The high, raised edges formed by each overlapping stroke of gesso applied with a palette knife is very easily seen.

  Colors will typically run down the raised walls and form more intense hues in the lower palette knife depressions.

  Very large shapes have more room to diversify in values, and permit more of the textured background to be visible.

  Because the gesso is water proof, I believe it offers a greater "wetness" characteristic of the colors applied, and also permits more time to control flows and soft blends.

  This background is smoother than the one above and the gesso was applied with a 2" bristle brush. All strokes were in one direction and blended well.

  Having a smoother application, the textural quality is greatly subdued. Therefore, colors appear transparent with the background offering minor contrast.

  Of course, the gesso still offers it's most popular characteristic--that of allowing one to take off what was applied previously and have a fresh start again and again.