Background
I’ve used clear gesso before but not really into it. This time since I need clear gesso to finish my fabric dye experiment, I start to notice their difference. So I put the information together as a quick clear gesso review
The clear gesso I need is to be actually transparent. So it doesn’t affect the appearance of canvas after fabric dye. So this is my main goal.
Products
Daniel Smith
This is by far the BEST one I have ever tried. It lives to its name. It is true transparent clear gesso.
Winsor Newton
Nope. This one is cloudy. It will give you a milky layer.
Liquitex
Another cloudy one. Last time I tried this was years ago. I am not sure if they change the formula or not.
Example 1
I made two experimental canvas with boro style. One is brownish linen, the other is bluish cotton. Here are the photos of before and after different clear gesso.
The linen canvas after fabric dye and sewing. Before gesso. The brown color is saturated and clear.
The backside of the linen canvas on stretcher bars. Before gesso. Notice that the edges are cloudy. Yes, at this point I have applied the Winsor Newton clear gesso on the front side. I have also applied it on the overflow area over the bars.
The front side after one layer of Winsor Newton clear gesso. One layer is enough to ruin my beautiful brown color linen. The other two layers are Daniel Smith. Otherwise it will probably be white already.
To see the difference, I applied triple layer of Daniel Smith clear gesso on the backside. It was inside the red square area only. You can compare with the image above.
Example 2
This one is cotton duck. It has been dyed and on stretcher bars. Before gesso.
After triple layer Daniel Smith clear gesso. The result is exactly what I expect from a clear gesso.
Summary
We have a winner, obviously. Thank God I used Daniel Smith clear gesso in the first fabric dye experiment. Otherwise, my orange cat would be ruined too.
On the texture side, the gesso makes the canvas stiff and adds some tooth to hold oil paint. They all do. But only one is transparent.
If you don’t mind the milky effect, then Winsor Newton and Liquitex are fine. If it doesn’t affect your project, they are fine too. But if you are looking for the true transparent result, you know what to choose.
There are other brands of clear gesso. At this point I can’t try them all. Hopefully in the future I can extend this review to other brands. I hope this clear gesso review helps.