A primer, usually containing gypsum or pumice, used to prepare the SUPPORT to receive paint.
Mixture of chalk and glue, sometimes used as a ground for painting.
A form of plaster which can be carved and gilded or painted for use as a decorating medium on furniture. Gesso (pronounced jesso) is a dense mix of powdered chalk and size which hardens on drying. It is built up in layers onto a surface or over a wire framework, or cast into a mould. The material was often used in place of wood for detailed relief work on chairs, mirror frames and pier tables from the mid- 18thC and increasingly in the 19thC.
A mixture made of Plaster of Paris (whiting) and glue size applied to wood so as to provide a decorative surface which can be painted, gilded or lacquered. The surface can either be smooth or carved/moulded in low-relief. It's often used on picture frames.
Ground plaster, chalk or marble mixed with glue or acrylic medium, generally white. It provides an absorbent ground for oil, acrylic, and tempera painting.
A preparation of chalk worked into a paste with a binder used as priming before gilding wood to be used in furniture or other decorative work.
A mixture of glue and either chalk or plaster of Paris applied as a ground or coating to surfaces in order to give them the correct properties to receive paint. Gesso can also be built up or molded into relief designs, or carved. When used for molds into which molten metal is poured, it must be hardened with sand as grog. Like all other dusts, airborne gesso is hazardous to breathe -- every user must wear an appropriate facemask.
water based paint made from chalk or plaster of paris, thickened with glue and applied as surface preparation or 'ground' for Gilding. Also see Pigment.
A liquid primer (white in color) used as a base for painting on fabric. Available at art supply shops.
A mixture of plaster, chalk, or gypsum bound together with a glue which is applied as a ground or coating to surfaces in order to give them the correct properties to receive paint. Gesso can also be built up or molded into relief designs, or carved.
A brush-on white primer used as base coat over raw moulding prior to painting or leafing.
A paste prepared with glue (Plaster of Paris), spread upon a surface to fit it for painting or gilding
a plaster-like material used to make a raised design on furniture; it is often painted or gilded.
plaster and size used as a base for gilt decoration usually on pictures frames and furniture
a mixture of glue and chalk or plaster applied to walls or objects and capable of producing a very smooth finish, like polish.
A white, absorbent ground used for priming painting surfaces.
A mixture of glue and either chalk or plaster of Paris applied as a ground or coating surfaces in order to give them the correct properties to receive paint; A white, ground material composed of chalk, white pigment and glue used to prepare rigid supports for painting; also describes acrylic bound chalk and pigment used on flexible supports.
A paste made from a mixture of ground chalk or plaster and glue, and spread upon a surface of a canvas or panel. Used for gilding, and oil and tempera painting.
A white ground used to prepare a surface, such as canvas, for painting.
mixture of chalk whiting and glue which makes ideal surface for painting in oils or acrylics.
A prepared paste applied to wood or canvas, often made out of plaster of Paris or gypsum. The gesso tightens the canvas and prevents the oil paints from seeping through.
a mixture of whiting and glue often used to prepare a surface for painting
The normal ground for gilding, it is a preparation of chalk or plaster of Paris mixed into paste with glue or gelatin. It is coated onto the surface, allowed to dry and rubbed until smooth and hard. It hides the wood grain of the frame and evens any imperfections in the carving.
Gesso is a mixture of ground chalk and animal glue traditionally used on wood as a preparation layer prior to oil painting and gilding.
Gypsum powder added to liquid glue and used as a coating for painting surfaces such as wood panels or canvas.
a mixture of linseed oil and glue, toughened by the addition of whiting. Used mainly when plasterers formed ornaments by carving in freehand.
Traditionally a lean layer of size and chalk to form a ground on which to paint.
Mixture of chalk and glue that forms the base of gilding. Gesso can also be carved, and can be used to decorate mounts and frames.
This is a white, absorbent ground used for painting in oil and tempera. Panels and canvases are most often prepared with several coats of gesso. It creates a brillant white, smooth surface. See Making Gesso
A plaster like coating used on wood before gilding, painting or applying inlay. Usually composed of plaster or can be made by heating glue and adding whiting or powdered chalk.It is believed that this process was developed in Italy or France. No date of origin is known for sure , but it is quite possible it was the 16th or 17th century.
From Italian 'gypsum'. Gilded or painted bas-relief plaster decoration.
A plaster-like substance applied to carved furniture before gilding: also used as a substitute for carving when moulded and applied.
A white acrylic primer used to prepare a canvas or undercoat an object prior to painting for the purpose of sealing, smoothing and protecting.
A mixture of finely ground chalk or alabaster and animal glue used to prime a surface for painting.
Opaque primer to prepare surfaces to accept paint and glue.
A mixture of plaster of Paris, glue & water applied to wood surfaces to fill pores and obtain a glass-like smoothness. Used where the surface is to be gold leafed or faux painted to simulate veneer.
A white ground material for preparing rigid supports for oil paintings, made of a mixture of chalk, white pigment, and glue.
An Italian word which means a chalky substance. It is used as as ground to seal a surface prior to applying the paint. Glaze: A thin transparent gloss or mat coating applied over a painted surface. Gouache: An opaque watercolour medium. Ground: In printmaking: A layer on which the paint pigment is applied. The preliminary layer is applied to the support to seal the surface for the applied colour. Generally: The background in two-dimensional works and the surface onto which paint is applied. Gum Arabic: Produced from the sap of the acacia tree and used as a medium for watercolour paints.
A preparation of primarily slaked plaster and a binder, used for raised gilding with metal leaf. Gesso is also used to prime canvas and wooden boards for painting.
Paintlike base used to prime surfaces for painting or gilding.
A preparation of plaster of Paris and glue used as a base for low relief or as a surface for painting.
An acrylic-based ground that is applied to canvas or board before painting. A primer.
A smooth mixture of ground chalk or plaster and glue, used as the basis for tempera painting and for oil painting on panel.
A painted or gilded bas-relief plaster decoration.
A mixture of gypsum and animal glue applied to the wood of retablos or bultos prior to painting
A mixture of finely ground plaster and glue that is often spread on a surface prior to painting to create a ground or to add TEXTURE.
Paste composed of whiting or finely powdered marble dust mixed with glue and water which sets hard and is easy to carve. Used extensively in the 18th century as a base for decorative gilding and embellishment of carved woodwork such as mirror and painting frames.
A composition of gypsum or chalk bound together with glue or egg white, often mixed with a red earth called Armenian bole. The gesso was applied to the manuscript with a brush, and served to cushion gold and silver leaf.
An underpainting medium consisting of glue, plaster of Paris, or chalk and water. Gesso is used to size the canvas and prepare the surface for painting.
Plaster of Paris used as white primer for painting surface, esp. canvas.
A mixture of plaster and glue, which may be molded into ornaments of various shapes. Usually painted or gilded.
A paste used to prepare a surface for painting or gilding; mixture of whiting and size (traditionally animal-skin glue).
Plaster surface that has been prepared for painting by being coated with glue or another type of material.
Thick white basecoat paint for canvas or gilded and painted decoration of bas-relief plaster.
An undercoating medium used on the canvas or other painting surface before painting, to prime the canvas; usually a white, chalky, thick liquid. In the mid-20th century gesso became available already commercially prepared; before this time, artists often mixed their own gesso mixture.
A plaster surface composed of gypsum plaster, whiting, and glue, used as a base for decorative painting.
A substance made of plaster and glue, which may be molded into ornament of various shapes, and which is usually painted or gilded.
A creamy acrylic primer which can be used on almost any surface without a "shine" to it, i.e., can be used on wood, clay pots, etc.
"Gesso" ['dso] is the Italian word for "chalk" (akin to the Greek word "gypsum"), and is a powdered form of the mineral calcium carbonate used in art. Gesso was traditionally mixed with animal glue, usually rabbit-skin glue, to use as an absorbent primer coat for panel painting with tempera paints. It is a permanent and brilliant white substrate, as long as it is used on wood or masonite.