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It is a brand name for ordorless mineral spirits (paint thinner). You use it with "stumps". It helps to blend colors from lead colored pencils, such as Prismacolor. I will give you the link to the site you can read about it below. Have fun with it.
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Just googled it...odorless mineral spirit...I assume it's a brand. :?
I've heard about using it with the watercolor pencils, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet...
__________________ - Karen, mom to the gnome and the little cupcakes! Yep, I got A GIRL!! Fear is that little dark room where negatives are developed. - M. Pritchard
Gamsol is odorless mineral spirits and is used to blend the prismacolor pencils that are all the rage right now. I had to go to an art supply store to find it. My Michael's and Joann's didn't carry it.
You can use prisma color pencils or even crayola color pencils or SU!'s pure color pencils
You can also use ANY brand of 100% odorless mineral spirits, and paper blending stumps, found in the artist section of Michaels and such stores.
It is used for blending/shading the color from the color pencils.
I just read about gamsol & it says if you have problems with fumes or allergies not to use (apparently even the odorless type). What could you use for blending pencils instead. I'm guessing these are used for "regular" colored pencils as opposed to watercolor pencils (which you can blend with a blender pen). Thanks!
Gamsol is odorless mineral spirits and is used to blend the prismacolor pencils that are all the rage right now. I had to go to an art supply store to find it. My Michael's and Joann's didn't carry it.
Michael's may not carry the Gamsol brand, but they do sell 100% OSM. The bottle I bought was Mona Lisa brand and only cost about $3.
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
Can someone please tell me what gamosol is? saw a card and the author said that this was the 1st time she had used gamosol and ccolored pencils. what is it and what does it do?
thanks, Victoria
I haven't used it yet, but it is to Prismacolor Pencils what a blender pen is to watercolors & chalks. It is used with a paper stick called a stump and you use the liquid gamosol with the stump to blend the colored pencils on your image. I hope this helps.
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If you have an art supply store nearby, they sell it. I've looked at Michael's and they should have it, but I couldn't find it. Maybe ask a clerk. I didn't
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“Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else.” – Fred Rogers
Gamsol is a brand name of oderliss mineral spirits and you can buy it Dick Blick online. Michaels carries a different brand called Mona Lisa I've heard but I've only used the Gamsol. It is orderless but you still want to use caution and not breath too much. The best way I think to use it is to buy bingo bottles (oriental trading company also online). The bingo bottles have a little sponge top so you can stick your paper stump (bought at micheals) onto the sponge, it gets wet, then you use it to spread and blend your colored pencils. Most people like Prisma pencils but I've heard even crayola colored pencils work. These pencils are regular colored pencils, not watercolor pencils.
This technique is awesome, say you are coloring a petal. You can put a little color down in the corner and just pull it along the petal with your stump dipped in Gamsol. It makes an amatuer look like a professional!
Debbie
I went to my local AC Moore and couldn't find Gamesol. I even asked and no one there knew what I was talking about. I even asked them if they had odorless mineral spirits, but still couldn't get any help. I asked my demo what she had and she told me and told me where I could find it. It is Loew Cornell odorless brush cleaner and thinner (a turpentine substitute) The # on the top right side of the bottle is 388-8. I found it at my local Michaels. It works just as well. I use it with my prismas using the paper stumps. (also called Tortillions)
I found the oderless mineral spirits at home depo. It is in the paint section next to the turpentine or the area the paint brush cleaners. What does this "Stump" look like and what area of Micheals do you find it?
I found the Mona Lisa Odorless mineral spirits right under the acrylic and oil paints in a tube at Michael's. It was $2.99 for 8 oz. I just got my pencils Friday and spent all weekend playing. Everything just comes out so beautifully.
I don't know if it was my card that VictoriaSecret saw or not, but here is what I know about colored pencils, gamsol and stumps.....
Prismacolor pencils are considered the "best", altho any colored pencils (NOT watercolor pencils) even Crayolas work just fine. Gamsol is just the brand name of "100% odorless mineral spririts" or turpeniod. I used the Loew Cornell brand mentioned earlier in this thread.
Gamsol is used with a paper "pencil" called a stump. Stumps are like a pencil made completely of pressed paper (there is no lead!).
Together the stumps and gamsol are sort of like SU! blender pens, but it doesn't make the paper pill when you repeated stroke the paper to blend.
Gamsol and stumps can be found in the artists paints aisle of any fine art store.
Dip the tip of the stump to get it pretty wet...when it starts squeaking on the paper you need to rewet. If you experiment, you will 'know' when you need to rewet it. [It is like using a brand new blender pen vs. an old mostly dried up one.]
I don't know if you can use a blender pen with the regular colored pencils....I know they work with WATERcolor pencils...my blender pens are all of the old dried up kind, so I haven't been able to try it yet. A new blender pen might work better.
It's a brand of 100% odorless mineral spirits. People use it with those little paper blenders (stumps or tortillons) to do the "magic colored pencil" technique, where you dip the stumps in the OMS and use them like blender pens. This is meant to be done with regular colored pencils, not the watercolor variety. The most popular pencils seem to be the artist-quality Prismacolor brand.
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
Don't feel bad, I feel just as lost on some techniques and products mentioned here. Heard of Gamsol not sure what exactly it is really or where to get it or how to do it and what other supplies are needed. :( We learn something new everyday
It is odorless mineral spirits. Gamsol is just a name brand. Another name brand is Mona Lisa Odorless Paint Thinner gotten at Ms. You can use it to intensify color with your Prism pencils. You use stumps which are very tightly rolled paper pencils and you dip them in the Gamsol or OMS. You have already colored your paper with the colored pencil and rubbing the soaked stump over it intensifies the color. You can then write the stump on a seperate piece of paper until it comes clean or sand it off with a regular nail file. Someone else might be able to add more since I haven't done it yet myself, I have just read what others have said.
Usually I can figure out something by clues in the messages, but the Prismacolor/Gamsol technique has me stumped. I looked at some samples in the gallery and liked them, so will someone please enlighten me? Thanks loads!
I just had the grandchildren visiting and they wanted to stamp, so I'm hanging on the forum to put off cleaning up the stamp room! They seemed to pull down practically every stamp on my shelves. They were doing fine with my supervision, then they snuck back in to stamp a loving message to me....their sweet words are posted on the refrig and they assured me they cleaned all the stamps, but I'm afraid to go in there.
If you will do a search (look at the top of this page and click on the word "Search"), using the word Gamsol, you will find lots of help.
In short, Gamsol is a name brand for odorless mineral spirits (I think I have this right - I personally use Mona Lisa odorless mineral spirits).
The technique is to color an image with prismacolor pencils, then use an instrument called a stump to dip in the Gamsol then apply to the colored pencil (kind of like using a blender pen - if you are familiar with using one of those). The mineral spirits break down the colored pencil scribblings, releasing beautiful color and blending!
If you want to buy the Prismacolor pencils, make sure you do a search on SCS regarding the Viking code. The pencils (for 120 of them) are approximately $170 each, but the SCS Vking group has come up with codes to get them for about $40!!!!
Someone on the TJ newsletter said the Prisma codes were just good through 3/27. I know if it were me I'd still try - but that deal may be over. But, Michaels carries the same set for $149 and with a coupon you could get it down considerably. Also heard Hobby Lobby puts them on sale half off occassionally.
Good luck!!
and here is some stuff I wrote about the whole process....
Prismacolor pencils are considered the "best", altho any colored pencils (NOT watercolor pencils) even Crayolas work just fine. Gamsol is just the brand name of "100% odorless mineral spririts" or turpeniod. Stumps are like a pencil made completely of pressed paper (there is no lead!). Gamsol and stumps can be found in the artists paints aisle of any fine art store or Michaels. Dip the tip of the stump to get it pretty wet...when it starts squeaking on the paper you need to rewet. If you experiment, you will 'know' when you need to rewet it. [It is like using a brand new blender pen vs. an old mostly dried up one.]
The website previously listed in this thread is awesome.
That tutorial was probable the BEST I have ever read. Thanks so much for posting that. I'm on my way to get the supplies. I have the 120 pencils sitting on the counter staring at me saying "please use me"
What's Gamsol and how do you use it? *merged*
