What is the difference between acrilic paint and gesso if any?

Answer 1

Acrylic paint is fast-drying paint containing pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water), the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting.

Acrylics were first available commercially in the 1950s. The first commercially available acrylic paints were actually oil compatible.

Acrylics are sometimes used in place of watercolors because acrylics dry closer to the desired color (slightly darker, usually) while watercolors dry lighter (and often unpredictably, especially for beginning artists).

Acrylics are often used as an alternative to oil paints because acrylics dry much faster (usually within an hour or even as little as less than a minute, depending on brand and thickness of application). On the other hand, oil paints, which consist of pigment suspended in an oil (usually linseed, or other natural oil) base, can take a very long time to dry: a few weeks or as long as several months. By use of certain products, such as those made by many of the large art companies (often termed extenders or retarders) an artist can combine the best qualities of acrylic; low toxicity, longevity and cost, with the drying time associated with oils or enamels, which makes it easier to blend two or more colours into each other.

"Gesso" is the Italian word for "chalk" (akin to the Greek word "gypsum"), and is a powdered form of the mineral calcium carbonate used in art. Gesso was traditionally mixed with animal glue, usually rabbit-skin glue, to use as an absorbent primer coat for panel painting with tempera paints. This mixture is rather brittle and susceptible to cracking, thus making it unsuitable for priming canvas. But there is also acrylic gesso which you might be confusing with acrylic paint.

Acrylic gesso

Modern acrylic "gesso" is actually a combination of calcium carbonate with an acrylic polymer medium and a pigment. It is sold premixed for both sizing and priming a canvas for painting. While it does contain calcium carbonate to increase the absorbency of the primer coat, Titanium dioxide or titanium white is often added as the whitening agent. This allows the "gesso" to remain flexible enough to use on canvas. High concentrations of calcium carbonate will cause the resulting film to dry to a brittle surface susceptible to cracking.

Acrylic gesso can also be colored, either commercially by replacing the titanium white with another pigment, such as carbon black, or by the artist directly, with the addition of an acrylic paint. Acrylic gesso can be odorous, due to the presence of ammonia and/or formaldehyde which are added in small amounts as preservatives against spoilage. Pre-gessoed canvases can be obtained commercially.

Acrylic gesso is a modern art material, and has a proven record as a contemporary primer for oil painting and acrylics. Many of the solvents used in oil painting, such as turpentine or odorless mineral spirits (OMS), will leach some oil through a thin acrylic primer coat and damage the canvas underneath just like traditional hide glue sizing. However sufficient coverage and penetration of an absorbant support is archivally acceptable. The non-absorbancy of the acrylic base is the big advantage contemporay gesso has over traditional hide-glue/flake white grounds. Hide glue will absorb moisture and shrink and expand with climate change, making an unstable support for paint films to sit on.

Answer 2

There is a big difference! Gesso is used along with a base paint such as acrylic(or you dont have to use a base paint) It is used to thicken up the base paint and to add texture to a painting. When using acrylic paint it is already hard enough to get texture so gesso takes the guess work out(ha ha) no really it does!! It is sandable and it also preservses the painting for a longer period of time.

Answer 3

Gesso is the 'ground' that you paint on raw canvas as a layer between the cloth and the paint. So that the material doesn't soak up too much paint & so that the paint doesn't eat into the canvas (in relation to oil paint mostly).
If you will be painting in acrylics, use acrylic gesso.
If you'll be using oil, use an oil based ground. You CAN use an acrylic gesso under oil, but not oil under acrylic.
Email me if you want to know anything else.

Answer 4

Gesso is a stinky, white, thick substance that you put on canvas to prepare it to be painted on.

Acrylic paint is a plastic-based paint that has properties similar to oil paint but dries much more quickly, and it comes in many colors.

Big difference between gesso and acrylic. Hope that helps!

Answer 5

SHINE AND COLOR... gesso is flat and lacks shine made of pure titanium white pigment in an acrylic emulsion base which creates a fine tooth surface suitable for most any paint
ACRYLIC has color pigment and each different pigment may have different attributes and if you use that you may have some distortiant look to your work. Other than that they are basicly the same. Especially titanium white. One is more water than the other

Answer 6

Gesso is usually incredibly thick, and not meant for doing detailed work. It's ground chalk, I believe, and meant for priming surfaces more than painting a design.

Answer 7

I think gesso is more water based acrylic dries a lot quicker.

Answer 8

sorry m8 i dont know