Powertex Bister – What do I need?

Powertex Bister is a water based pigment. It’s available as ready mixed sprays and granules and comes in seven tints.

It might be useful to know what sort of project you will be working on. This post looks at the different projects you might want to try. However, if you’re not sure and just want to give it a try, here’s a short supply list. Keep it simple to start.

• Ready mixed Bister in Natural Brown and one colour of your choice
• White vinegar in a small spray bottle
• Small sponge

Start with Ready Mixed Bister which you can use straight away. White vinegar brightens the Bister colours a little and can be mixed into or sprayed onto your Bister. Use a damp sponge to wipe back the Bister from raised areas of your textures which will create highlights.

Other materials:

• Powertex Fabric Hardener and natural fibres, fabrics, texture mediums to create your surface
• Something to protect your surfaces
• Gloves are optional

These pigments are easy to use but these tips can help you get the best results.

• Bister is best used on a very textured, Powertex surface.
• You can apply it on wet or dry Powertex but spray generously for best results.
• Remember Bister will create depth by laying dark areas of colour in the textures.

You can read more about how I use Bister in my art, in this post.

Blue Powertex with black Bister

Bister is easy to use on any Powertex textures but as always I recommend that you play and experiment! There are so many ways to use Bister and so many effects you can get, too many to list here. Choose your favourite textures such as fabric on a bottle or Stone Art on polystyrene or Easy 3d Flex on a canvas, and use Bister to add depth to your surface.

Powertex and Bister

Remember that Bister is not permanent. If you want to preserve the surface, use a UV resistant spray varnish.