Gesso is an excellent material that has stood the test of time.

2 - When the first acrylic surface preparations were formulated someone had the bright idea of calling it gesso and the name stuck, so now we have 2 different products sharing the name. Acrylic gesso is normally a mixture of acrylic resin and Titanium White. Some of the best brands also contain calcite which is a modern synthetic chalk and this is to be preferred. The chalk in old master gesso’s was a buffering agent that protected the paint film from the effects of the deterioration of the wood products. Calcite in a gesso over a modern panel like MDF should provide the same sort of long term protection. Otherwise acrylic gesso is an excellent all round surface preparation.

Gesso is made by Paint Manufacturers it can be purchased for any Art Supply Stores.