In this Mixed Media Technique video, I’m playing with one of those “wait…why is this so good?” experiments: dyeing with gesso. I use a tie-dye kit and white gesso to create soft, chalky, stained color right on the surface—perfect for art journaling backgrounds, gel print layers, Rolodex cards, and anything you want to build up slowly. This is one of those techniques that gives you color and texture at the same time, and it’s super fun because you can keep it loose and let it do what it wants. I walk through the basic setup, the tools I like to use (a flat wash brush, palette knives, wedges, and a few pokey things like skewers), and how I work the gesso into and over the dye so it settles into layers. I’m always thinking about future pages—what can become a base for marks, stencils, or collage later—so I’m not trying to “finish” anything here. The takeaway is simple: let the materials play together, embrace the imperfect staining, and make a bunch of these pieces so you’ve got a stash ready for your next journal session.