{"title":"How to Use Texture Paste","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/painting/how-to-use-texture-paste","category":{"slug":"painting","name":"Painting"},"creator":{"name":"textuuri","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgjgd7EW4RYOND3xcIyj3iw","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1En6ZdbZxYY"},"tldr":"Use texture paste correctly in acrylic art. Mixing, colouring, layer thickness and drying, plus a beginner textured painting from start to finish.","totalDurationSeconds":758,"difficulty":"easy","tools":["palette knife","palette or mixing surface","masking tape","pre-primed stretched canvas"],"materials":["texture paste","heavy body acrylic paint","acrylic varnish"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Stir the Paste Thoroughly","text":"Stir the paste thoroughly in the jar, scraping right through the bottom. Heavier ingredients settle and water rises during storage, so an unmixed jar gives uneven results."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Mix Separated Water Back In","text":"Older jars separate - a layer of clear water rises to the top. Stir it back in rather than pouring it off, and never add water, glue or baking soda. Ready-made paste goes on straight from the jar."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Choose Your Tool","text":"Spread and shape the paste with a palette knife, comb, stencil or piping bag. Each tool leaves a different pattern."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Let It Dry, Then Tap-Test","text":"Let it dry, then tap it before you paint over it. A hard tap sound means dry; a soft surface over a wet underneath will tear when you touch it."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Keep Layers Under Two Centimetres","text":"Keep each layer to one or two centimetres. For genuinely thick texture, build it in separate layers and let each dry fully."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Gather Six Things","text":"For the practice painting you need six things: a palette, one palette knife, masking tape, a tube of acrylic, the paste, and a pre-primed stretched canvas."},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: Tape a Clean Border","text":"Tape a clean border around the canvas edge and press the tape down firmly with your finger."},{"number":8,"title":"Step 8: Colour the Paste","text":"Scoop paste onto the palette and mix in the tiniest amount of acrylic. Too much paint destroys the consistency - reach for heavy body acrylics if you need more colour."},{"number":9,"title":"Step 9: Spread the First Row","text":"Spread the first row across the top of the canvas, always drawing the knife from the tape onto the canvas so paste cannot creep underneath."},{"number":10,"title":"Step 10: Pull the Pattern Down","text":"Drag the tip of the palette knife downward through the wet paste to pull the pattern into it."},{"number":11,"title":"Step 11: Darken Each Row Slightly","text":"Mix slightly more paint into the next batch so each row sits a shade darker than the one above it. Compare on the knife before you commit."},{"number":12,"title":"Step 12: Press Gently","text":"Press gently. Bearing down hard exposes the bare canvas through the paste, which ruins a one-session painting. Flatten and redo it if that happens."},{"number":13,"title":"Step 13: Angle a Few Rows","text":"Angle a row or two rather than stacking identical horizontal bands. Uneven widths make the composition far more interesting."},{"number":14,"title":"Step 14: Peel the Tape Immediately","text":"Peel the masking tape off immediately, before the paste starts to set. Dried paste bridging the tape will tear your texture off with it."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-08-31T16:47:37.373Z","published":"2026-08-31T16:47:32.500Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}