Drama Queen question answered

I was recently asked how I kept the facing pieces of the Drama Queen acrylic paint jacket from fusing together, and it's a very good question! The tendency for even cured acrylic facets to polymerize with each other is an issue that all acrylic artists have, whether they are working in three dimensions or two.

At Tri-Art, the issue was one that we had to deal with very early on, as our hand-painted colour charts are painted on 11 x 17" cardstock, and folded so that the paint swatches face each other. Even after drying, the swatches stuck fast to one another and the chart was rendered useless. After testing a slippery stack of serviceable samples, a thin, parchment-like baker's tissue was chosen. NOTHING sticks to this stuff, not even duct tape (I don't know why I keep trying).

So that is what I use when storing the jacket. I realize that this may not be accessible to anyone, and I don't recommend using just any tissue, as many of them stick and/or leave a residue. Glassine paper leaves a residue or a glossy "afterimage" sometimes as well. What does work is freezer paper. For larger pieces, I have used fabric as well to good effect. For example, the inside of the sleeves of the jacket are partially lined with a polyester fabric that has no nap.

Everyone has their own solutions for this issue, and these are mine. Different things work in various situations. I have found that older paintings that have accumulated a patina of dust or whatever, can be stored with brown wrapping paper between them...but be aware that this does not always work.

Test out materials on your own and find what is most practical for your work. The best thing, always, it to simply never store acrylic surfaces face to face, although as I have found, this is sometime unavoidable.