In painting gum Arabic is the traditional binder of watercolor and gouache. It can also be used in liquid solutions as painting medium or as a constituent in the manufacture of traditional dry pastels, although gum tragacanth is primarily used. A diluted solution of gum Arabic may also be used as a fixative for dry pastel or charcoal.

In lithography, the hydrophilic properties of gum Arabic help create and maintain a water film on the non-inked portions of the lithographic stone (water pushes the fat).

In photography, gum Arabic is also used in the gum dichromate process and for certain retouches and alterations.