacolor pencils, and I'm thinking about asking dh for a small advance!! Should I buy one first and see how I like the technique, or should I just go for it? The sale is only on until the 31st.

Thanks for letting me vent a bit about my lousy stores!! (c:

Erin in Okc

What's the Gamsol for?
 

Just was wondering what you needed this for?

I bought mine at Michael's. It was a different brand with Mona Lisa on the front.

Shipping is more online because it is a toxic chemical. (don't breathe the fumes)

I have the $150 set of prismacolors....got it last year from Viking for $36!!!

Go for it!!

Go for it!
 

You will love the Prismacolor pencils and the magic colored pencil technique with the gamsol. I got mine at Inky Antics. I haven't tried any other brand, so can't comment on that. But, I have fallen in love with this method of coloring.

Mona Lisa here, too, and it works just great. I found mine in the artist paint aisle, not the crafting section. On the bottom shelf.

Erin, just buy "odorless mineral spirits" -- any brand will do! :) I've seen it sold at Michael's under the brand name Mona Lisa, on the shelf with the other fine art painting supplies. They even had it in relatively small bottles.

Thanks guys, but I really don't think they had it. The Michael's I can understand, because it is one of the smaller stores, but that Hobby Lobby is one of the largest I've ever seen! I was looking over by the pencils, and the paints, item by item. (my kids weren't with me!) I'll call around tomorrow before I hop in the car and see if anybody has something somewhere close. If not I'll just order the gamsol from inky antics. It looks way cool anyway, with the little spongy top!

Erin

Erin, did you look where they have the artists' brushes, blank canvases, cleaners, etc.? I REALLY cannot imagine them not having at least one brand of mineral spirits!

Yep! I looked there too!! And I had people helping me look in both stores, too. {sigh} I can't wait to get my pencils tomorrow though!! WOOHOO!!! I just hope that SOME store can find me some OMS so that I don't have to wait for the gamsol to be shipped!!
Thanks everybody!

Erin

Have you checked Home Depot or any hardware store? They have Odorless Mineral Spirits. My dad got me some at Home Depot.

HTH

Well, if you find yourself having to wait for a shipment (gasp!), run down to the store and get a tin of shoe polish wax. Neutral color. It does a very, very similar job. Color your image, rub your stump in the wax and blend your pencil. It works!

Hi,
Almost all hardware stores carry odorless or low odor mineral spirits. Use that. It works great and it's cheap. I love this technique so much! I haven't used much else since I found it as far as coloring, except my SU markers. Can't live without them either!
Gina

Along with hardware stores, check art supply stores. Odorless mineral spirits is such a standard item for paints, somewhere in your town, close to you, you should be able to find it! I have found that clerks at M**ls and HL are pretty useless. Too many products and they don't have a clue. Didn't know what an aquapainter was. Didn't know what mineral spirits were. Couldn't tell me anything about different pencil products, etc., etc. I did find all the supplies looking on my own at Michaels.

Anyway, back to my original train of thought. Call an art supply store, because they *should* be familiar with mineral spirits and *should* carry this product.

Good luck! You will love coloring with the prismacolors!

Kathy

It's a standard product at any art supply store.

Have fun!

I was having trouble finding Gamsol locally also so I went into an art supply store and spoke with the people there. They looked it up and a natural equivalent is Walnut Oil. I tried it with the Prismacolor pencils and it gave me the same effect as Gamsol. Here is a link to what I used:

http://www.artsupplysource.com/direc...CategoryID=655

I'm with Holo3850, what do you use it for? How do you do it? You've got me curious. :)

jeniebean and holo3850, if you will click on the search button at the top of this button and type in Gamsol you will find so many threads! With so much useful information. Basically you color in your image with prismacolor pencils (not watercolor pencils!), then use stumps to dip into the mineral spirits and spread your color around. It's a beautiful effect!

Kathy

Ok, I have now called every Hobby Lobby and Michaels in town, and nobody carries it. At least I don't have to drive all over now!!
I ordered some from Inky Antics, and I decided not to wait on the pencils. I'm going to go get them today since they are half price. After tax, and with the $15 rebate, I'll only be paying $50 for $120 worth of pencils!! Not bad!!

Now, to buy more stamps that need to be colored in!!

Erin in Okc

Oh, Erin!!! I wish I had seen this. I have some Odorless Mineral Spirits you could have had some of!!! It's not Gamsol brand, but it does the same thing. I bought it many months ago & still have lots left. You know, they also sell the stuff at Home Depot & Lowes in the paint department. I hope you didn't pay too much for it!!

Thanks Karen!! Well, if I really end up loving this technique, maybe I'll buy what you have leftover!!
I REALLY wanted to buy the gamsol and just one pencil and play around first. The sale is over Dec. 31st, and even with such a huge discount, it's a lot of money.
I finally decided just to bite the bullet. I've wanted them since before I started stamping, so now they are mine!!
I just can't believe that Hobby Lobby and Michael's didn't have the OMS. I thought about it after I ordered from inkyantics, and I almost think I should have just drove all the way to Norman and looked myself. I mean, like everybody said, those employees know NOTHING. Although the man at Hobby Lobby was very nice, he didn't seem to have any idea what I was talking about. {sigh}
Anyway, thanks again Karen! I might just take you up on that later on!

Erin

Erin, you will love the bottle that the Gamsol comes in from Inky Antics...I LOVE IT! It has a sponge dauber top that only allows the tip of your blender stump to get moist and I had the Mona Lisa from Michaels....there is a difference, the Gamsol seems to melt and blend faster and smoother....you will not be disappointed. Go to the Inky Antics site and print out their tip sheet for how to do this technique... I will try to attach the link

Inky Gamsol Technique Tips

The Magic Pencil Technique
 

Here's a link to the instructions for the Magic Pencil Technique. Forgive me if this has been posted already...

http://www.sanford-artedventures.com...gimbel_mp.html

You can order it through the Dick Blick catalog....Gamblin makes it. It is fairly reasonable too!