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Hello, I'm a fine artist in Amsterdam, Holland, and working for the past 6 months in Gum Arabic, using it pure, mixed with pigments like Vandyke Brown, Sepia and Red Earth. The problem with the gum is that in using it on paper and canvas, it reacts strongly on dry and moist surfaces, causing cracks etc.

Is there a way to make the gum less influenced by moisture or something to give it more elasticity, and does it have an effect on the way it holds on the surface of paper and canvas? I'd be very happy if you could give me any information, or a way to find out.
M. Gozewijn

If you are using prepared Gum Arabic a plasticizer will already have been added as the film would be very brittle otherwise. Unfortunately Gum Arabic has very poor resistance to water, pollutants, acid and alkali. It has reasonable resistance to ultraviolet light and fairly good resistance to decay. It will always attract moisture from the air, which leads to cracking. I cannot find anything which will prevent this. A coat of varnish would not be the answer as I believe the pigment/gum layer underneath would move, causing wrinkles or cracking later, I would strongly suggest that you consider using an acrylic binder instead of the Gum Arabic. How you combine the pigment and binder is another matter.

Incidentally, I would be careful when using such pigments as Vandyke Brown as the genuine pigment fades very quickly. It is an organic material similar to peat.

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