Gesso and Masonite

I found six-by-six-inch squares of Masonite in Pearl’s basement for 57¢ each. Might be useful for something, so I bought four, but they need gessoing. Then I stopped off at Soho Art Supply, intending to pick up a tube of M. Graham’s cobalt blue, balked at the price (it’s a series 5 pigment), and picked up jars of gesso and absorbant ground instead. The latter is a painting ground intended for watercolor techniques. Ought to go nicely with the Masonite — a surface smooth and absorbent as illustration board, but sturdier. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.

The four Masonite squares are sitting on newspaper, with four layers of gesso drying on each of them. With four layers, there’s still a lot of brown showing through. It seems to take a lot more gesso to cover Masonite than to cover canvas. Well, the Masonite’s darker, and there are probably absorbancy issues. Now I need to find some sandpaper. I’d forgotten what a pain gessoing was. Well, no I hadn’t, really.