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What is gesso and why would it be good to apply prior to painting on paper mache?

I read two coats of gesso is good to use before apply acrylic paint to paper mache items. I don't want to buy an item that isn't really necessary

Gesso is a primer. Artists sometimes apply it to a surface before painting on it. In fact, gesso looks a lot like paint.

Originally, gesso only came in white. Artists put it on canvas, wood, or other surfaces before creating a painting with oil paint or acrylics.

Gesso makes the surface a little stiffer. It prevents paint from soaking into the support (canvas, paper, wood, etc.), and it gives the surface a little more texture (called "tooth"), so the paint sticks better.

Today, gesso comes in many colors. White is still the most popular, but black and colors are also widely used for art journaling and other art.

It's useful for mixed media work as well as fine art paintings.

Gesso is different from paint. Generally, it's thinner and creates a slightly rough surface when you apply it.

Originally, gesso was a mixture of calcium--like chalk--in a thin base of animal glue.

When you see religious paintings and icons on wood, they were probably painted over gesso. The gesso kept the paint from sinking into the wood too much, and it made the paint stick better if the wood surface was really smooth.

But, gesso changed in the 20th century. In 1955, Liquitex (an acrylic paint company) developed the first water-based acrylic gesso. It provided a consistent and inexpensive primer layer for both acrylic and oil paintings.

In recent years, some artists have begun to question whether or not acrylic gesso is the right product to use under oil paint. While this isn't an issue for most people working in art journals, it's something to think about if you're also working with oils.

Jose Tonito PAINTINGConfrontationInk on paper art

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What does 'Light to Dark' mean?

Simply, it is the way watercolor washes are applied to the surface of watercolor paper. The idea is to lay wash over wash to build color strength and tone... from Light to Dark.

This is done by first using thin watered down color to reduce the starkness of the white paper
Once the first light tone wash is dry, the next slightly stronger wash is applied
After the second wash has dried, a third darker wash can be painted
And then the next still darker wash is added... and the next...

'Light to Dark' is the first and most important rule of watercolor painting. It is a rule that is hard to ignore. Although there are occasions when you can get around it, the principle gives you a cast iron guarantee against unwanted painting errors.

In theory, you can continue to apply as many further washes as you want. However, as you add more washes the transparency of the color reduces. This is not what most artists want to happen. It is the white of the paper shining through the color that gives watercolor paintings their extra life.

Top watercolor painters can do this almost all of the time, often needing no more than 4 washes to get best results...

Another reason for keeping the number of washes to a minimum is that it reduces the disturbance of the lower washes. It keeps the color quality high because earlier washes aren't dissolved into the newer washes.

If you ignore the 'Light to Dark' rule by trying to paint light colors over dark color, your light colors are lost...

Light washes over dark have no strength because they have less color pigment
Light washes, with more water, pick up pigment from lower washes and lose their strength to the stronger darker under-wash

Painting light tones before dark tones is what gives watercolor paintings their sparkle and brilliance...

Color luminosity is increased by light reflecting from the white of the paper, back through the color. This is where the vibrancy of watercolor comes from...

It is the paper that you should be trying to use as your white
It is the white of the paper reflecting though the transparent watercolor pigment that adds to color quality
It is the texture of the paper that makes watercolor color sing, with light bouncing back at different angles

When watered down most watercolor pigments are naturally transparent and let light pass through. It does this because...

For light colors there is less color on the paper surface... pigment particles are widely spread, letting the white of the paper shine between
For dark colors there is more color covering the paper surface... pigment particles are crammed together to hide the paper surface... the white of the paper cannot reflect through dense color particles

Only when the color pigment is at its strongest (unthinned) does it become opaque and resist light passing through.

Remember, with watercolor painting, water is the solvent... it acts as a 'Thinner'. By altering the amount of water in the mixing process you can change color strength...

Use more water for light color tones
Use less water for stronger darker color tones

Given a choice between looking at paintings that use bright vibrant color and pictures that have dull dead color...

"What would be your choice... Light, bright, clear and refreshing to look at?"

Michael Dale is the author of 1- Color Is Best (the quick and easy way to learn to paint watercolor) and 3- Colors Are All You Need (mix any color you want fast using only 3 colors). Go to http://www.Paint-And-Draw.com to find out more.

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