More questions about gum arabic used for watercolors

QUESTION: Why is photo-grade gum arabic less expensive than gum arabic sold for watercolors? Can photo-grade gum arabic be used with watercolor? Thank you :-)

SUSIE"S REPLY: I did some investigating and I've learned that gum arabic is used in several forms for several purposes from food stabilizers to inks and textiles. It can be obtained in a powder, syrup, chunk solids, or pellets.
Some of its non food uses include traditional lithography, when used in paints, inks, glues, and printing.
As you mentioned it is also used in photography as well as cosmetics. Another interesting thing I learned was it is used on the postage stamps we once licked to stick on our mail.
My guess would be the photo grade gum arabic's chemical components are different than the gummy syrup used in manufacturing watercolor paints.

Can you use photo-grade gum arabic with watercolor?  If you are mixing your own tube paints it seems to me the thicker syrup type would make a more stable base for the paint.
Since I don't mix my own paint thats just my guess. Let me know if you discover any thing different!
Thanks for your question,
SUSIE

Gum Arabic and Acrylics

QUESTION:  Hi Susie, could I use Gum Arabic as a retarder for Acrylic Painting. I do like to work wet with my acrylics so that I can get better blending in my painting. I do have a retarder but i would like to try another form of keeping my paints wet. I am not into watercolours yet as I am still in the learning stages. Thank you for your advice Vera S

SUSIE'S REPLY: Hi Vera, I'm not a chemist but I don't think gum arabic would make a suitable retardant for acrylics. It's used as a binder in watercolors because it dissolves with water. I'm sure if it worked well with acrylics it would be promoted and sold by the acrylic manufacturers.
Keep painting and learning! Practicing and painting every chance you get helps you learn from experience.

Thanks for writing!
SUSIE

Good paint? Bad Paint?

QUESTION:  I received two new 37ml tubes of Winsor-Newton watercolor paint -- squeezing the tube I do not get paint initially but an oily fluid -- is this paint at the bottom of the tube usable.  Cad Red and Cerulean Blue   - Ray T

SUSIE'S REPLY: Hi Ray!  The amber oily looking fluid is gum arabic. All brands of tube watercolors include water soluble gum arabic as a binder. Sedimentary pigments do settle and separate somewhat in the tube when they sit on a shelf or in your paint box for a while.   When you first open a tube of paint and see the gum arabic at the top put the lid back on the tube and shake or knead it a little to mix it back into the pigments. Using a toothpick or straightened paper clip to stir the paint in the tube has also worked for me to mix it back into the paint. The pigments remaining in the tube are not harmed by having less gum arabic but they may solidify and harden in the tube if they are not used for a while.
Cadmium Red and Cerulean Blue are both sedimentary pigments so I would expect to see some settling in the tubes.
I like painting with dry paint rather that freshly squeezed paint so this is no longer an issue for me. I prefer to squeeze the whole tube of paint into my palette well, stir it up to reintegrate the gum arabic and allow the paint to dry in the well before I paint with it. It works very well for my style of painting.
Thanks for your question! Happy Painting!
Susie

Gum Arabic in Watercolor Paint

Great website - thank you for all the great tips. Please tell us the proper use of gum arabic. When do you use it and how much do you use. Thank you. Greg

SUSIE'S REPLY: Hi Greg!
Gum arabic is a water soluble binder made from the sap of the acacia trees. It's most commonly used in the manufacturing of artist's quality watercolor and gouache paints as well as pastels.
As a binder it helps the watercolor pigments stick to the watercolor paper. However it can be dissolved again in water, even after it has completely dried. This is why watercolors can be rewet after they have dried on the palette, or can be lifted from the paper when they are rewet.

Some artists add extra gum arabic to their watercolor paint to increase the body and flow of the paint. It is also used to add a glossy look to the paint, but you must be careful not to add too much as the paint may become brittle and may flake off.
In my watercolor experience I've found if I stick with professional quality brands of watercolor paints I don't need to make any adjustments to their formulas. The saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it!" applies.
I have added a few drops of gum arabic along with several drops of distilled water to rejuvenate the contents of a tube of rock hard dried watercolor paint. How much gum arabic do you use? I've read 3:1 or 4:1 ratio is a good formula. (Three or four drops of water to one drop of gum arabic.)

I hope that answers your question! Thanks for asking!
SUSIE