Today is the first part of a 3-part video series where I will be testing various different Dimethicone products to see how they produce cells in our flip cup paintings.
Today I am using:
KY True Feel personal lubricant – ingredients listed as 100% dimethicone
There are various forms of silicone that you can add to your painting. You may have used the spray can siliconeadded to the paint either as a spray, or sprayed it into a bottle and used the liquid with a dropper. I started out this way and it works certainly, but I don’t really like the smell of these products.
I upgraded to the 100% silicone oil in the form of the treadmill belt silicone and it’s been just great. You don’t need a lot, there is no color or smell and it even comes in a perfect dropper bottle. But in the same of science and letting you know all the options, today I will be testing out the skin-friendly version of silicone oil known as Dimethicone. It’s commonly used in hair care products and body lotions.
I’m assuming that it’s use in hair care products has been tested, especially with regard to heating it with hair dryers and flattening irons, therefore, I am assuming that it is safe to gently heat it with our torches during the painting process. However I have no verified data on this, so please use your own judgment and take any precautions that you feel are necessary when adding dimethicone or any additives to your paint.
With that warning out of the way, let’s take a look at the three products I’ve selected for the test and the one that I am using in the painting for today.
So there you can see that the 100% pure dimethicone did produce cells easily in a flip cup situation. The KY product is easy to use with a dropperand very fluid. Colorless and without any smell, it appears to be ideal to use in your pour paintings. More testing to come over the next couple of days.
After being told in high school that she was so bad at art that she should switch to another subject, Deby didn’t paint again for 35 years. Then a stroke released a new wave of creativity and she began exploring with dot painting, abstract and eventually acrylic pouring, and at last the joy of working with color returned. You don’t need ‘talent’ to be an acrylic pouring artist – just enthusiasm, some basic instruction, and a willingness to try, fail and try again. Paint along with her and learn from her many mistakes, and you’ll soon make great art together.