Re: Gesso sizing

Judy Seigel (jseigel@panix.com)
Fri, 13 Jun 1997 01:49:38 -0400 (EDT)

Thanks Bernie for excellent info -- did you think I could refrain from
more questions?

On Thu, 12 Jun 1997 Bernard104@aol.com wrote:

> I remember from our previous discussions that gesso sizing is not one of your
> favourite things. And I must admit that for most of my work I use gelatin
> sizing. However, recently I had to finish 12 prints in less than a week for
> a client and I didn't have the time or the paper to gelatin size so I pulled
> out the gesso and was printing within hours of purchasing the paper.

I'm curious which paper you chose for the task...

Actually, I've gotten some interesting effects mixing gesso and gelatine,
without hardener on a variety of papers -- mostly for one coat, however. I
also have to say that my judgement of just plain gesso as NG for a sizing
was based on tests for one coat, and I also know enough more now to figure
that other emulsion formulations might have acted differently. The ones I
tried then made VERY flaky highlights... I assume you do NOT have flaky
highlights, perhaps from using much thinner coats...

> This may be beyond the scope of your question but I dilute the gesso with
> water until I can coat the paper evenly using a foam brush. I hold the paper
> up with a light shining through it to check the eveness of he coating. If
> the coating looks a little blotchy then I add more water. As a last step I
> will usually buff the paper slightly with a lint free cloth. This seems to
> remove the grittyness that I sometime get with gesso sizing.

No, that's exactly the scope of my question. In other words, I take it
you're using just one coat of the thinned gesso, and I'd GUESS you're
using about one part gesso to 3 parts water.. (?). I also, BTW, wiped the
dry paper down with a soft cloth (recycled vintage flannel nightgown). It
improved the rougher papers, but disimproved smooth ones...

Incidentally, I got the idea of mixing the gesso and gelatine from you --
unless I misunderstood something you said...

What about liquitex gloss medium? Have you used that thinned for a size?
I found it was lousy for one-coat gum, but quite fine for tri-color... (Of
which I have only made two to date, so no questions please.)

> And last but not least I don't expect great things from the first coating. I
> seems to settle down after that. I know some of the books say to sand the
> gesso sizing but I never found that to help me.

I never saw that in a book -- do you remember which ones?

cheers,

Judy