YippyGroove Gesso Magic 2-Pak - Canvas Primer Silicone Brush Art Supplies For Use With Any Paint, Sculpting, Pottery & More (Original)

My order of the Small (Original) sized “brush” came with 2. I’m not sure if that was a shipping accident, or if these are so cheap they don’t care how many end up in the box. And they are cheap! You can search for “makeup silicone applicator” and you will find dozens of the *exact same product* for far less money. This applies to the original size, which is only about 2 finger widths (for makeup they also sell them in teardrop shapes).After taking them out of the clear bags that they came in (there was no packaging and no instructions!) the first thing I noticed was 1mm-2mm of extra thin plastic (or whatever the outer casing is made of) that runs all the way around the product. It had a little bite in it at one spot and when you bend the product, it creates a ruffle effect all around the edge. The other silicone “brushes” for sale for makeup application have it, too (you can see it in the photos, I just didn’t notice). Some sellers had photoshopped it out on some photos, but I couldn’t find one that didn’t show it in at least 1 photo. I would be tempted to try trimming it off, but my guess is that the seam would break open without it (and even trimmed, there would never be a smooth edge).As I wrote above, the product was about 2 finger widths (depending on the size of your fingers, of course! it could be equal to 3 fingers) and frankly, I feel like I could get better control and a similar amount of smoothness just finger-painting the gesso on (especially if I had seamless medical gloves on)!I used it on a 9”x12” canvas-covered (Jane Davenport) watercolor/multimedia notebook and inside on a 2 page spread of watercolor paper. First I did the front cover and spine. The canvas glued to the bookboards on this journal was fairly rough, in that it did not seem pre-gessoed like some stretched canvases I’ve bought (and always go over with my own gesso anyway). Maybe a thin coat of clear gesso on white canvas? Anyway, it soaked up the Liquitex Professional White Gesso like a sponge! I squirted about 3 lines of gesso across the top and started to pull it down with the Silimagic Brush and I only got about 4” down before running out of product. Then I squirted a lot more in vertical lines and tried pulling it down with the “brush”. At this point I really wished I’d bought the larger size “brush”... it should have been 3 times the size, IMO. I can’t imagine trying to use this on anything but the smallest stretched canvases or canvas boards (the original size was designed to apply foundation to one’s face!). The Silibrush really did push the gesso into the canvas, but it required so much lifting on and off the surface that it was impossible to get a smooth application. Also, the friction that built up on long strokes meant that the gesso pulled along toward the end of a stroke was gradually thicker and then dry. It was a pain in the neck!Obviously I didn’t lose as much gesso dried onto the Silibrush as I would in the bristles of a brush. I was surprised when I went to the sink to clean it up how difficult it was to get the dried gesso off of it. I had to use my fingernail to scratch it off in places, and it was really annoying around that ruffled seam.Working on paper was better than the canvas, but when I went to paint on it, I realized it needed sanding if I wanted a smooth surface. On paper, especially, if you don’t get a smooth first layer, this product is not going to magically fix that with another coat!I had recently bought a Catalyst brand scraper after hearing it recommended in a YouTube video by a collage artist who uses it to smooth down papers. I noticed it on my desk after I had cleaned up all the gesso and was heading out of my studio and it occurred to me that I should try using that to pull/smooth gesso onto canvas and paper (I gesso a lot... white, black, and clear). When I came back to this page to write my review, I watched another reviewers video (above), and “great minds”! She shows using a scraper to apply gesso to a piece of paper, then while still wet using the Silimagic product to smooth out the lines. I will definitely try her technique!I’m annoyed that I paid as much as I did for a product that costs a lot less elsewhere on Amazon! If I had only received 1 (as described), I would absolutely return it. I wish that the larger version was available for $5 (I’m sure they would still make a profit!) not $15, as it would be interesting to try. Some of the products sold for makeup application have a band around the back to slip over your fingers - that would be a great feature if you like the idea of the product, as it really is hard to grip (instructions and a video demonstration would be very helpful!). “Designed by artists,” is, at best, a disingenuous claim. “Repurposed” would be more accurate. There are a number of products designed for makeup (and cake baking!) that could be helpful in an artist’s studio, and I think it’s good to keep an open mind. Taking a cheap piece of silicone and marking up the price by so much may be a creative way to make money, but it’s not very fair to fellow artists! Look up “Catalyst wedge w-06” (on Amazon I found it listed as a cake making tool, but the label on the back says they are made by Princeton Artist Brush Co.!) for a good sized, smooth, well-made smoothing tool that has a nice weight and feels very natural to hold (they also make varieties with patterns that could be fun for mark making!) and if you want to try one these “silicone brushes”, check out the makeup section! The video above shows a gesso technique that really could save time and sanding!I think I’ll give my teenager the “extra” Silibrush for her makeup case!

I just used one of my Gesso Magic Silibrushes for the first time, and it worked like a charm! It took WAY LESS TIME to apply the gesso, and I used so LITTLE gesso compared to how much I would have had to use with a brush. The photos of the Silibrush are accurate, even with the dimensions given. You can hold it with 2 or 3 fingers and only get a little on your thumb, or not at all, once you become accustomed to applying very little gesso to the canvas surface. It only took me 5 minutes to gesso 7 medium canvasses. That would never happen with a brush because I would be worried about lines in the surface; with Silibrush, there are few lines, and those are where the strokes overlapped, but they are very fine because of the small amount of gesso used.I always sand my gessoed canvasses, too, so they will end up being slick and smooth. I really love my Silibrush, and if you've been led to believe that the photos are not correct by another reviewer, then please understand that those reviewers are wrong. For some reason, they didn't see the photo of the actual Silibrush in the hand, or the the photo with the measurements given. AND they mistook the glob of white gesso for a handle.The Silibrush is easier to manage than a brush, quicker to use, and easier to clean. I'll be introducing my fellow art students to it very soon.

I tried this product on a small canvas that required a black background that had already been gessoed white. Knowing that the process would be messy, I slipped a plastic bag over my right hand, poured some black acrylic onto the canvas, and grabbed the product. To prepare my canvas in a smooth continuous application was the name of the game. Unfortunately, because the product was so small, it needed to be picked up and moved after each stripe of black, which interrupted any chance of continuity. Picking it up, placing it down....destroyed any hope of a smooth coating.Did I hope that this small piece of silicone jelly would glide across the canvas? Silly me. Common sense was against it. Once the product had paint on it, it was slippery. Very slippery, squirting out from my fingers; meaning that picking it up ruined any continuous smoothness. Thankfully, I did have a broad paintbrush, so I went back to what worked. Save your money.

Love, love, love. Ok, I didn't buy it to spread gesso. I bought it for varnish. I've varnished several pieces with it now, and I love it. Be aware that you'll need a rag or something handy, because it isn't absorbing half a bottle of varnish like a brush does. I had to keep wiping off extra varnish, because I am used to having to use so much more.I haven't used it on a totally flat piece yet, but I've varnished several textured pieces with it and it did an amazing job. Also used it to apply glue to a flat surface I was decoupaging, and it worked well for that. I am basically using it for everything BUT the actual use. Also, I can't stop squishing it. This product is a massive hit with me, and I plan to buy them for others for Christmas this year.

This silicone pad gives me the exact type of texture I was looking for on my paintings. Super smooth and flexible.. definitely one of my new favorite additions!