"Gesso question" Topic

I bought some to try and prime my pueblo buildings but it seems to be so thick that I wonder if it's just because it's a new method and I'm paranoid or if you are supposed to dilute it before using.

I am particularly interested because I have read that some people prime their miniatures with Gesso and I wonder if it dries showing details (not that my painting is so good, just the opposite,) sufficiently.

Gracias,

Glenn

Ive been using gesso since the 70's and no longer dilute it.
I do however dip my brush in water first to softer the bristles.
You can dilute the gesso to make it flow faster but it isnt necessary.
What is necessary is that the gesso must be completely dry before painting.
ymmv,
R.

ps, monohydrous dioxide works best at room temperature.

"monohydrous dioxide"

um … don't you mean dihydrous monoxide?

I tried it on a few 28mm figures. And no, I didn't thin it. Gesso seems to shrink even more than most latex based products which shrink a lot. I didn't experience any problems with obsuring detail.

However, my experience was that I had to let it dry for at least 24hrs. Any less than that and it would rub off. Even them, I had to be careful handling the figures to prevent rubbing off on the edges--the areas that most require good priming.

I also had a few areas where small cracks appeared when it dried. I think these were due to the Gesso shrinking. I touched these up to ensure I had the figure enveloped in one contiguous coat. I felt this was important because the Gesso doesn't really bond to the underlying metal like Floquil or other metal primers which are specifically designed to either chemically etch the surface or molecularly bond with metal).

All in all, I think Gesso is probably a reasonable primer if care is taken to use proper technique. However I think that I will err on the side of caution and stick with primers designed for metal.

I thin mine a little bit . I mean little to enhance flow . Use a second coat if necessary ,and you must let it dry throughly before aooling top coats . Spray and gesso each have thier advantages and disadvantages . Gesso does not smell , and can be used all year round . It does last and last I have mini's primed in the 70's that have held up to this day .

"monohydrous dioxide"

I remember that creature from D&D basic back in 1982.

"monohydrous dioxide"

I remember that creature from D&D basic back in 1982.

???

What brand of gesso are you using? I only have experience with Liquitex (not Liquitex Basics Gesso either), so if you are using another brand, your mileage may vary.

The classic article on this was done by Hyun on his now defunct Wee Toy Soldiers site. Here's another site that is hosting his article by permission: link

That is for 28mm figures not buildings but what it comes down to is, Liquitex Gesso can/should be glopped on undiluted and thick, and it will shrink as it dries so it does not obscure any detail.

I would think model buildings would have more blocky detail than figures, with at least equally high relief, so I would expect it to work similarly. But, as I said, your mileage may vary.

I use Gesso as my primary material for priming now for everything. When I first tried it I had read the link that donrice had posted. I followed what they said and just blobbed it on straight from the bottle. I was amazed at how much it shrunk when it dried, and equally amazed at the amount of detail that was there. And when I experimented for the first time, I really blobbed it on.

I have found that the technique is a little different between scales, but I am happy with the results across the board.

>>>I was amazed at how much it shrunk when it dried, and equally amazed at the amount of detail that was there.<<<

OK, after reading several of these Gesso articles here over the years this sounds worth a try.

I guess my wife, an artist at our university for many years, rather scared me off when I first queried her on the topic a couple of years ago. She said, "It's used for preparing canvasses, among other things."

Hmmm canvasses and 28mm figures didn't sound right in my mind, figured I'd stay with the familiar sprays. Live and learn, sounds worth some experimenting anyway.

Thanks

Does Gesso work on plastics?

Hmmm, I will guess that you have not seen the light yet and, instead of referring to god's own choice of 1/72 soft plastic you are referring to rigid 28mm. In which case – check out the original link above where gesso is used on plastic LotR figures.

If, however, you are referring to soft plastic, then YES – it is a great easily accessible primer for plastic figures. It flexes with the plastic and forms a perfect base coat. I use it a lot and am currently considering only using Gesso (in previous Summer's I have sprayed my own mix, but I am bored of waiting for warm weather in England).