Real Deal Spolas

[Athena Areias]

I used gesso as an undercoat on my leather-covered wood-core aspis. It certainly made it white. It also stiffened it. I would test a gesso wash in various water/gesso mixtures to find the one that whitens without making the leather too stiff (and flaking off the leather) and too diluted to be useful. Good luck. (Maybe find the right ratio and add marble powder or pigment for milk paint?)