Gesso is a Shopify theme for artists and makers who sell originals, prints and commissions. It comes in three styles, and you can switch between them at any time without losing your content.
Need help? Contact Gesso support. We reply within two business days.
Getting started · Artwork details · Selling originals · Prints and editions · Commissions · Sections and settings · SEO · FAQ
Getting started
| Style | Made for | Look |
|---|---|---|
| Gesso | Painters and illustrators | Light gallery walls, serif headings, framed artwork cards |
| Craft room | Makers: ceramics, textiles, jewellery, woodwork and other crafts | Warm cream and terracotta, rounded corners, square product cards |
| Print room | Photographers and print sellers | Dark background, bold uppercase headings, wide landscape cards |
- In Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes and add Gesso.
- Click Customize. Under Theme settings, upload your logo, then pick your colours and fonts, or keep the ones your style came with.
- On the home page, add a hero image of your best piece, choose a collection for your new work, and write a few lines about yourself.
- Fill in your artwork details (next section) so every piece shows its medium, size and edition.
- Preview on your phone, then click Publish.
Artwork details
Each artwork's medium, size, year and edition come from product fields (metafields) in the artwork group. Set them up once under Settings → Custom data → Products, then fill them in on each product page. Any field you leave blank is simply hidden.
| Field | Key | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium | artwork.medium | Single line text | Oil |
| Surface | artwork.surface | Single line text | Canvas |
| Width | artwork.width | Decimal | 76 |
| Height | artwork.height | Decimal | 61 |
| Depth | artwork.depth | Decimal | 3 |
| Unit | artwork.unit | Single line text: cm or in | cm |
| Year | artwork.year | Integer | 2024 |
| Framing | artwork.framing | Single line text | Framed in oak |
| Edition type | artwork.edition_type | Single line text: original, limited or open | original |
| Edition size | artwork.edition_size | Integer | 50 |
| Signed | artwork.signed | True or false | True |
- Edition type controls the badges, the "One of a kind" note in the cart and the "X of Y left" counter on limited editions.
- Sizes show in both centimetres and inches automatically. Pick your usual unit under Theme settings → Artwork and badges → Default size unit.
- Print sizes set up as variants (A4, A3, or 30 x 40 cm) get a size comparison and the wall preview automatically, as long as the option is called Size.
Selling originals
Collectors buying an original usually have a question first. Gesso lets them ask, and see the piece on a wall, without leaving the product page. Each feature is a block in the product page template (Customize → Products → Default product).
| Block | What the buyer sees | Settings |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiry | A pop-up form with topic chips (a change or variation, materials and media, framing and delivery, something else) that sends you an email naming the piece | Button label, topics, reply note, or a link to your contact page instead of the pop-up |
| View in a room | The artwork shown to true scale in a drawn living room, which they can drag and resize. They can also try it on a photo of their own wall and set the scale by drawing a line along something they know the length of. | Needs a width and height, or a Size option. Wall settings under Theme settings → Artwork and badges |
| Status | "One of a kind" for originals, "12 of 50 left" with a bar for limited editions, a low stock note | Show the edition bar |
| Buy buttons | Once an original sells, the page stays up as a portfolio piece with an "Enquire about similar work" button | Sold message, link page |
| Trust notes | Up to three short lines, such as "Signed, with a certificate" or "Free insured delivery" | Text and icon for each line |
In the cart, originals show "One of a kind" instead of a quantity selector, so nobody can add the same painting twice.
Prints and editions
Print buyers compare sizes and prices, then come back because of reviews. Gesso shows both clearly.
- Size comparison: under the size picker, a small drawing shows every available size to scale with the chosen one highlighted, plus its measurements in cm and inches. Turn it on or off in the Variant picker block.
- Edition counter: limited editions show "12 of 50 left" with a bar, using the Edition size field and your inventory.
- Star ratings: stars appear on product pages and, if you choose, on product cards (Theme settings → Product cards → Show star rating). They read Shopify's standard review fields (reviews.rating and reviews.rating_count), which most review apps fill in.
- Testimonials section: add short quotes from real buyers to the home page, each with an optional star rating and a link to the piece they bought.
Commissions
The commission page replaces a long email thread with a three-step brief, so you get everything you need to quote from the first message.
- Your idea: what kind of piece (chips you set, such as "Painting of a place" or "Gift for someone"), what to make, the story behind it and a link to reference photos.
- Size, budget and timing: size, a budget range and when they need it.
- Your details: name and email.
The brief arrives as a normal Shopify contact form email. To set it up, create a page called Commission, choose the page.commission template, then edit the steps, the "How a commission works" section and the commission FAQ in the theme editor.
Reference photos. Shopify contact forms can't take file uploads, so the brief asks for a link instead, such as a shared Google Photos, iCloud or Dropbox album. If a buyer has no link, they can reply to your quote email with photos attached.
Header, sections and settings
Header. Choose a left or centred logo, menu style and a sticky header, and build a mega menu from header blocks. On the home page, the header can sit see-through over your first image and turn solid as visitors scroll. Set its text colour and an optional light logo under Header → Transparent header. Country and language pickers appear only when your store sells in more than one.
| Section | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Image banner | Your hero piece or a background video, with a heading and up to two buttons |
| Slideshow | Several hero pieces that fade from one to the next, with an optional pause button |
| Featured collection | New work, swipeable on phones |
| Image with text | Your artist statement or studio story |
| Collection list | Series or ranges |
| Gallery | A portfolio in a masonry or even grid that opens pictures full screen |
| Shop the room | A room photo with spots that show each piece's price and link |
| Before and after | A slider between two photos, such as a sketch and the finished piece |
| Testimonials | Quotes from buyers, with stars |
| Featured blog | Studio journal posts |
| Newsletter | Email sign-up (the footer form hides when this section is on the page) |
| Timeline | Your story as dated moments, for the About page |
| Logo list | "As featured in" press and gallery logos |
| Release countdown | A timer to a real print or collection release (see the note below) |
| Video | A studio film from your files, YouTube or Vimeo, loaded only when played |
| Exhibitions, FAQ, Multicolumn, Rich text | About and commission pages, or anywhere |
Arrange the text yourself. Featured collection, Featured blog, Collection list, Newsletter, Video and Gallery accept Small text, Heading, Text and Buttons blocks. Add them in any order and they replace the section's own heading and text.
Release countdown: real dates only. Use the date your release actually goes live. When it passes, the timer is replaced by your "after release" text and never restarts. Shopify doesn't allow countdowns that reset or invent urgency, and buyers notice them too.
Theme settings worth a look
- Layout → Motion: fade sections in on scroll, and a gentle zoom on product images.
- Product cards: image shape, second image on hover, medium and size, star rating, quick add.
- Artwork and badges: badges, the label for sold work, the wall preview.
- Cart: open a cart drawer or go to the cart page after adding.
- Free delivery bar: enter your free delivery amount under Cart and the cart shows how far the buyer is from it. It uses your store's own currency, so it's hidden for buyers paying in another currency rather than showing a wrong amount.
- Quick add: under Product cards, lets buyers add single pieces from the card, and choose a print size there when a print has one set of sizes.
- Cart drawer suggestions: "You may also like" picks pieces automatically using Shopify's recommendations, or from a collection you choose in the cart drawer settings.
SEO built in
Gesso tells search engines what you sell, so artworks can show richer results in Google. Most of it works with no setup. The switches are under Theme settings → Search engines and sharing.
- Artwork data: each product is described as a visual artwork, with its creator, medium, surface, size, year and edition taken from your artwork fields. Turn off Describe products as artworks for search engines if you don't sell art.
- Your business: your name, logo, contact details and social profiles, set up as an artist (Person), a business or a gallery. Fill in Artist or maker name and Business type.
- Page types: collections list their works, the About page is marked as a profile, and the Commission and Contact pages as contact pages. FAQ and Exhibitions sections add their own data.
- Breadcrumbs: shown on product, collection and blog pages, and described for search engines.
- Safety nets: when a page or image has no description or alt text, the theme writes one from the title, medium and size. Filtered and sorted collection pages are kept out of search results to avoid duplicates.
FAQ
Do I need any apps? No. Enquiries, the wall preview, the commission brief and size comparison are all built into the theme. A reviews app is only needed if you want star ratings.
Can I sell things that aren't art? Yes. Leave the artwork fields blank and those details simply don't show. Turn off the artwork data for search engines if your products aren't artworks.
Where do enquiries and commission briefs go? To your store's contact email, like any Shopify contact form, with the piece's name in the subject.
Can buyers see a painting on their own wall? Yes. In the wall preview they can add a photo of their room, set the scale and drag the piece into place. The photo stays on their device and is never uploaded to your store.
Will switching styles lose my content? No. Styles change colours, fonts and layout. Your products, pages and sections stay the same.
Does Gesso work in other languages and currencies? Yes. It supports Shopify Markets, with country and language pickers in the header and footer.
How do I get help? Gesso is built and supported by Kevin Hunter, a working painter who sells on Shopify. Send a message and you'll get a reply within two business days.