What is gesso used for? Is it used as a base, or can you use it on top of paintings (maybe to cover up mistakes)?

Anyone used gesso in some especially creative way for other crafts?

~bindiva~

gesso is used to prime canvas. it's really super flat, so it might look weird on top of shiny paint if you were using it as part of the art...but i guess you could just paint over the whole painting and start again maybe? i'm not a painter so what do i know :)

i use it as a primer on altoid tins.

My mom gessoed a chair once (I think it was a Martha Stewart thing) but it made the upholstry really icky to sit on. I think the plan was to paint the chair after gessoing it...