Powertex Universal Medium: Full Video Guide

Pour a cup of coffee and settle in. In this 25-minute guide, I walk you through everything I wish I'd known when I first picked up a bottle of Powertex Universal Medium: what it is, why it's called universal, how to get it ready, and how to bring a finished piece to life with color.

What you'll learn

  • What Powertex Universal Medium is, and why it's a permanent textile hardener rather than a fabric stiffener
  • The three sizes and the colors, plus how to mix your own shades
  • Why it's called universal: fabric, paper, wood, cardboard, canvas, terracotta, stone, and clay
  • How to set up your space, prepare the bottle, and apply it with a brush, palette knife, or fabric dip
  • How to finish your piece with pigments and dry brushing

Chapters

  • 0:00 What is Powertex Universal Medium?
  • 0:39 Key features
  • 1:36 Sizes: 500g, 1000g and 5000g
  • 3:04 Colors and how to mix them
  • 5:06 Why it's called Universal Medium
  • 7:26 How to prepare and use it
  • 21:48 Adding finishing details
  • 22:56 Recap

Quick tips from the video

  • Cover your work surface with plastic, glass, or a non-stick craft mat. Universal Medium won't stick to plastic, so cleanup is easy.
  • Wear an apron or old clothes. It's a permanent textile hardener, and it will harden your clothes too.
  • Shake, stir, and shake again before every use. Pigment settles on the shelf, and a few soft lumps are normal. A plain wooden dowel breaks them up.
  • When you dip fabric, saturate it all the way through, not just the surface.
  • Pour leftover medium back into the bottle if nothing else is mixed in. Never pour it down the drain.
  • It's touch dry in about 30 minutes and fully cured in 2 to 4 weeks. Store it at room temperature and never let it freeze.
  • Transparent dries clear but can darken some fabrics, so test a swatch first. Protect outdoor pieces made with Transparent from the sun.

Supplies from the video

Keep exploring

Read What Is a Textile Strengthener? for project ideas, follow the written Universal Medium instructions, or join me in a workshop. Prefer to learn at home? Take an online class at Learning the Art Life™.

Living The Art Life™,
Cheryl