abendgules | Day 7 of 30 day challenge - gesso, I haz it (Reply)

It's almost an anticlimax, after reducing much larger containers of plaster, mixing, wetting, drying...and this is it? Sheesh.

Never mind. It's the process (in this case in 30 days) that matters.

SO:
the slaked plaster, once more ground to a fine powder, provides the body of the gesso, along with some powdered titanium white (in place of roasted lead);
the armenian bole provides the colour - as a dry pigment it's deep brown-orange;
the rock candy, ground very fine, provides some stickiness ('coffee sugar', a light brown coarse sugar, is an alternative);
the seccotine (fish glue, bought in a small jar from Cornelissens) provides still more stickiness
water ('purified', for a given value of pure) , added with a dropper, mixes it together

This recipe from Mistress Oriane is very similar to the one from Mistress Yvianne's angelfire pages (newer versions on zoomin available) - she uses hide glue in place of fish glue, and honey for sugar. It's also nearly identical to the one in The Gilded Page, though that author's process is much more prolonged. I may try the overnight method she suggests for another batch in future.

I did use some of the gesso while it was wet, straight onto some test pieces, after dolloping out most of the contents of the bowl onto the cookie sheet. What's in the little jar is the rinsed-out bowl contents, rinsed only with purified water, which I poured off. I wasn't feeling confident about pouring even small quantities of glue and plaster down the kitchen sink, and who knows, I may be able to use it yet. It has separated, so the glue at the bottom may be usable.

While I'm still not wild about gilding - I now have the ingredients to supply a lifetime of gilders. Anyone need gilding stuff?