19/08/2021

Geniously Gessoed - clear gesso




Moikka! Today it's the second part of the August Trio. I started this series yesterday with a post on white gesso and today I'm sharing a project with ideas on clear gesso. 

Trios are posts that I started while I was a member of the Seth Apter Creative Team. I enjoyed making the series of three posts so much, that I decided to continue them at least for a while. The Trio posts usually had a topic, or a product, to which I concentrated, or used one source of inspiration for the three pieces. In a way they are extended versions of the "Inspired By" posts we used to make together with Marsha Valk. You can explore those posts under this label (link). If you want to see the older Seth Trios, you can find them under this label (link)


There's a couple of things that the tags have in common besides gesso. I'm using a similar tag base to all of them. The tags are from a tag album pack by Art by Marlene. The other thing they have in common is the use of a Tim Holtz paper doll as the focal point. So, while I use different colors and layer different elements, all of the three still have echoes of the same thing - the basic shape, the main composition and the focal point.

In this second part I share three techniques more - using gesso to collage, using it as a resist and also priming trickier surfaces like metal and plastic. Like I typed in the video, all of the white gessos I have used have worked as adhesives but there has been one clear that didn't. It's binder was different and it also gave a totally different feel than the smooth, paint-like surfaces of the other gessos I've used. So, before making your master piece - try your gesso out. I'm working with gessos from the Finnabair line as I'm her Brand Ambassador, but the techniques should apply to all gessos. 


As you can see from the video, I played with the resist two ways. I created a pattern with the gesso but also used it to block the colorant seeping into the paper. The latter version is really handy in several cases - like preventing ink to bleed through an art journal page! But adding gesso layer to an absorbing surface also provides you with some options that might not otherwise work. Like adding alcohol ink to paper or using watercolor crayons without marks. The gesso seals the surface, creates a barrier between the absorbing fibers and the medium coming on top. That way you can use alcohol inks, which usually turn muddy on top of regular paper or prevent the crayon markings on top of paper, which usually are visible no matter how much water you add on top.

As you could see from the previous video, too, I didn't record these videos as true process videos. They are more technique driven so there's gaps in the process. What I don't show in the video is mostly making the compostion. You can see that process in my other videos on my channel, or if you have any questions about it, either attend one of my Facebook lives or just reach out in any social media platform or email me.

Thank you for stopping by today! Tomorrow is the third and final part of this series and I'm using black gesso! 


Materials: Prima Marketing, Paper Garden, Tim Holtz, Aladine









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