GESSO or not?

[PogArtTi]

Hi my friends.
I'm tempting to try gesso ...
I wish anybody could share some experience with me please ?

I know that Hot Pressed Arches Aquarelle is smooth paper, and I know it's very nice white tone.
But I also know, that it has some texture on the surface, and it isn't pure white, but it has nice crecemy tint to it.

I'm tempting to place a layer of LIQUITEX WHITE GESSO.
In my point of view the white gesso may change the creamy white into pure white, at least it may appear much whiter than at present .
The gesso will also smoothen the textured surface,making it even smoother.

This is what I'm actually willing to achieve, whiter and smoother surface.

Any thoughts please?
Any experience to share?
Will I benefit, is it worth it?
Thank you.

[LindasPencils]

Liquitex is a good product, I have used it previously. Now I use GOLDEN products, a little more expensive but slightly better quality I have been told and I am quite pleased with the results.
I have not used gesso on paper, only on canvas to prepare a smooth, vellum like surface for drawing on. I detailed this in the post titled Aero-Naut WIP last year - just search my posts to reread.

It is important that before you begin you tape your paper to a board completely and securely on all four sides. I suspect it would be best if you stretched the paper first, especially if it is Arches which I find has a tendency to buckle when damp.

Depending on the consistency of your gesso (whether it is thick and gloppy or thin and drippy), you may or may not want to dilute it a bit with water. Thinning gesso with water will make the layer more smooth but could cause buckling.

Use a nice broad, flat brush. With an evenly loaded brush, stroke the paper in one direction only from end to end. Load again and repeat until totally covered. Be careful to avoid lumps or lines of built up gesso that can gather at the edges of the brushstroke. You can dry brush over these to smooth them out.

Wait until the paper is completely dry and has flattened out again. Watch that it is dry all the way through. This could take at least 8 hours or more depending on your weather and humidity. This drying may cause the paper to pull the tape free, not sure. If it does you will have a buckled surface so make sure to use heavy duty wide tape.

This next step is important to gain a smooth surface. Now with a very fine sandpaper, I use the glass grade, sand the surface smooth. Dry brush or use a blower to remove the resulting dust. Once the dust is gone, repeat the gesso step above but paint the brushstrokes at 90degrees from the first. Dry and repeat the sandpaper thing. You can achieve a lovely smooth almost vellum like surface by sanding it smooth. I use a hand held sanding block to do this.

You may want gesso and sand 3 or 4 times depending on the surface results. With paper I would be wary to do it too much as the gesso could crack if it is too thick so maybe only 2 coats is needed.

good luck! have fun and let us know your results.

[PogArtTi]

Thank you dear Linda, I knew I can count on you
I used to oil painting, I'm familiar with this subject, but I never did gesso layer over the paper, nor for graphite drawing either...
This was my main concern you see.
I'll search for your post later, to read it through, thank you.
I'm aware of the need of stretching the paper, but I think I can get away of this step with my sturdy drawing sheet, which is 630gsm, very heavy, sturdy drawing surface...
Also I'm tempting use the small painting roll, instead of brush...
I just been watching somebody applying gesso with the painting roll,and it does makes sense to me because with the roll it seems the application can be done much more evenly, than with the brush?
Therefore I'm consider if the polishing with the sandpaper would may be necessary
Anyway I won't know it unless I try
I'm gonna try to gesso my paper Linda, thank you!!!

[LindasPencils]

Therefore I'm consider if the polishing with the sandpaper would may be necessary

It is if you want a very smooth plate finish, which is why you want to try gesso?? If you don't sand you will have a gritty, textured surface.
Re the stretching. I use a 350gsm paper and don't stretch, just tape all four sides completely. But then I don't often saturate the paper. Still I have found as long as I have it taped I don't get too much buckling. With a 640 paper I don't think you would get any

[PogArtTi]

So sanding seems to be a must
I'm appreciate your keen advice dear Linda

[JayS]

I never thought of using gesso on paper. What a thought!

I was asked to do a drawing 4 feet by 8 feet. I couldn't find paper large enough so I used marine plywood. A friend suggested that I use a gesso made of calcium carbonate and rabbit skin glue. Rembrandt used this on oak boards I understand. I used a paint gun to spray the gesso on the plywood. I had to apply 14 coats to get the right drawing surface. The gesso need to be sanded between coats so I used a random orbital sander. Once I sanded too much and produced a glass like surface that had no tooth. More gesso fixed this and the resulting surface was great to draw on. When the drawing was done I varnished it with a latex varnish. As I understand gesso was used initially by oil painters to protect their unpainted surfaces from the toxic effects of oil paint.

The advantage of calcium carbonate and rabbit skin glue is a superior hard surface that take graphite extremely well. It also looks like marble. Liquitex gesso for me seems to have a comparatively soft surface that requires a lot of drying time to behave with graphite. Otherwise the pencil tends to dig in rather than ride on top.

It seems that a key question is WHY gesso? If it is to get a smooth surface then selecting a plate paper will provide the smoothest possible drawing surface. Since graphite is not toxic in the same way oil paint is there may not be reason to coat a drawing surface to protect it. I guess the ultimate reason to use a gesso is if it produces a particular quality of drawing you like.

[PogArtTi]

Thank you very much for this very knowledgeable post...
I've never have heard of the materials you have kindly mentioned.
So with your advice it's possible to make a drawing surface over nearly any board, which is just splendid!
Thank you JayS!

[PogArtTi]

I'm getting ready for next drawing of my sister.
Yes.
First time attempt of priming paper with Acrylic Gesso.
I'm going to follow your keen advice Linda.
JayS I'm doing it with Liquitex because I just have it at home, let see how it goes...
Thank you all for great advice and support.

[LindasPencils]

Did you tape your paper down all four sides? if not... is it buckling?

[PogArtTi]

Did you tape your paper down all four sides? if not... is it buckling?

Thanks dear friend for your curious reply
Not, it isn't looking worst than you can see.
And I haven't used the tape at all.
The bucking wasnt's issue in here, but achieving polished surface
It has had flatten back again after every each of application, then when it dried off, it was getting to this stage.

I didn't use the paint brush as you have advised dear Linda...
The paint roll left nothing but sandy texture, something like pastels paper texture... - it wasn't what I was looking for, and I didn't like it.

Because of failure to achieve smooth polished surface, I gave up...
I think I'm done experimenting for now
Thank you...