Page Preparation
When we had our workshop with Taryn, the word ‘gesso’ came up. Many of us had no idea what it was. It is what artists use to prepare their canvas for painting. It comes in different colours and for Bible journaling, you would use a clear one. It will look white as it applied on the page, but it dries clear. The main reason for preparing your page is to give it extra strength, but also to help prevent the paints, inks, etc to bleed through to the other page.
We were recommended to use Dina Wakley Media Clear Gesso by Taryn. It dries quickly and is easy to apply. The downside for us in the Garden Route is that we havent been able to source it locally, but only at online shops. Another thing is that it can be pricy for some.
There is a very simple homemade gesso which can be made as follows:
Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water.
Add 3 tablespoons cold glue/wood glue. (I have used Alcolin cold glue/wood glue.)
Keep it in a sealed container.
(This will smell of glue when you apply it, but the smell leaves once dry. Also it is quite sticky. )
We were recommended to use Dina Wakley Media Clear Gesso by Taryn. It dries quickly and is easy to apply. The downside for us in the Garden Route is that we havent been able to source it locally, but only at online shops. Another thing is that it can be pricy for some.
There is a very simple homemade gesso which can be made as follows:
Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water.
Add 3 tablespoons cold glue/wood glue. (I have used Alcolin cold glue/wood glue.)
Keep it in a sealed container.
(This will smell of glue when you apply it, but the smell leaves once dry. Also it is quite sticky. )
How to Apply
- Open your Bible to the page that you are wanting to work on. Place an A4 sheet of normal paper underneath that page.
- Put some of your chosen gesso onto the end of an old medical aid card/gift card.
- Begin by dragging the gesso from the place where the two pages meet in the Bible out to the outer edge of the Bible. Starting from either the top or the bottom. Add more gesso as needed. Be careful that the pages don’t stick together in the middle.
- As the page dries, it will usually curl up on the corners. You can put something on the corners to help it stay flat once the corners are dry. Also, once it is completely dry, you can put a sheet of paper and close the Bible to help it flatten even more.