Buckeye AKA Darryl | 10 Jan 2017 9:42 a.m. PST |
Based on some of the great conversations here on TMP, I decided to try Gesso as a means to prime my figures. Here is a bit of a blog post on my experience thus far: link |
steamingdave47 | 10 Jan 2017 9:53 a.m. PST |
Been using gesso for several years, very happy with the results. |
Rubber Suit Theatre | 10 Jan 2017 10:21 a.m. PST |
Using a sponge brush instead of bristles should speed up the priming process considerably. The sponge brushes also seem to wear better for this application.
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jeffreyw3 | 10 Jan 2017 10:23 a.m. PST |
Gesso is a great brush-on primer for miniatures and it provides a very nice surface for acrylic paints. Is it the thinnest brush-on primer solution--no, but that may or may not be a factor for you. |
dBerczerk | 10 Jan 2017 10:52 a.m. PST |
Buckeye -- did you use the white Gesso "neat" or did you thin it a bit with water or flow enhancer? I've tried Liquitex white Gesso, and even thinned with water, it still seemed a bit too thick on 28mm figures. |
Garand | 10 Jan 2017 11:34 a.m. PST |
I agree with the above. I use gesso occasionally as a base for bright colors (FREX yellow) over regular spray primer. I definitely have to cut the gesso with distilled water (though tap water probably would be OK for this; we have fairly hard water where I live) in order to get satisfactory results. Also I am skeptical how well chalk in an acrylic medium would wear as opposed to a good lacquer primer. Damon. |
chuck05 | 10 Jan 2017 1:20 p.m. PST |
I pretty much use nothing but black gesso to prime now. Where I live its either too cold or too humid to prime. Gesso is great as I can use it indoors with no bad smells. |
Dale Hurtt | 10 Jan 2017 2:09 p.m. PST |
I use gesso now that I primarily paint wood figures. It is a necessity otherwise the wood sucks up your paint. I use it for my plastic figures too, but I am not sure I would use it on pewter figures as they seem to have enough bite as it is. But, I haven't painted a pewter figure in a while now. |
Sgt Slag | 10 Jan 2017 5:18 p.m. PST |
Gesso is fine as long as you seal the finished paint. I brush on urethane-stain, after painting, without any issues. Wears like iron. Cheers! |
The G Dog | 10 Jan 2017 6:28 p.m. PST |
I'm using it now on some Shapeways 1/144 Black Strong and Flexible models. |
KSmyth | 10 Jan 2017 9:58 p.m. PST |
I'll use Liquitex Gesso if it's too cold or hot to spray prime. Not my first choice, but a very workable one. Thinning will help, but I never find the Gesso to glop up the detail. |
farnox | 11 Jan 2017 10:52 a.m. PST |
I've been using Gesso for years. No problems. It shrinks when it dries so I have not found any issues with it covering up detail. I do thin it down as others have suggested however. |
Sgt Slag | 11 Jan 2017 12:07 p.m. PST |
I posted in answer to concerns that it would rub off. It does not have a great deal of adherence to the underlying material (metal, plastic, resin). Just wanted to point out that adherence is not really an issue if the paint is sealed. Cheers! |
VicCina | 11 Jan 2017 1:09 p.m. PST |
I've been using gesso for awhile and I like the results, plus I can apply it inside in any weather. |
Bowman | 12 Jan 2017 7:21 a.m. PST |
I posted in answer to concerns that it would rub off. It does not have a great deal of adherence to the underlying material (metal, plastic, resin). Just wanted to point out that adherence is not really an issue if the paint is sealed. I'm going to take the minority viewpoint and agree with Sgt Slag. There is no way an acrylic based gesso will adhere to metal as well as an oil based spray-on primer. Do the rub test on two differently prepared figures, to convince yourselves. The fact that many users have no issues with the gesso rubbing off is more due to the careful handling of their figures (something that not all wargamer's do) and then doing proper post paint sealing, as described by Sgt Slag. Having said that, I do sometimes use Liquitex Gesso for the same reasons given above. Gesso's real strength is adhering to porous surfaces like canvas and wood. That's what it was originally designed for. |
dBerczerk | 13 Jan 2017 7:35 a.m. PST |
I've heard Gesso works well as a base coat for soft plastic figures like 54mm HaT Industries and Armies in Plastic. I've had "flakage" problems with painting both manufacturers' figures when undercoating with spray-on primers, even those marketed as designed for plastics. Particularly troublesome areas: bayonets, swords, and rifle barrels. |
ordinarybass | 13 Jan 2017 10:21 a.m. PST |
Been using Gesso for many years It's great. Though I've used more and more colored spray cans recently, I've continued to use white and black Gesso as my primers for all brush-on applications. I note that you preferred grey undercoat. You can always add some paint to gesso I've added black to white gesso for grey priming and it works well. One thing I will say as regards to Liquitex. There is a definite difference between the standard line and the "Basics" line. Especially with white, the "basics" line is thicker and less smooth. It still works fine for me but I think it's definitley worth the higher price for the standard line. I agree that varnish is necessary for gesso (as I think it is for all painted figures) I use Winsor Newton Galeria Acrylic Matte varnish. It's fairly cheap and available at most art stores. 2 coats dulls down even the shinyest dipped figure. |
jeffbird | 01 Jul 2018 9:16 a.m. PST |
Hi, Will Gesso work for small scales such as 1/600 and 1/300. Cheers Jeff |
Sevastopol | 03 Jul 2018 6:49 p.m. PST |
Do you use a PVA coat before you apply the Gesso. |
Bowman | 04 Jul 2018 1:45 p.m. PST |
Nope, just use the gesso right on the figure. |
Sevastopol | 04 Jul 2018 6:32 p.m. PST |
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Sgt Slag | 05 Jul 2018 2:41 p.m. PST |
jeffbird, I would suggest trying it. Gesso will shrink, as it dries, but with 1/600 and 1/300 scale figures, it might fill in details. If you do not like the results, soak the figure in Simple Green cleaner, scrub with an old toothbrush, rinse, dry, and start over with another method. Cheers! |
VicCina | 09 Jul 2018 9:19 p.m. PST |
Yes, Gesso works for smaller figures. I've used it a lot with my 6mm figures without issues. |