How To-sday | Gesso It!

Hi! Kristy MacKeen here with a quick How’s To on using gesso with a mask. I love masks. They can be used in so many ways – with ink, with chalk, and in this case, with gesso. Gesso was used to make the sunburst pattern of my MWM-Pearl 4 layout.What is gesso, you may be asking? Gesso is a base coat with a slight texture. It is ideal for priming canvas, wood, metal, plastic, chipboard, paper and fabric prior to painting. Gesso adds subtle texture (called “tooth”) when applied, allowing a surface to accept paint and other mediums more easily.I decided to use gesso as a masking agent because I wanted some texture in the white spaces. Also, it allowed me to ink over the outer edges of the gessoed area to give the final product a glowing look.

For this project I gathered the following items and got to work:

For this project, I *should* have used washi tape to hold down my mask, if not, be prepared to get your hands a little messy.

Using a sponge brush, I applied the gesso over the mask. I tried using a standard paint brush, but found it left bristles in the gesso. Now admittedly, I don’t have the highest quality brushes, so that could have been part of my problem. But the sponge brush gives you full coverage, very quickly

After pulling up the mask and letting the gesso dry fully, I grabbed my inks and sponge and started layering the colors over the areas covered with gesso. I allowed the inks to overlap to give the shading affect. The advantage of using this method over spraying the mask with mists, or inking directly on the mask, is the ability to go beyond the edges of the mask.

After I was done inking, I wiped the ink of the gesso using a baby wipe, leaving it white once again.

As quick and easy as that, you have a fun background for your project. And any imperfections can be covered with your picture or other embellishments. But I live by the motto that the imperfections are just a sign that something is homemade.

Give this a try! Let me know what you think!