So I was watching some video reviews for the kit I ordered and I realized that a.) I haven't really considered surface prepping the wood for painting, I was just thinking about slapping some paint on because b.) I thought the wood was sealed but apparently it's not. After some reading online I found that artists gesso can be used (and was used in ancient times) as a wood sealer. Has anyone ever tried using gesso to seal wood? Does it handle sanding well?
I found a recipe to make it online using white acrylic paint, baking soda and white glue. So what I was thinking was using the gesso to seal and prime the wood before finally applying the color, which will be an opaque acrylic paint.