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Yes, I have also tried them all. Some tape works better than others… and for different reasons.
 The Sticky Things I Use For light weight paper collages, sometime I will use 3M Super 77 Multi Purpose Adhesive. But - if I plan to continue painting with acrylics and I am using heavier paper and cardboard in my collage, my glue of choice is "heavy-body acrylic gel adhesive" such as the acrylic water based gel mediums. And boy, there are a lot of different ones out there! My favorite is Nova Gel #207. (Don't get a combo of Medium/Varnish because the varnish won't be optically clear and may fog up!) — I will talk more about mediums in the next issue of the ArtsyFartsy News.
But the tapes have more specific purposes. I'll describe what I do with each.
 Bob's Favorite Brown Tape
My go-to, general purpose, studio, really-tapes-things-down, brown paper tape is what I use to close and seal shipping boxes, tape paintings to the wall, or tape anything down that I really want to stick. Also called "boxtape," it is available in various sizes and can be purchased in single rolls at a U-Haul Moving Supply Store or in bulk (24 rolls) at uline.com. Instead of using tacks, I use this tape to temporarily adhere my paper paintings to the wall.
 Kleenedge Tape
I also use hard-edge temporary tapes. These tapes are made for making a clean, sharp edge and for creating multiple layers of "template looking" shapes. When the paint dries, the tape is slowly peeled back, revealing the crisp white edge of the paper - like a frisket. Kleenedge, Scotch Blue Painters' Tape or Frogtape Delicate Surface. Visit their "how-to" section of frogtape.com for tips. I use this tape to mask off a border on a full sheet of watercolor paper. Inside the taped border I swirl charcoal and dirt, then draw and paint with an oil stick. When finished, I peel back the tape, revealing a clean paper edge. Note that these delicate-style tapes will not hold your paper to the wall.
 Taping off Border with Blue Painters' Tape
Painters' tapes are meant as a temporary straight edge or frisket, most commonly used by house painters - it's that crazy blue color so they can quickly find pieces of left-behind tape on window sills and hidden in corners.
White "Pro" and "Artist's Tape-Acid Free" are what I use to tape my watercolor paper paintings to backboards or mats where I'm concerned for acid-free and archival issues.
Gorilla Tape is an industrial strength, extra durable, tough black tape used to practically hold a car together. Like your dad's roll of gray tape, but only black and a lot more extra sticky! (Hey, it says so on the label!)
And the 3M Gaffers Black Cloth Tape is the Ferrari of all tapes. Gaffer's tape is matte black, high strength cloth, waterproof and sticks to most surfaces… and it's $30 a roll. Ask any photographer... They can't live without it. Copyright ©2012 Robert Burridge. All rights reserved. |