Plasticine: Another Way to Paint, Color and Add Texture to Your Illustrations

Did you know you could paint with plasticine? Illustrator Jacinta Besa tells us more about this versatile modeling and painting material

We all know and have even tried painting with watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, and even spray cans. But, did you know you could paint with plasticine? Jacinta Besa (@jacintabesa) is a visual artist and painting expert. Over the course of ten years, Jacinta has developed her own style, using plasticine to make 2D pieces, using it as a means of adding color to her illustrations with a realistic touch, and also submerging objects inside it.

Her fascination with nature is palpable in all her work. Her fascination with it, along with the role of the modern woman, her evolution, and revolution are all key elements. But it is plasticine that brings her work together: a versatile material that gives her pieces volume and texture. Let her explain further in the video below:

How to paint with plasticine

Jacinta Besa shares what we should keep in mind as we begin on our journey with this–perhaps unknown–technique: materials, surfaces, and methods for painting with plasticine.

Types of plasticine and their qualities

After a lot of experimentation with materials, Jacinta Besa found any plasticine can be used for this painting technique: you don’t need the most expensive nor the most specialized, 12 blocks that you can find in any supermarket or art shop will do. If you want to work with larger quantities of just one color, Jacinta recommends the brand Van Aken.

Plasticine is composed of pigment, beeswax, and solid paraffin. One of its most important characteristics is that it has an oily component, and as long as it maintains this condition, it will never dry out or break. An interesting thing to keep in mind is that clay does not dry out in the short term, so it allows you to learn by trial and error.

Surfaces for painting with plasticine

Transparent acrylic is ideal for final pieces due to its lack of absorbance. Mica glass is perfect for exercises and experiments as it’s thinner and more flexible.

Ways to paint with plasticine

There are various techniques you can choose from to paint with plasticine. It’s about mixing and playing, experimenting until you find what works best for you:

- Rolls: ideal for fur or grass. They must be even and flattened on your surface, so they do not fall
- Circles: will achieve a textured pixel effect and work for whatever you want
- Dragging the clay: you can mix the gradients with this technique. Depending on the amount of plasticine you use, it can be textured or smooth. You can create skies and all kinds of backgrounds, as well as any model you want
- Color zones: working in solid colors allows you to cover wider areas in different tones more easily than using rolls

Jacinta Besa teaches the Domestika course Introduction to Plasticine Painting. In it, you will learn to work worth plasticine as a voluminous pigment, get to know its qualities, how to mix them, and on what to apply them. You’ll also learn about the use of different colors, painting techniques, and some final tips on finishing and framing your piece.

You may also be interested in:

- Papercut: Illustrating with Layers of Paper, a course by José Antonio Roda Martinez
- Ceramics at Home for Beginners, a course by Paula Casella Biase
- Design of Decorative Pieces with Sequins, a course by Paola Alonso