Reported by Susan Reidy
They stamp. They color. They blend. They paint. They spray.
After playing with Faber-Castell’s Color Gelatos and Clear Stamp kits, I had trouble finding something they couldn’t do. Seriously, I was able to put aside most of my other coloring tools and use just these juicy sticks of color for my papercrafting projects.
Photo from www.designmemorycraft.com
Of course, some of the techniques (painting, spraying) require some manipulation, all of which I could do with just a few supplies I already had on hand.
Faber-Castell describes the Gelatos as “acid-free pigment sticks that glide on creamy smooth for vibrant color and coverage.” I just call them yummy. You can blend them with water for a water color effect, apply them directily to stamps or use them to color chipboard and other embellishments.
They are packaged in a lip balm-like container that you twist from the bottom to reveal more Gelato. It’s a fitting package, since their consistency reminds me a lot of lipstick.
Each set comes with four color Gelato sticks in coordinating colors (red/yellow, blue/green, neutrals and metallics), a clear stamp and a matching paint brush. Two-pack sets, with no brush or stamp, are available in black and white and gold and silver.
I love that the paintbrush color coordinates, and love even more that it’s triangular so it doesn’t slip slide its way off my craft table.
The Gelatos are part of Faber-Castell’s new Design Memory Craft line that is being marketed to scrapbookers, cardmakers and other papercrafters. The line also includes Stampers Big Brush Pens, Art GRIP Aquarelle Watercolor Pencils, PITT Artist Pens, kits and Mixed Media Samplers.
I think this is awesome way for scrapbookers/papercrafters to try out some artsy techniques without investing too much money or buying too many products. You can pick up a pack or two (for most likely under $15) and try out the products before committing to more.
I used to walk down the art aisles in Hobby Lobby and stare at all the colorful tubes and tubs of paint. But the prices were too high and I was too intimidated to buy something that I wasn’t sure I knew how to use. This line of Faber-Castell products erases those fears, and makes art so much more approachable for me.
Plus, the Design Memory Craft products are part of the Mix & Match color system. Each package is marked with a color dot so no matter what medium you choose, you can be sure they will match. For example, you can pick up a pack of blue/green Gelatos and know they will coordinate with the PITT pens or watercolor pencils in the same color family.
The Gelatos themselves can work on a ton of different surfaces including paper (heavier is better for wet techniques), chipboard, canvas, textured embellishments and dark paper.
And did I mention all kinds of techniques are possible such as applying color directly to stamps and then misting with water; blending on a surface with water for a nice color wash; blending colors with your finger or blending stump; shaving color off the gelato and mixing it with a medium to create a custom paint; or mixing it with water to create a mist. If you need any more ideas, check out the Design Memory Craft blog for some awesome projects.
For my first project, I wanted to blend the Gelatos with water; I chose a heavy manila tag as my substrate. Heavier paper like this tag or watercolor paper is best if you’re going to use a lot of water, since the water can warp thinner paper.
I colored with the Gelatos like you would with a crayon, then used the included brush to blend the colors together. In my first attempt, I was haphazard with my coloring. On paper, I found it was hard to completely blend away my coloring lines. For my second attempt, I was much neater with my coloring.
They blended smoothly with the water and each other, making this awesome background.
Next, I wanted to add a sun to my tag. Again, I colored with the gelatos, this time just in the corner of my tag. I wanted the color to be stronger, so I decided to blend with a Fantastix instead of water.
Even without water, the gelato blended so smoothly. I was even able to pull some color down to make rays of light coming from my sun.
Faber-Castell really emphasized the Gelatos ability to color textured embellishments. I pulled out some flocked letters and gave it a try. Here they are all white and boring.
And here they are all pretty and red. The Gelato glided smoothly, even on the flocked surface. It was tricky to get to the sides of the letters because they are slightly raised. I solved that by using my handy Fantastix to get down the sides and all the nooks and crannies. Worked perfectly. Plus, my letters still had their fuzzy texture even after coloring.
Here’s my finished tag. Peeking out from under my letters is one of the clear stamps included in the kit. While I think the quality of the stamps is good, I do think the designs are too small to color with the gelatos, if you want more than one color. I found the stamps worked best if I colored them with one color of gelato or just used an ink pad.
Next up, using the directions from the Design Memory Craft blog, I set out to make my own paint using the gelatos.
First I shaved a bit off the top.
I sprayed some water on the shavings and mixed them up.
Next, I added some Lumiere so my final paint would have some shimmer and shine.
Here it is ready to go. I used it to paint some old Cosmo Cricket Blackboard (black chipboard) that I’ve had for awhile.
I love how this turned out. I think I have finally found a way to use up this blackboard.
And here’s the finished layout with my numbers and my rocket ship.
With all that experimenting behind me, I was ready to get in touch with my inner frustrated artist. I decided to try making a layout using just the Gelatos and my photos.
I sprayed some water on the shavings and mixed them up.
Next, I added some Lumiere so my final paint would have some shimmer and shine.
Here it is ready to go. I used it to paint some old Cosmo Cricket Blackboard (black chipboard) that I’ve had for awhile.
I love how this turned out. I think I have finally found a way to use up this blackboard.
I needed some more embellishments for the page I had in mind. This time, I tried the Gelatos on some textured grungeboard. The creamy nature of the Gelatos let it slide right onto the grungeboard. I used my Fantastix again to work it into all the crevices. Here is is before I blended.
And here it is after. I took a yellow Gelato and gently rubbed it over the surface so that it would highlight the texture. Super yummy.
I made several more numbers in different color combinations. I added some Glossy Accents to the numbers so they would match my shiny rocket ship. Here they are on my layout.
And here’s the finished layout with my numbers and my rocket ship.
With all that experimenting behind me, I was ready to get in touch with my inner frustrated artist. I decided to try making a layout using just the Gelatos and my photos.
I started with a blank Canvas Corp. canvas sheet.
I blended the Gelato with water and a paintbrush to get this watercolor-like background. I didn’t have trouble blending away my lines on the canvas like I did on paper.
Next, I took a polka dot background stamp from Stampin’ Up and inked it with the darker blue Gelato.
I spritzed my stamp with some water.
And used it to add some texture to one side of my canvas. I didn’t need to re-Gelato my stamp every time, and I also didn’t have to spritz every time. My canvas was still a little damp from my first color wash, so not much additional water was needed.
I wanted some bolder circles, so following the same steps for making the paint above, I mixed some Gelato shavings with gesso this time. I laid down a mask and painted over it with my Gelato-tinted gesso. You can also mix the Gelatos with gel medium or even regular white acrylic paint.
For my last step, I mixed Gelato shavings with just water and added it to a Mini Mister. I used a Crafter’s Workshop template as a mask and added some circles.
It’s a subtle look, but I like the touch of contrast that it brings.
I pulled out the clear stamp again from the Gelato kit, added some red Gelato and used it around my title and on the edge of my photo. Again, I found it easier to use just one color of Gelato on this more detailed stamp. The tip of the Gelato is large enough that it is hard to detail color a stamp.
Last, I wanted to try some more direct stamping with the Gelatos. I tried two different methods — coloring the stamps and then misting and spraying down a piece of water color paper, and then stamping.
In the photos below, the watercolor paper is on the right. The Gelatos blended and ran more with my spray-the-paper technique, but I like the look of both.
Whew! I had tons of fun giving these Gelatos a work out. As much as I used them, I still have plenty of color left in my tubes. A little certainly goes a long way.
I laid down some blue Gelato, starting in one corner and working my way down.
I blended the Gelato with water and a paintbrush to get this watercolor-like background. I didn’t have trouble blending away my lines on the canvas like I did on paper.
Next, I took a polka dot background stamp from Stampin’ Up and inked it with the darker blue Gelato.
I spritzed my stamp with some water. And used it to add some texture to one side of my canvas. I didn’t need to re-Gelato my stamp every time, and I also didn’t have to spritz every time. My canvas was still a little damp from my first color wash, so not much additional water was needed.
I wanted some bolder circles, so following the same steps for making the paint above, I mixed some Gelato shavings with gesso this time. I laid down a mask and painted over it with my Gelato-tinted gesso. You can also mix the Gelatos with gel medium or even regular white acrylic paint.
For my last step, I mixed Gelato shavings with just water and added it to a Mini Mister. I used a Crafter’s Workshop template as a mask and added some circles.
It’s a subtle look, but I like the touch of contrast that it brings.
I pulled out the clear stamp again from the Gelato kit, added some red Gelato and used it around my title and on the edge of my photo. Again, I found it easier to use just one color of Gelato on this more detailed stamp. The tip of the Gelato is large enough that it is hard to detail color a stamp.
Here’s my final “artsy” Gelato-only layout. I used negative pieces of chipboard to paint some of my title and letter stamps for the rest. I’m pretty pleased with my first artsy attempt, and loved trying out so many different techniques with the Gelatos.
Last, I wanted to try some more direct stamping with the Gelatos. I tried two different methods — coloring the stamps and then misting and spraying down a piece of water color paper, and then stamping.
I used this bold stamp, which made it easier to use two different colors of Gelato.
In the photos below, the watercolor paper is on the right. The Gelatos blended and ran more with my spray-the-paper technique, but I like the look of both.
I used the image on the left to create this card.
Whew! I had tons of fun giving these Gelatos a work out. As much as I used them, I still have plenty of color left in my tubes. A little certainly goes a long way.
The Gelatos not only work on many surfaces, they also are very flexible in terms of techniques. They are a worthwhile addition to any coloring stash.
Pros:
- Works on multiple surfaces — paper, canvas, chipboard, grungeboard, embossed surfaces.
- Can be used for many techniques — painting, misting, water coloring, stamping.
- Kits make it easy and inexpensive to try out artsy techniques.
- Color matched to other media in the Design Memory Craft line.
Cons:
- Stamp included in kit is too small to use with Gelatos if you want to use more than one color.
- Heavier paper is better if you plan on using techniques with lots of water.
- Gelatos have a big tip, so they’re better suited to bold stamp images for direct coloring techniques.
GIVEAWAY
The cool folks over at Faber-Castell are giving a set of cool Mixed Media colors to one lucky reader! Just leave a comment on either of the Faber-Castell reviews today answering the question in the Comments section of either article to be entered to win!
Have you tried the Color Gelatos? What is/would be your favorite way to use them?
One comment per person, per article, please. Winner will be selected on Saturday, June 4, 2011.
Click on the link at the top of the page to visit Craft Critique for comments, giveaways and more!
I haven’t tried the Gelato colors but would love the chance.
I am hoping to find these Design Memory Craft products locally REALLY soon – they look so fun! My fav color to create with is red so that would be my first choice.
I haven’t tried Faber-Castell Color Gelatos but I’ve used their pencils before. Pretty!
I have not tried the Gelato colors; I sure would love too, though. Oh, I would love to use them in scrapbooking and card making! Thanks for the chance to win!
I have been drooling over these for months!!!!!!
I can’t wait to try these – the colors are so rich and blendable looking.
I have not tried them yet…But have had my eye on them. I seen them used on Scarletlime and could not believe all the ways you can use them…
I’ve been dying to try the Gelatos. I can’t believe all the things they can do. i would use them in my art journal and atcs. I love the watercolor look you can achieve with them. And how about stamping with them, what fun!
I’ve never tried these before but they look like lots of fun!
I would love to try these to make backgrounds for stamped images, creating my own dp for paper piecing would be cool too.
I haven’t tried the Faber-Castell Color Gelatos. I’m a card maker and I would love to use the Gelatos on my cards. I would use them to try water coloring. Please enter me in the Giveaway.
I haven’t tried them yet. They really do appear to be versatile. Love how you used them on the chipboard pieces and the different ways you used them on the canvas background, as a wash, stamping, spraying. It looks fabulous!
I haven’t tried these yet, but would love to win and get to try them out! My favorite way to use them? Probably with mists in a watercolor effect, but I’d love to try several techniques out and see how they are!
I have not used these before. But the texture and blending sound so cool. I would definitely use them in my card making and gift tags. Very cool product!
I have not used these before but would really like to try the gelatos… they look yummy.
I used these at Inspired … and all I can say is WOW! I love them! I use paints a lot in my art journaling and these would be soooo incredibly awesome to have! Creamy, smooth, blend-able … love them! and the shine in the metallics? To DIE for!
That’s one thing I love about this blog. I find all kinds of new things. I’ve never seen Gelatos before but they do definitely look yummy. I would definitely use them with stamping and watercolor to make cards.
These are amazing! i haven’t tried them yet, but I would love the chance to! I cannot believe all of the things you can do with them! I feel like a kid again, wanting to play with them!
I do a lot of painting and stamping, so I would love to try these. I recently started an art journal and the Gelatos seem like they would be perfect for those surfaces.
This new product caught my eye the first time I saw the ad in Creating Keepsakes! I haven’t seen them in the stores yet, though! I am so happy that you did this review/tutorial….they look like so much fun! I will definitely want to give them a try on my scrap pages and all the naked chipboard I have, as well as for stamping!
I have not tried the Gelatos yet, but sure would like to try them. They look like they would be fun to use. I think I would like to try all sorts of backgrounds, and stamping looks like it would be fun, too.
I’va never tried the gelatos because I dod not know them ! lol I love all the possibilities they offer, and the idea of making backgrounds on paper is very interested ! I would love to try some painting techniques such as you did with mist sprays ! Thank you for this review, I think I would give a try to this product one day !
I haven’t tried them yet, but have seen a few reviews ~ they seem so versatile and fun!! I would love to try using them for backgrounds and blending with water.
I haven’t tried them, but have seen them used in tutorials. I would love to win. I think they would be a nice thing for card making.
I have not tried the Gelato’s, but I can not wait to find them at the craft store or win them here. These look so awesome, I love the layout that you did with all the circles….Thanks for bringing these to my attention….
I just used the white one this week, for the first time. ABSOLUTELY loved it! Can’t wait to get the rest of them. Thanks for the chance to win!
I have seen these but never realized how versatile they are! I have not tried them, but I liked when you shaved the Gelato & mixed it with the Luminaire, great way to mix your own colors! Thanks for the chance to win & for all of the Great tips!
debpaint16@aol.com
It’s pretty obvious that I have been living in a cave! I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing these yet. Thanks for the heads up! I don’t know exactly what I would make or how I would use them…decisions, decisions! You have given me so many starting points and ideas! I do know that I could play with these all day and still not run out of options! *WOW*
I have not tried the faber-castell color Gelatos but would really love to! I could really make some amazing crafts with this!
i haven’t tried gelatos yet. they are on my wish list. have heard so many good things about them. i would like to use them in card making, for both backgrounds and stamping. also am starting an art journal and am sure they would work great for that too.
Lately I’ve been seeing these Gelatos pop up in lots of people’s projects. Looks like lots of fun. Thanks for the great review. I would use them on all sorts of stamping/cardmaking/scrapbooking projects!
I’ve never tried them, but they look like they’d be so fun to use!! Thanks for a chance to try some out!
I WANT THESE! Never tried, but am already planning new watercolor compositions!!
I have never tried these before but the results look fantastic!
WOW these sound great!! I have not tried the Faber-Castell Color Gelatos but it is on my list — my scrapbooking group is going to Chantilly, VA later this month for a scrapbook meet and I am hoping one of the vendors will have the them!!!
I have not tried or even seen these Gelato colors but they look very interesting, i love the versatility of them! Susan purrpage3 at verizon dot net
I haven’t tried them yet but would love to. I would use them in making mixed media canvas art.
Oooooh! These look scrumptious. Me wants ‘em!
I haven’t tried them (nor have I seen any locally yet). Thanks for the review- they look fun!
ok,I have a confession to make, I found these gelatos at Aaron Bros a few weeks ago…and they were so CUTE and COLORFUL(read=impulse buy)…so in the cart they went.
They went from the cart to my craft table where they’ve been staring me at the face SINCE cuz I didn’t KNOW WHAT TO DO W/THEM!!!
UNTIL NOW…..thanks so much for the post…I’m gonna go home and unwrap those puppies and give it a go. Maybe your giveaway will be the colors I dont have….
Thanks for the chance to win….even more important…thanks for the tutorial, how timely!!
I have been wanting to try these gelatos since you first introduced them to me – what a wonderful treat if I were to be lucky enough to win a set! Thanks for this chance. : )
I haven’t tried them but love the shave and mix with water technique.
I have not used them. I love how versatile they are!
Haven’t tried the Gelatos, but every blog I read of those who have tried them have nothing but positive comments. Would enjoy trying them with some of my bolder stamps for card-making.
I haven’t tried Gelatos yet but would
love to see firsthand how they work.
I would use them for stamping or with the water misting technique.
I have been looking for these in my local craft stores and I have not been able to find them. Thanks for the opportunity to win them!
Haven’t used them but love how they looked on the grungeboard so want to try that!
lhy5@yahoo.com
I’ve not tried the Gelatos but I have the aquarelle watercolor pencils. They are lovely to use even as normal color pencils.
Hope to try the gelatos next.
I haven’t used them, but they would go very well with my pen & ink work.
I have never used them before, but sure would love to try them. Think using them with stamps for a beautiful color effect would be fun
I haven’t tried them, but I would love to stamp with them!
These look like they would be a lot of fun to play with.
I would love to try them with stamps.
i haven’t used this product but would like to try it on the background stamp as done in this article.
I think I would use them most to make backgrounds and for stamping.
These look amazing and I’d love to try them.
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These seem so flexible! The colors are beautiful!
Wow, what endless possibilities! I’ve not used them but would love to give them a try on gourds. I’m a gourd artist and these would be awesome I’m thinking.
Hugs XX
Barbara
I haven’t tried the Gelatos but have seen them used on a few blogs and they look like a lot of fun and the colours look fabulous.
I’d love to try them on stamps. The welly-boot card is great!
I just received my F-C Journaling Kit, can’t wait to get started. A set of Gelato colors would be a great addition to the set. Love the blending techniques shown in your reviews, thanks!
omgoodness!!! I haven’t used these…yet! I am going out tomorrow to look for them! I would LOVE to win some! I will be using them for painting, stamping, stenciling, etc…I have so many ideas!!!
I have tried them. I got introduced to them at Donna Downey’s & have been hooked ever since. I would love to add a set of colors to my stash.
I have not tried the Gelatos by Faber-CAstell but would love to try some of the techniques you demonstated!
Oh wow I love the idea of this product and can’t wait to use it – so keeping my fingers crossed. EJ
I haven’t tried Gelatos. I would use them for stamping and card making.
I am dying to try the Gelatos!! They aren’t available at my local stores yet. I would use them in my art journaling and papercrafting projects.
Cindi
Hmmmm, these look very interesting. And more portable than some of the other paints I’ve tried. This is the first I’ve heard of them, so obviously haven’t tried them. I’d use them with my pen and ink, probably using the paintbrush
I am seeing the Gelato’s everywhere but I have not tried them yet. I am so keen to get my hands on some.
This is the first I’ve heard of Gelatos although I use Pitt artist pens. I would love to use them not only in my art journal but also making cards. The critique is an inspiration for the many creative ways in which to use Gelatos. Maybe I’ll win!
the Gelatos look quite cool. I’d love to try them out!
Wow! This looks like fun. Can’t wait to try them.
I have not tried the Gelatos but they look very interesting, would love to win a set to try them out! Thanks for the chance to win some!
Karen M.
kcmanifoldatqdotcom
I haven’t tried nor have I even heard of the Gelato’s until now, but I certainly am going to look for Design Memory Craft products! I would love to try water coloring with them and also using them on chipboard.
Wow! The vivid colors are amazing!!
I never heard of Gelato Colors until reading your review. I definitely will be using these to paint stamped images. The vivid colors blended with luminere will add a new rich dimension to my stamped cards.
I would like to use gelatos to rub over dry embossed designs. Thanks for the chance to win!
I never tried the Color Gelatos and I would try them in mixed media journal and decide after that what would be my favorite way to use them
These Gelatos look great. I love the fact that they are so versatile. I have never used anything like these before, but would love to give them a try!
I did receive one of the gelatos in a goodie bag once and love the creamy consistency. I have used them on stamps and direct to paper. I would love the opportunity to win the mixed media set. Thank you.
wow, lots of great ideas in this post! Thanks for all the examples and clear instructions on the different ways to use them. I think I would try all of them.
I love them on watercolor paper. But you are right that you need a bold image not a fine detail. I got some amazing effects off of a bold parrot stamp though.
I have many of the Faber Castell products and I love working with them. The quality is tremendous and I have always been surprised with the little tricks you can do to get special effects. It would be super to try out the gelato line to work on my Zentangles with.
I have not tried them, but they look fun!
Thanks so much for the review. I haven’t tried the Faber-Castell products yet, but have seen them and wondered about uses.
These look fabulous. Thanks for the chance.
I’d love to try these out. Thanks for the chance to win.
No, I haven’t tried them
I woud use them for stamping
Saw these the other day! Yeah…I could make some awesome messes with these!
What a FUN name! Have not tried—must look for them in my local craft store.
the more I see these the more I want them. I so wish one of my local stores had them! They look awesome for not only stamping but also art journaling and mixed media art…my favorite things in the world. Thanks for the review and the chance to win.
I have not used the gelatos yet-but they look terrific! I would love to use them in my mister for a really great effect on my canvas-thanks for the chance to win them!
So much possibilities! Love to try.
Can’t wait to try them. Love the colors.
Thanks for the chance!
I haven’t tried the gelatos, but have seen them. I would love to use them in my mixed media art journal!
I haven’t tried them before. I would use them for stamping.
sensibaughbme{at}ymail{dot}com
I haven’t seen these or tried them. I like how you used them as paint & also on the chipboard.
Have you tried the Color Gelatos? What is/would be your favorite way to use them?
I have not tried them but they look yummy I love the color intensity. I would use them most as background….maybe over gesso texatured backgrounds
I learn something new in the crafting world every day! Nope have not tried them, would use them for card and tag making.
I just bought some but haven’t played yet–your review helped a lot. I would like to use them as a paint.
These look fun… have not seen them before. I’d use them in my stamping and scrapbooking.
I am yet to use the gelatos in my stash (slack, I know) but I am looking forward to trying the stamp and spritz technique. Thanks for sharing your detailed review and many ideas – wonderful!
My fingers, toes, and everything else is crossed in hopes I win! I have heard such FAN-TAS-TIC things about these Gelatos and I would love the chance to play with them!
Gelatos are awesome! I haven’t tried all the techniques yet. I love the juicy laydown of colour which I then blend together with a just wet brush, I then lightly mod podge before taking a stamp and pressing into the surface which lifts the colour off a bit for added texture. Finally I like to gold shimmer mod podge over the red, orange and yellow! These are artfully delicious!
Love to use them in scrap and paint. Really cool products.
Love the reds and the browns, perfect for fall paints.
Thanks for the chance
These look so neat!
have never used Color Gelatos but I think I would use them in my misters for templates. Great projects. love the ideas. Thank you.
I have not tried the Gelatos yet but would use them with my stamps to make cards. Also, I would use them on my stash of chipboard embellishments. Iris Soscia
isoscia at aol dot com
I haven’t tried any Gelatos yet but they look so fun and I’m anxious to try them! The colours look so beautiful and vibrant!
i wish I had already tried these, but alas I have not. They have some amazing colors going on. ambrerose at(aol) dot(com)
I work for JoAnn Fabric and they sell the saaame things in the kids art area. They’re by Faber-Castell, but their marketed towards kids as Gel Sticks. They’re only $9.99 for a pack of 12 or $5.99 for the pack of metallic colors. Great deal and awesome product! I used a coupon on mine, and got them at an even better price
So glad you enjoy the tutorials on our blog… Here’s my original post on making colored medium with Gelatos : http://designmemorycraft.typepad.com/design-memory-craft/2011/04/technique-tuesday-colored-gel-mediumspaints.html
GLad so many people want to try them after seeing what they can do. I can tell you that more colors will be coming in the winter! Check out the blog for more techniques! Thanks!