All About Gesso!

September 2 - October 14, 2026 (Once a Week for 7 Weeks)

11:00am - 12:30pm PST

2:00pm - 3:30pm EST

*(Adjust for Local Time Zone)

*Note: Daylight Savings Time:

March 8, 2026 (Clocks Go Forward 1 Hour)

Nov. 1, 2026 (Clocks Go Back 1 Hour)

**All Classes Are Live Online And Backup Recorded, Perfect If You Need To Miss A Class!

CLASS SIZE LIMIT: 10

(Adjust for Local Time Zone and Daylight Savings Time Changes)

ALL LEVELS WELCOME!

Gesso, is the essential foundation for Traditional Water Gilding. It is the required ground for Water Gilded Wood such as Panels, Picture Frames, Furniture, and Iconography as well as for Egg Tempera Panel painting. It can also serve as a ground for oil gilding and for painting with Oil and Acrylic Mediums.

This new 7-part Online Course explores the many aspects of this ancient method of making and applying traditional gesso made of rabbit skin glue, calcium carbonate/calcium sulphate, and water using an Old World recipe of Hard and Soft Gesso known for it stability and bonding characteristics.

The use of Gesso extends well beyond creating a Foundation, from creating puttty for gesso repair to decorative patterns in Relief. In this Course Students will Learn:

• How to Make Hard and Soft Gesso; a stable and absorbent Ground for Traditional Water Gilding and Painting

• Eliminating Pinholes in Gesso

• Applying Fabric to Panels before the Gesso to help prevent cracking of the gesso. This is also applied as Interlaggio in the mitres of Picture Frames

• Making and Applying Gesso Putty for Filling Holes and Gouges and Restorative Repair

• Making and Applying Soft Gesso Putty for creating Stenciled Relief

• Making and Applying Raised Gesso known as Pastiglia as Decorative Relief for a Gessoed Wood Ground (*The Raised Gesso technique in this Course is for use on Gilded Wood. A separate class for Raised Gesso for Paper is available, known as The Art of Gilded Raised Gesso For Paper)

• The Series ends with the Special Technique of Making and Applying Crackled Gesso, indicative of the crackled gesso often seen on 13th-15th c Sienese and Florentine Water Gilded Painted Panels

A Question/Answer Period is provided at the end of each Weekly Session and at the Final Overview of the Series.

* All gilding classes are Live on Zoom and recorded for viewing by registered students for an additional six months beginning at the end of the Series.

All Levels Welcome!

A Materials list will be provided upon Registration along with Links for Materials and Gilding Kits and a downloadable Recipe for the Hard and Soft Gesso.

CANCELLATION POLICY: Although No Refunds are available, a Full Credit to Any Future Available Class of equal or lesser value will be provided if you need to cancel. Or if you prefer, you may receive the full Recording Series from the class you joined or from a previously recorded series of your online class. Go Here to View the Complete Cancellation Policy.