Gesso facts for kids
Gesso is a special kind of paint that artists use to get their canvases or wooden panels ready for painting. Think of it like a base coat or a primer. It's usually white and helps make the surface smooth and even. Gesso is made by mixing a sticky substance called a binder with a colored powder called a pigment. In olden times, the binder was often glue, and the pigment was chalk or plaster.
Artists use gesso to prepare surfaces like wood, canvas, or even sculptures before they start painting. It makes the surface ready for the paint and other art materials. One main reason is that wood or canvas can be rough or have an uneven color. Gesso covers these imperfections. It creates a clean, white surface. This "priming" helps the artist's painting stand out clearly. Even if a surface is already smooth, many artists still use gesso. It can change how light reflects from the painting. This can make the artwork look even better!
Modern Acrylic Gesso
Acrylic gesso is a newer, more modern type of gesso. It is very popular today because it is often cheaper and easier to use than traditional gesso. This type of gesso is made from a mix of calcium carbonate (like chalk) and a special plastic-like liquid called an acrylic polymer. It also has pigment and other chemicals. These additions help make it flexible and last a long time. Even though it's called "gesso," it's technically a different kind of primer because it uses acrylics instead of traditional glue.
Some artists have found a small problem when using oil paints over acrylic gesso. Oil paints can be very flexible over time, but acrylic gesso might not be as flexible in the same way. This difference in flexibility could sometimes cause the oil paint to peel or flake off the surface. Because of this, some artists prefer to use a traditional oil-based primer if they are going to paint with oils.
Images for kids
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A restored gesso panel representing St. Martin of Tours. From St. Michael and All Angels Church, Lyndhurst, Hampshire.
See also
In Spanish: Gesso para niños
