Gesso what is it made of

Mat Boards. Picture Framing. If you're new to painting - or if you only use pre-primed canvas - you may have seen the term "gesso" in passing, but never bothered looking into what it is or what it is used for. This article outlines the history and uses of gesso pronounced "jesso" , as well as how-to's on applying it and making your own from scratch. Student vs. Artist grade Heavy and hard gesso Colored gesso. What you need and the step by step procedure to prime your canvas or other surface with gesso.

What you need and a suggestion of ratios for preparing your own, homemade gesso. Gesso is a plaster-like primer applied to surfaces prior to painting. Originally developed for oil painting on canvas, gesso is now used for a wide variety of media on almost any surface. It was also called "glue gesso" or "Italian gesso". When added to a raw surface like wood, the gesso added "tooth" - roughness - which helped the paint adhere, and prevented it from soaking in.

This meant less paint was required, and the colors stayed truer. This original gesso could be used as a base for oil painting, egg tempura, any water-based paint acrylics weren't invented yet , or painted onto any three dimensional surface in preparation for applying gold leaf. Because traditional gesso dried very hard, it was only suitable for rigid surfaces, and would crack and chip on flexible substrates When canvas needed to be primed, linseed oil could be added to the gesso, giving it the flexibility required for the softer surface that might, in future, be rolled.

This mixture was sometimes called "half-chalk ground". Wood panels are one of the most common painting surfaces, though metal, plastic, and cardboard are suitable as well. The most common type of gesso used today is acrylic gesso. It was invented in the s by the brand Liquitex. In lieu of the animal glue of old, acrylic gesso uses a polymer latex, mixed with chalk, white pigment usually titanium dioxide, which artists know as titanium white - it improves flexibility and other chemicals that ensure longevity.

Because it has no glue or gypsum, it is not technically gesso, but has retained the name. Essentially, modern gesso is just a painting primer. Though this new version of gesso is ideal for acrylic paint, and suitable for most oil painting as well, it is not as absorbent like the traditional primer, and does not work for egg tempura.

In recent years, some oil artists have begun to question whether acrylic gesso is really a good choice for oil painting - it's thought a mismatch in the flexibility of the media can cause problems over time. None the less, companies that offer acrylic gesso, like Liquitex and Golden, maintain that it is suitable for both. One professional artist suggests using it most of the time for oil painting, but using an oil-based gesso for any major or important work.

Using recycled soy products, this primer is "low-emitting", and uses a binder that is a mix of oil and acrylic. The addition of oil is said to make this type of gesso more suitable to canvas - it's more flexible - and may be better suited to use with oil paints. Gesso Canvas without gesso Canvas with gesso. Acrylic gesso is available in two different grades, which fall in to two price categories.

Student-grade gesso is less expensive, while Artist-grade gesso costs more. This is due to the ratio of pigment to filler. Not surprisingly, the artist-grade gesso has more pigment with less filler. You can use the mixture just like regular gesso. It will dry a little bit slower than gesso and the surface will be a little smoother but other than that it is almost exactly like commercial gesso just way cheaper. This is a very common question and I personally asked my art teacher the exact same thing back in my high school years.

Gesso is quite expensive compared to acrylic paint and in the end, gesso is just acrylic paint mixed with some glue and chalk, right? So how can it be so different? At least, that is what I thought. Acrylic paint can be used as a base coat but it is not the same as gesso and if the surface has to be primed then gesso is a better choice than acrylic paint. Gesso, unlike acrylic paint, will create the perfect conditions for paint application on most surfaces.

Just because a major ingredient of gesso is acrylic paint does not mean, that acrylic paint is the same as gesso. Acrylic paint will not stick to most materials the same way as gesso does and even though you can use acrylic paint as a base coat gesso does so much more than just providing a base color coat.

Unlike acrylic paint, gesso will actually create a solid surface on which the color can sit without losing its vibrancy or changing its color in the slightest. Gesso also creates a very fine texture for the paint application and gesso can be sanded down. So by using gesso you can actually get rid of any uneven parts on the drawing surface. This is another question, that a lot of newcomers to the world of painting have.

I personally started out without using any primer at all and I only started using gesso after I already painted with acrylic paint for about a year or so. I immensely saw a difference but still to this day I sometimes do a painting with acrylics without priming the surface with gesso at all. So in short, gesso is not necessary for acrylic painting it is, however, very helpful for some paintings. If you plan on painting on wood then using gesso as a primer would be a good idea.

Gesso prepares the surfaces and creates the perfect conditions for acrylic paint. So it is very helpful but not necessary. When I started using gesso to prime my painting surfaces I immediately saw an improvement in the color quality of my paints. The acrylic paint no longer got dull when it dried instead it stayed almost as vibrant as they were when it came out of the tube.

For this project you'll need:. First, mix the cornstarch and baking soda together, breaking up any lumps in the mixture. Then, mix in your glue and acrylic paint. Finally, add water a little bit at a time until you have the right consistency. For a thicker "texture paste", add less water. For a more "traditional" gesso texture, add water until the mixture looks like pancake batter.

The only downside to making gesso is that it has a shorter shelf life than store bought gesso.