It works wonders, especially for dry pastels and colored pencils, which I exclusively work with. I can't tell you about wet media, because I don't use them at all. When you apply it, it creates a thin film with a very rough texture that "grabs" and literally brings the colors to life, greatly helping to achieve a realistic result. The surface can also, to a certain extent, accept two or three layers of colors, even lighter ones on top of darker colors, as long as you don't overdo it and apply too much pressure, because this way the roughness of the surface is destroyed and it can't accept any more color. I'm always talking about colored pencils and pastels. In the photo, I'm showing you the first painting test on watercolor paper, coated with one layer of this gesso. If you pay attention, you can see the rough texture in several areas, as well as the brushstrokes that were created when I applied it to the paper. In order to avoid this issue with brushstrokes, use a brush with fine bristles and apply the gesso very gently in one direction only. When it dries (it requires a long period of time), it becomes completely transparent. It can be applied on almost any painting surface, which means that by using it, you save money on buying more expensive/higher quality papers, canvases, etc. (depending on what media you work with), and you can also experiment and try out new techniques.

(Postscript: the artwork in the photo is unfinished)