Real Deal Spolas

[Athena Areias]

I used gesso as an undercoat on my leather-covered wood-core aspis. It certainly made it white. It also stiffened it. I would test a gesso wash in various water/gesso mixtures to find the one that whitens without making the leather too stiff (and flaking off the leather) and too diluted to be useful. Good luck. (Maybe find the right ratio and add marble powder or pigment for milk paint?)

[Feinman]

So, if you use gesso (not traditional gesso [hide glue and calcium carbonate, extremely hygroscopic]), then my thought is that you might as well use acrylic paint, as modern gesso has an acrylic base.

[czaczaja]

Great work so far! Have you made any progress since your last post?

[Feinman]

Great work so far! Have you made any progress since your last post?

Thanks! :-) It is still in pieces around me now, waiting to be finished. I was sucked into a number of other projects and subjects --and it went on the back burner along with the shield effigy, etc. But.. I plan on getting back to finishing it very soon and will post pics when that is under way!

[czaczaja]

Thanks! :-)  It is still in pieces around me now, waiting to be finished.  I was sucked into a number of other projects and subjects --and it went on the back burner along with the shield effigy, etc.  But..  I plan on getting back to finishing it very soon and will post pics when that is under way!

I get you. I'm the same, few projects on the go and work..

[Feinman]

Thanks! :-)  It is still in pieces around me now, waiting to be finished.  I was sucked into a number of other projects and subjects --and it went on the back burner along with the shield effigy, etc.  But..  I plan on getting back to finishing it very soon and will post pics when that is under way!

I get you. I'm the same, few projects on the go and work..

Exactly.