How to Use Mixed Media Part 3 - gesso

(* This series of tutorials is aimed for beginners, but of course advanced mixed media artists are very welcomed to peek how I use these materials, too. *)

When the world is spinning around faster and faster and being more anxious than ever, it really is time for some serious action. Be prepared? Ok, here we go. Take deep breath and try to relax your shoulders and empty your faster-than-Earth-spinning mind. Maybe a nice cuppa would do you good, too? (Being in the highest risk groups, I know COVID-19 isn’t anything to joke about, but I'm trying to get my mind – an yours – elsewhere.) For just a moment, let’s pretend there isn’t anything more serious to concentrate than… GESSO.

With something as simple, easygoing, and friendly as gesso, you can change the whole concept of your art journaling. If you are thinking of adding one medium to your repertoire, I’d recommend starting with gesso. With it, you can play endlessly. But first, some facts in case you really have no idea what gesso is.

What is gesso, anyway?

It is The Medium for artist, actually. It’s most often used as a primer, preparing the canvases for painting, but you can apply gesso to pretty much any surface, like to a journal page. Gesso protects the surface, making it stiffer and preventing paints to absorb into the canvas/paper. After adding gesso, you can add paints or whatever media you choose to use, without damaging the surface you are working with. You can also use gesso as a paint, as it leaves a nice, thin white surface when dried.

Gesso is white, usually acrylic based, white medium that dries matte white. (There’s also clear and black gesso, the idea of them is the same.) It doesn’t have a strong smell, only a tiny chalky whiff. It is water based, so you can wash your hands and tools with water and soap, but after gesso has dried, its permanent. (That’s kind of the whole point of a primer.) So, after it’s dry, there’s no way of getting it out of for example, your clothes. Or from your paint brush.

How to use it?

**Just a tip that goes with everything new you are working with: always test first! Test onto a scrap of paper first, and when you are comfortable with using the medium or too, then go ahead with your actual craft project!**

**Consider adding one of my secret tools to your must-have list: baby wipes. Kitchen paper is another thing I always have nearby when I craft, but baby wipes are the thing I really can’t craft without. I really recommend always having kitchen paper (and those baby wipes) at hand when working with mixed media, as it is better to have them right there than to rush to get one from another room when it is a high alert crafting emergency going on.**

 

Gesso is a simple medium to work with. It’s not smelly, it’s washable. It’s a very easily tamed crafty pet to own. There’s endless number of brands there and you can choose any of them. I’m using Finnabair’s Art Basic White Heavy Gesso

You will need:

-       a pot of gesso

-       a brush (size depends on the way you are using gesso)

-       a jar of water (for sticking your brush there after using, or thinning gesso

-       recommendation: kitchen paper, baby wipes

In journaling, gesso can be used almost as many ways as there are users. But, here’s a couple of tips, the rest is up to you, to experiment, to test, to get to know it, to have fun.

 

In my tutorial video there are different examples of how I use gesso, so here’s only a cursory summary, as it’s much easier to show than write to explain how flexible medium gesso is and how to actually use them in different ways.

YouTube:  https://youtu.be/ApsrLkWIya8

Using Gesso as a primer to seal a journal page

Painting a blank journal page with gesso is not the first thing in my mind - except if you are intending to use other mediums on top of it and you need to use a primer to seal the paper. However, if you have a junk journal filled with different kind of papers, it’s another story. If you want to hide the entire text or colour or whatever it is that doesn’t make your soul sing, add a generous amount of gesso with your paint brush (you will soon see if you need to add a bit water into your brush or is the gesso you are using workable and easily spreading to the page without any water) and hide everything. Or, if you text or image pages and find the details of your junk journal page too distinctive, giving a gentle wash of gesso would do wonders. In that case, work with wet brush when adding gesso.

Using Gesso as a special effects stuff

The more you get to know gesso, the more you realise it has to give to your journaling.

Made a mistake in your junk journal? Add some gesso and start again.

 

Want to fade the outlines or edges of your ephemera, to blend into the journal page? Add gesso with gentle brush strokes and use also a baby wipe to blend the effect.

Want a lovely white coat over your project? With a dry brush and only a tiniest amount of gesso, gently, oh so caressingly gently add a coating of gesso to flowers, to embellishments, to images, ephemera…

In need of a softening white spray? With a wet brush, take a tiny amount of gesso, and with your finger splash it to the page. It’ll make an immediate, softening, light effect.

And so on and so on. I’m sure at this point you can’t wait to be able to test it, so…

       

So, where to find it?

It’s so commonly used a medium that it is easily available anywhere. It depends on the country you live in, but I’d suggest trying craft or art stores. Here in Finland you can find it in bookstores, and big general stores, too. Googling is a good way to find it, too…

In Finland you can find it for example here:

Heidin Korttipaja

Nannan Paperi & Helmi

Happy crafting, darlings, and #stayhomeandbecreative!

Emilia xx