Gesso Magic

I have received several emails regarding what I referred to as a "gesso wash" on the frames in my last post. As you all know I love old world finishes.

Well, gesso is as old world as they come. Ancient Egyptians used it as a base for wall paintings and to coat wooden artifacts. Gesso is a thick substance, somewhere between plaster and paint.

Artist use it to prep their canvases. You can find it at artist supply or craft stores. Gesso can be any combination of binder (glue), whiting, chalk or plaster, and pigment. I used gesso on the corbel in my first pic.

I'll show you what I did to achieve this in a minute, but first a simple gesso treatment. Here are the stack of frames from my last post.

The frames were a dark gold, as was the one I'm about to use for my demonstration. The corbel was dark wood.

You can do this. Make sure the piece you're working with is clean and dry, blah, blah, blah.

I first applied a thick coat of gesso right out of the container.

Before it was completely dry, I went over it with a dry brush, to smooth it out a bit. You don't have to use a different brush, just take a dry rag and remove most of the gesso from the brush you are using.

Now, some of you may like it right at this point. If you do, you can stop. I prefer to apply a couple more layers of slightly watered down gesso to give it added body.

That's it. You can leave it with this rough plaster look, or sand it back, like I did with the corbel.

Gesso comes in white, grey and black. I applied a layer of white to the corbel. Let it dry. I then applied a layer of grey. After the second layer was dry (gesso dries pretty quick), I used a sanding pad to smooth it out, and give it a little distressing.

The frame would look good with a floral painting. Here it is propped against one.

I also laid it on one of my tole trays.

I love the soft full bodied look of gesso. You can get a fantastic finish with only a few steps. Although I prefer the dry chalky finish, you can wax or poly if you like.

Hey, if you give this treatment a try, I would love to see it. Send me a pic. Go on, create a little gesso magic.

I'll be back with more to share soon, including more gesso projects and a redesigned clock case.

UPDATE:  If you'd like to learn how to make your own gesso, you should check out the Farragoz online painting course.  I'm an affiliate, and, although commercial gesso works, I have been using the paint recipes from the course, and, much prefer the versatility, and, texture. You can learn more by clicking HERE.



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