Playing with Gesso

[pugmom]

I really have no idea what I'm doing, but when I saw Gesso at Walmart, I had to have it. I used it for my deck of art piece this week and also made these two ATCs.

If anyone can give me some ideas of what to do with this stuff or show me your gesso art, I would love it.

gesso 1.jpg (64.69 KiB) Viewed 471 times

On this one, you can't even tell that I gesso'd the cardstock. After it was dry I just kept piling on alcohol inks and embossing powder until I got a background I liked.

gesso 2.jpg (86.71 KiB) Viewed 471 times

[tlscrap]

For not knowing what to do with it, you did a great job!!!! They're gorgeous!!!

[pugmom]

Thanks, but all I did was paint it on cardstock - one smooth and one lumpy. There HAS to be more!

[Ruth Ann Landry]

gesso preps a surface for paint and such...actually, I believe that it's colorless paint...It can be used as a thin coat over text, maps and such to "tone them down". and it can be applied really thick and stamped into (wash stamp immediately), then dried, and a thin paint mixture applied and wiped while wet.....cool background technique.

[Paula]

Great job, I love the effects!

[pugmom]

Thanks, Ruth Ann. What I have is white.

I just put a thin coat on an old dictionary page and a thick coat on a piece of card stock and stamped into that. I'll let them both dry and come back later to play.

[ChristyB]

check out
http://trishbee.co.uk/techniqueszone/

look at distressed gesso backgrounds
gesso and color mist backgrounds
stamping with gesso

another thing take 2 pieces of paper same size drop giant glob in center of one and smoosh other paper on top. peel 2 apart and let dry, rub distress inks over paper & gesso and ink will stay on ridges but not in valleys

I show examples of mine but not home so sorry

[pugmom]

Thank you so much, Christy. Guess I won't be leaving my craft room any time soon - I've got a lot of reading and playing to do.

[pugmom]

So, I've pretty much been playing with this stuff all day and I think I'm getting the hang of it.

I made two Father's Day cards.........

gesso 3.jpg (61.68 KiB) Viewed 390 times

And a few backgrounds that I'll use on future projects.......

gesso4.jpg (51.41 KiB) Viewed 390 times

gesso5.jpg (47.62 KiB) Viewed 390 times

Amazingly, not much went in the garbage because you can keep at it until you get something you like.

Thanks for looking.

[tlscrap]

Very cool! Now I know what I can use the rest of my gesso for It's been sitting on my easel waiting for me to paint on canvas, but now it's getting moved to my craft table

[Paula]

Nice "playing" going on there! Isn't it fun to just putz around