dear ilia,

thank you for your clarification about the setting up process of the plaster. today i did my second fresco and it was quite a bit larger than the first quite a bit more frustrating as well! it is hard for me to tell if the plaster is too wet to begin with, which is my feeling....anyway, like you and gary both say i think it's a process of a lot of experimentation til i get the feel, but also at some point clearly classes would be good for me. particularly when thinking of doing large pieces....

after the plaster is completely set up and no longer active, is it still possible to paint "secco" on top of what is there? in other words, the first piece i did really dried quite a bit lighter than i expected. could i do washes over this, perhaps adding rabbit skin glue to the pigment as a binder?

you are both helping me so much with your advice. again, i am really grateful for that...

sincerely,
karla