Starting with Coloured Gesso

Very short of time this week but when I can I have been playing with the affects of coloured Gesso on the paintings. Gesso is the absorbent ground that is painted onto the canvas before beginning your painting. I have been mixing both warm and cool tones of gesso and then watching how that alters the resulting painting. It is amazing how big a difference this causes. The colour of the gesso changes all the colours that you paint on top of it. This is what creates a unity to the painting. So that every part of the image stays connected by this back ground colour. I really believe that this is important in a painting. This is certainly not a new idea but most painters achieve this effect by glazing the gesso with a light coat of the warm or cool tone. I prefer to tint the gesso as you retain the absorbent tooth of the gesso rather than filling it all with a glaze. If you are a painter give it a try, you will like the effect.