Oh My!
Hello! I am so stoked to be here offering up this week's design post! Today I am going to share with you something that came on the heels of need creating necessity. It has been so long since i have played in the mixed media side of things that when I went to add some texture to my page, my Gesso had dried up :( It's not super convenient for me to run into town, to an art supply store, and grab a jar...and let me be honest, I am not super patient. Especially when it comes to my creative endeavors. Enter google, determination and the sense that I hate being stymied...when I am unable to buy something, I should be able to make it...right? Right! Usually this theory works and I am happy to report that homemade gesso is a possibility! Need creates necessity and necessity is the mother of invention. So let's get to it!
There are advantages and disadvantages to this, as there is with everything in life...but in a pinch or being new to mixed media or you just don't want to buy commercial gesso, this stuff works really well!
You will need:
- 1 part white glue
- 3 parts water
- 6 parts cornstarch (baby powder works as well)
- white paint (1-2 TBSP)
- mix everything together in a jar and voila! The ability to create some texture on your projects. Something to note: this stuff takes a bit longer to dry then commercial gesso. It also has a different texture and consistency.
But just so you can see how it looks when used...here is a project I created using an RPD stencil and the Harvest & Blessings Life Fragments.
First, I laid Ronda's Ceiling Tile stencil (6" x 6") on my background paper and using a palette knife I smeared the homemade gesso over portions of the stencil. Because the consistency of the homemade gesso is a bit different, I let the stencil sit for a few minutes before pulling it off.
Then I applied some more homemade gesso with my palette knife before laying the stencil back down and applying more homemade gesso.
Then it's a waiting game! Once the textured background had dried, I started layering on my photo, embellsihments, and journaling.
Ronda's Harvest & Blessing Life Fragments were perfect embellishments to add to this page to help create whimsy and magic!
