Hi everyone, I recently received a request from Michelle of I Card Everyone on my retreat blog post asking for some details on using Gesso so here they are.
This was my sample card for the technique at the retreat.
Gesso is a primer used on surfaces to allow paint to "stick". By painting a surface (wood, metal, plastic, washi tape etc) with gesso you can use watercolours or acrylic inks on them as it did with my washi tape card here, it also acts as a resist as you can see above.
Gesso comes in clear, white, and black. It can be water down to mute background colours, and is the perfect way to use up old designer paper on your backgrounds and not have the bold colours show through.
Gesso Resist using stamps.
Use a sponge to cover the stamp with gesso and then stamp the card stock. Remember to clean your stamp immediately or the gesso will dry in the crevices and be very difficult to get out.
Let the gesso dry and either spray ink or blend the colour over the surface, use a baby wipe to remove the colour off the gesso. My stamp had some black ink on it which was picked up by the gesso. Oops. I don't clean my stamps very often 😊
This was my sample card for the technique at the retreat.
Gesso is a primer used on surfaces to allow paint to "stick". By painting a surface (wood, metal, plastic, washi tape etc) with gesso you can use watercolours or acrylic inks on them as it did with my washi tape card here, it also acts as a resist as you can see above.
Gesso comes in clear, white, and black. It can be water down to mute background colours, and is the perfect way to use up old designer paper on your backgrounds and not have the bold colours show through.
Gesso Resist using stamps.
Use a sponge to cover the stamp with gesso and then stamp the card stock. Remember to clean your stamp immediately or the gesso will dry in the crevices and be very difficult to get out.
Let the gesso dry and either spray ink or blend the colour over the surface, use a baby wipe to remove the colour off the gesso. My stamp had some black ink on it which was picked up by the gesso. Oops. I don't clean my stamps very often 😊
Gesso through a stencil
I use a thicker consistency gesso (Liquitex) which has a little more body, it's perfect for both stamping and stencilling. It hold it's shape and and doesn't seep under the stencil too quickly.
Below is a card I did a few years ago using gesso to mute the background colour, and you can also check out my post this week over at Magenta where I stamped an image and covered a piece of dictionary page with gesso.
I hope you picked up some tips and get to use your gesso in the future.
Card Recipe
Stamps: Magenta
Paper: Mixed media
Ink:
Accessories: Liquitex Gesso, stencils
Techniques: Gesso
19 comments:
Gesso has many uses doesn't it? I made an alcohol ink background last night on glossy cardstock and need to tone it down, gesso was on my mind. Love your great creative card.xxx
OMG...Christine what a fabulous text and photo Gesso post explaining so many ways to use Gesso. I LOVED your techniques you shared with us at our Retreat and all the fabulous cards we made with the different techniques. I know I am going to be using Gesso more often because of you, my friend. Hugs....
This is such a wonderful and informative post! Thanks for posting this. I had no idea there was a clear and black gesso. Love the card! That soft background is so ethereal. I love the ideas you incorporated here. I know I'll be using mine more because of the information you posted here.
Awesome informative post. Great samples. I’m quite impressed with Gesso. xx
Great post with the various ways to use Gesso - super information and great photos. Love your sample card from the retreat - beautiful colours, great image, wonderful sentiment technique.
Very concise and informative, Christine! Your post and examples explained every aspect of the benefits of Gesso perfectly. This was one of my favorite techniques from the ESCR and a fun aside is that I'll never use my Gesso again without thinking about vagina tape, lol!! Thanks for the instructions, inspiration, and memories! Hugs, Darnell
These are all great ways to use gesso, Christine. It's a lot more versatile than I thought. I had fun experimenting at the retreat with the resist technique and with diluting and painting over a patterned background. Both turned out so well. Thanks for all this wonderful information. Now, if only I could find my gesso!! It's MIA in my studio. :) xx
Well aren't you just the sweetest! Christine, I'm so intrigued, and happy to have these great instructions! I may just have to look for my tube! LOve those thistle heads, btw - thank you, SO very much! xx
=]
This is a great tutorial, my friend. I hope to try this on some of that designer paper I've been hoarding and on some more Washi tape. It's a good way too to salvage a background that didn't turn out quite right.
Thank you for sharing this Christine...I didn't know all that and it's really helpful.Enjoy your day!
So enjoyed reading the post and learnt lots.....Thank you x
What a great, informative post with lots of examples and pictures, Christine! Thank you so much for sharing all these tips and info! I'll definitely come back to this post next time I use gesso for my card. :-)
Hideko xx
Oh, my gosh, this is very helpful for one who knows next to nothing about using gesso and is on the fence about adding it to my craft stash. I love the texture of it and you've demonstrated how it's much more than that. Beautiful card today and the one from the past!
Funny, I just did a Gesso resist card with stamping, too! It was a new technique for me. Your card came out gorgeous!
I love this card, the background is beautiful\, as are the sentimet and image. I have some gesso. I don't even recall what I bought it for. I may have to give it a try.
Wonderful ideas - I love that you shared so many! I am getting some white gesso soon (I have clear and use to have white but I learned so much from your post I need to try it again). Awesome post, Christine. Hugz
Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial with us, Christine...Your cards are absolutely gorgeous!!! I have never played with Gesso, but I think it's time I tried it out :)
Hi, I am coming from Trina's blog. Thank you so much for sharing with us these techniques. I never thought that I could gesso on a rubber stamp. Kisses!!!
Your advice is invaluable. I love so many different effects that you can get. And now I know that from you. Thanks. Your cards are amazing. They perfectly illustrate what you wrote about.
Hugs,
BozenA
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