Grumbacher 52516 16-Ounce Gesso (Hyplar) Artists Acrylic Medium Jar

I have always used a different brand of Gesso. Someone recommended trying Grumbacher Gesso (Hyplar) Artists' Acrylic & Oil Paint Medium, that they had made the switch and I might like it too. I ordered a jar. I love it! It is thick and creamy, not chalky like some, not thick as mud as some and not a water liquid as some gessos are. It is a nice white, creamy like a medium body paint, easy to work with and also works well as a 'white' paint. Very happy with it and will be the only gesso I purchase from now own. If it were in the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, it would be the 'just right', perfection that was sought after!

This product was wonderful at covering a canvas that had a print on it I didn’t care for. Once covered and dried we created a whole new painting that I am not happy with. Instead of throwing away any canvases in the future, I will just cover them with gesso instead. Great product!

I previously used the Winsor & Newton gesso, which was VERY thin. I had heard about this gesso watching Jerry Yarnell's videos. For those who don't know he's a professional artist/teacher who uses this stuff and swears by it. He uses it as a gesso and as his white paint, since it is more opaque. I knew this stuff was going to be thick, because the jar was heavier than expected. And yes, this stuff is THICK. Not too thick to where it doesn't want to spread, but I'd say it's as thick as it could be without getting in the way of spreading nicely. I certainly have no complaints and can't imagine switching to any other gesso in the foreseeable future. Give this stuff a try.

While I sometimes use an oil-based ground for prepping canvases or rigid supports prior to oil painting, I've also been happy with this heavy-bodied acrylic gesso by Grumbacher. It's a lot simpler to use and dries to a ready-to-use surface much faster than the oil-based options. So many of the acrylic gesso products on the market today dry to a slick, almost plasticized-looking finish. That's why I like the difference of this gesso by Grumbacher. For starters, it's a much thicker consistency -- in fact it's thick enough that you can even trowel it on if you like that type of textured painting surface. For a smoother finish, I thin the gesso significantly with water until it's about the consistency of heavy cream. I then brush the thinned gesso onto my canvas or board, using a few coats which I allow to dry and then sand prior to each subsequent coat. Another great difference in this Grumbacher acrylic gesso over other acrylic gesso is the fact that they add calcium carbonate (marble dust) to it. This gives it much more "tooth" for applying your paints. One important thing to note, though, is that because of this marble dust, this gesso leaves the finished ground MUCH more porous so take that into consideration. Some artists like how their paint soaks in and dries quickly. However, when using this as a base for oil painting, I usually apply an undercoating of a faster-drying oil pigment on top of this porous gesso so that my finished layers of paint remain on top and don't loose their glow and luminosity. Most other acrylic gesso products that I've used are little more than a plastic-y acrylic disperson mixed with white pigment and your layers of paint float on top rather than absorbing. I often use it as a troweled-on base, but for those times that I want an even deeper, more heavily-grooved troweled finish, I instead use Liquitex Professional Super Heavy Gesso which is considerably thicker than even this thick Grumbacher gesso. It's much like modeling paste (but, unlike modeling paste, it can be used with oil painting); however, it unfortunately has the slick acrylic finish that I mentioned earlier. I've had some luck with adding a bit of my own marble dust (calcium carbonate) to it as I trowel it on.

Good consistency. Very pleased with this gesso.

Use this as white in my paintings, sealing canvas works great.

I really liked the buttery, creamy texture of this gesso!

This is impossible to find in stores so I ordered it based on all the good things I've been hearing. They're all true. This gesso is about as perfect as I could hope to find: - Texture is thick creamy/buttery...just right - not runny at all, not tacky and pasty - More opaque than major brand gessos (I actually tested again other brands to see how good coverage was - Grumbacher beat them all) - Dries to a great toothy grit - Great replacement for Titanium White on acrylic paintings I'll be buying again! P.S. Coming in a close second is Liquitex BASIC Gesso (not professional). It's also very opaque, very white and has a great, buttery thickness. And unlike Grumbacher, it's sold everywhere.

This stuff is amazing. It's very thick and goes on like butter. I had to add a little water to the canvas to help it spread. So a little goes a long way. Because of the consistency it would be great for adding a textured surface for painting on. Awesome product

Easy to use and very convenient

I bought this because I wanted a thick gesso that is opaque even after one single coat and this does the job. Pleased with this product, it can compete against and is just as good as Golden or Liquitex professional brand gessoes.

I thought it would be made for oil painting...a little disappointed

This gesso is so thick it does not pour. Does not have a plastic like finish. Leaves a beautiful matte finish when dry. Highly recommend this product