How to make Clear Gesso 

Pink Poodle Crafts thank you so much for this information!! Great tips!

Your recipe? Seeing as how I started making my own back in the early 1980s I somehow doubt you invented it. And I can assure you I was far from the first to do so. It so annoys me that folk claim as their own so many things that have been used for many decades. In the 70s I made my own spacecraft from leftover Airfix model kits, even customizing my scalextrix slot cars too. Most of my mates did stuff like that back then, yet now "Kitbashing" is a new thing? We made model dioramas too. My dad made one for our toy dinosaurs to play with and store on my shelves in the bedroom, but "Booknooks" are new? And since the beginning of time artists have made their own paints with their own recipes as modern art supply stores have only been around since after WW2. glue, powdered Marble, Talcum or Baby Powder, or even crack filler powder, Flour, even Gum Arabic and raw Eggs, all been used to make the most common of art supplies, texture paint, gesso, glues, modelling pastes and even the pasints used by the original old masters all homemade since art began. Discovering things for yourself is not invention, and to claim so is rediculous.

Deborah Richards you’re most welcome!!

Thanks for the tip, but may I ask just what do you use used motor oil for?

I agree!! I love being able to find DIY alternatives to our more expensive supplies. Thank you!

darlene emerson you’re most welcome!

thank you my friend.

Cece Crew thank you very much! 👍🏻❤️

scottishcovenanters you’re most welcome and thank you!

You’re most welcome!

no kidding, right!! I'm all over more money for supplies!! Thank you Leslie. 👍🙂

You’re very welcome!!! Please be sure to follow the recipe in the description as I gave a wrong measurement for the marble dust in my video. 👍🏻

@@mytherapyroom how much do you think I need for the baby powder, + I have add to your channel. I are saving to buy a better camera and light .. Sorry just now I'm sad one of my cat's are gone now in 2 days

If you’re looking to make white gesso I have a video on my channel for that. It will give you the measurements for your baby powder in order to make gesso. 👍🏻

Here’s the link to my other gesso video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4HLzqis0MIU.html

@@mytherapyroom thank you

Robin Simmons you’re welcome!!

awe, thank you very much Maggie! 👍🙂

My camera is on a tripod right in front of me. It sits sort of right at the top of my craft mat. The part of the tripod that attached to the camera, has a crank on it that

Sorry, hit enter too soon...Lol. Anyway, the crank simply elevates the camera higher without having to extend the legs out further therefore allowing the legs to stay out of the video frame and allows me to use the whole craft mat without interference. As for lighting, I simply use two Ott lights I picked up at Costco and they sit on either side of the tripod. This set up allows me to have the whole craft mat to work on and then I can simply reach straight up and use my cameras zoom feature very easily. Thank you!!

Great information. Thanks so much! :)

wuznotbornyesterda it keeps the working surface visible. It provides great youth for pastels, graphite and charcoal. It’s great for use on shutting you wish to still be able to see parts or portions of your substrate through. 👍🏻

Chris Hales thank you! And I'm not sure of it would make into a gel or not! 👍☺

no, this wont make a gel medium as marble dust has no binding properties, its just an additive to add tooth to the gesso. However, you can glue with this if youre paper collaging but I know some gel mediums are stronger than white glue and since that is all that is in this recipe, it wont be as strong as gel medium :)

It sure would. The marble dust gives you allot of youth to work with.

Amy Stanyon you’re welcome, but I’m not 100% sure if the powder maybe comes in different grades of grit. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I know mine ended up having lots of tooth to it.

Alayna Moser you’re most welcome! I go to a place called Art Placement off third ave. It’s kind of tucked in behind the alley but great little store!!

mytherapyroom thank you so very much!!!!... I️ can barely wait to check it out! And thank you so much for all the time yesterday u take to share with us, it’s very much appreciated

Donna L. Hanrahan thank you!

Elif Aniler not if you want clear gesso.

Cynthia Velez you sure can!

Cynthia, in a previous comment she said not if you want clear gesso. So I guess the marble stuff will produce clear and baby powder or baking soda will produce white gesso. I made white gesso with baking soda, school glue and water.

Would you recommend any other type of glue in its place? I've only just started to experiment making my own pastes but haven't attempted a clear yet.

Mr Teacup actually Gesso is the Italian name for gypsum. And the PVA will dilute in water but not dissolve; so actually it is more stable. The original glue used in the 16. century has been bone glue. There some texts with the old recipes floating around. The advantage of gypsum was and is you can polish it with sanding paper and such to create a glossy surface.. But for that wall or wood might be a more underground.

@@mmoorecaterer2cats458 so, up there you said pva glue dissolves but down you say it doesn't...

drika rezende isn‘t chemistry great? While pva is liquid, it will mix to some extent in water. After drying, the pva will remain unsoluble and stable.

schusterkarla I don’t think baby powder would work for clear gesso. I know people use baby powder for regular gesso all the time.

Ginger Black I don’t see why not! 👍🏻👍🏻

Jane Smith any time you need to ‘prep’ a surface in order for paint to adhere. Much like you prime a wall in your house before you paint, it gives whatever surface you’re going to add paint to some ‘tooth’ for the paint to adhere to. I hope that makes sense!

Yes it does.

Gayna - гина - H not as much. I've taken up painting and that seems to take up all my time now! lol

hmmmmm........ good question! let me know if it works if you try it?!

I believe you would need plaster of Paris, I'm sure I've seen videos on making chalk paints with it.

Calcium carbonate is one of the most commonly used ingredients for chalk paint. Plaster of Paris is good, but can turn solid, due to the fact that it is plaster.... so only mix enough for whatever project you are currently working on.

Billie Connole I purchased it at a local privately owned art supply store

I ordered mine from Amazon

Tums Antacid is Calcium carbonate. I crushed some tablets and going to try to see if it works!

WANDA THE FAM I purchased it at a privately owned art supply store.

Helle Hyldgaard you’re absolutely correct!

Donna L. Hanrahan I purchased mine at an actual art supply store. It’s an independent store in our city in Saskatchewan.

mytherapyroom i have no idea where that is but I have art stores here😊

darshi purewal I found it at an actual art supply store. ☺☺

Fredrix Marble Powder is available on Amazon.

sophia russel it’s used to prep a surface before you paint.

H l Pursley yes......I'll check on my batch when I get home and see if it's hard as a rock! lol

Design For Deen oh boy. Good question!! I really don’t know!

It's okay. I guess I have to find out where I can find marble dust. It's not widely available where I am.

Hi, you can also use calcium carbonate

Mypiercedfallout siren thank you very much for this info! 🤓

Design For Deen ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iNa_4rJ7OKg.html