Cheers, Maureen
Forum projects: Plant Parade projects in the Florals/Botanicals forum , WDE in the All Media Art Events , Different Strokes in Acrylics forum .
A Short Beginner’s Guide on How to Gesso a Canvas for Acrylic Painting
In this article we talk all things gesso – what it is, what it does, how to gesso a canvas for acrylic painting and even how to prime a canvas when you’re out of gesso.
Do you have paintings you’re not happy with or maybe have a few used canvases that you feel are going to waste? We’ll tell you how you can r euse your old canvases with gesso!
Have you ever painted something that you didn’t like and you feel like you could have done better? Or do you have an old painting that you’re just bored with and it’s wasting away in a sad, dusty corner of your room? If yes, then it’s time to dig out those old paintings, and old canvases and reuse them!
You’ll see how easy it is to turn them into blank new canvases that can be re-painted and re-used.
Recycling your old canvases or reusing second-hand, cheap canvases is a great alternative to spending money on buying new ones. However, before you get into painting, you must gesso over the canvas to create a new, blank canvas.
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What is Gesso?
To put it simply, gesso is an artist’s primer specifically made for canvases. It’s like when you paint a house – you prime the surface before you apply the paint. Similarly, you brush gesso on a canvas before you start painting to prepare the surface. Typically, gesso primer comes in white, but you can also get black and sometimes other colours too.
A gesso primer gets your canvas ready to receive paint. It stiffens the surface of the canvas and adds more texture to it, so the paint stays on the canvas instead of getting soaked into the fibre of the canvas.
Gesso comes in small pots, small squeeze bottles and even large tubs & jars. You can buy gesso anywhere that stocks art supplies.
Pro-tip: You can apply gesso to almost any surface, so you can then paint acrylic on it!
How to Gesso over Canvas for Acrylic Painting?
There’s no rocket science on how to gesso over canvas for acrylic painting. All you have to do is dip your brush into the gesso and start applying! Just paint it on. It really is that simple.
Make sure you go over the edges and don’t leave any stop marks (that’s what I call the mark a brush makes when it’s lifted off the canvas too roughly). In order to avoid stop marks, apply the gesso primer in small gentle strokes. Use a hairdryer to dry a coat of gesso before you go in with another one.
Apply as many coats as you need of gesso to cover the painting underneath completely. Usually two coats are enough to get the job done.
The good thing is that there’s no limit to how many times you do this, as long as the painting underneath doesn’t have too much texture or bumps that will show through. You can re-gesso and repaint over the same canvas multiple times, which is great if you’re learning or want more practice. However, eventually the canvas does get heavier as you apply more coats.
Pro-Tip: Don’t be tempted to apply a thicker coat of gesso to avoid an extra coat. If you put it on too thick it could crack later.
What paint brushes should you use?
To gesso over a canvas, you need a large (depending upon the size of the canvas), flat brush. You can get your hands on some really cheap ones at emporium stores like Uncle Bill’s or Uncle Pete’s or even at tip shops. (check out the video below to see which ones I use).
How to prime a canvas without Gesso?
Don’t feel like spending money on gesso but don’t know how to prime a canvas without gesso? Don’t worry! Just use white acrylic paint or you can even use any leftover white house paint instead. House paints go on a little thicker than gesso so you’ll need fewer coats.
Pro-tip: Go to tip shops and find their home renovation sections. You can find some really cheap, left-over house paint for as low as $2 a litre. What a steal!
Now that you know how to recycle your canvases, it’s time to dig out all your old canvas you have stacked away, or go op-shopping … and then get painting!
If you need some ideas of what to paint, check out my On Demand Painting Tutorials
Watch my video below for a demo of how to gesso your canvas and see what gesso and brushes I use.
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How to spread paint on canvas
No i did not use Gesso because i learnt it today, too Lol.. However, when i used my acrylics on a normal printer paper, it was smoother on the surface, so you may be right about the gesso thing. If i use Gesso, should i use also rub the canvas with sandpaper ? and, can i use only medium , without gesso ? what kind of medium should i get? Here is the store i buy my art supplies. Would you suggest one of these? http://www.guvensanat.com/Products/Boya-Yardimci-Malzemeleri/Akrilik-Yardimci-Malzemeler/ and these are the Gesso brands : http://www.guvensanat.com/Products/Boya-Yardimci-Malzemeleri/Astar-Gesso/
July 3, 2012 at 4:55 pm #1167129
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I use a couple of different ones depending on the surface I’m working on, but choosing from the ones on the link you posted, I use this one and find it works well http://www.guvensanat.com/Products/Liquitex-Artistic-Acrylic-Gesso-237ml.html
July 3, 2012 at 5:24 pm #1167138
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I use a couple of different ones depending on the surface I’m working on, but choosing from the ones on the link you posted, I use this one and find it works well [URL]http://www.guvensanat.com/Products/Liquitex-Artistic-Acrylic-Gesso-237ml.html[/URL]
thank you so much !
July 3, 2012 at 5:32 pm #1167130
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Oops sorry, I’ve just realised that the bottle in the photo for that product is the clear version… I’ve used this one too and it’d be fine if the surface underneath was already white, but I do find it gives a bit more tooth. The version I use is white, I’m not sure you could get hold of that but if not I’m sure several of the other ones on that site would be fine to use, I’ve just not heard of some of them/ tried them myself
July 4, 2012 at 2:18 am #1167131
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also… add water! Acrylic can get watercolor consistency if you dilute it enough, which should allow you to make it last a long while.
July 4, 2012 at 7:54 am #1167119
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imFragrance – welcome to the forum, and eventually you will learn to love this medium!:) It will work on just about any surface you can think of
BUT
some surfaces are porous and these will soak the paint in very quickly if not first sealed or primed. Printer paper is not the best!
Watercolour paper or card is perfectly acceptable but your forst coats will sink in, so, for these, thin the paint to a fluid (just enough water to make it like milk) and use this to seal the surface – one or more coats needed! Or use gesso if you have it – this also can be thinned to apply more eaily. After that, the ampount of paint needed depends on the size of the are to be covered with that particular colour.:) You don’t say what size you’re working on but, e.g on small areas, say 7×5″ you won’t need much more paint than 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon of each colour you use. That’s all I use and re-new as necessary. A liquid medium (gloss or matt) will help flow and make little difference to the quality of the paint.
Water (this is all I mostly use) can also be used but just enough on the brush to make it move easily – you will need to keep re-newing the paint on the brush more often that you may have done with watercolours! The only problem adding too much water could make the paint less adhesive – but many people do dilute a lot and use like watercolours – it will stay ‘usable’ to allow runs and mixes IF the paper is not absorbent and the heat is not great! Hope this helps you?)
Cheers, Maureen
Forum projects: Plant Parade projects in the Florals/Botanicals forum , WDE in the All Media Art Events , Different Strokes in Acrylics forum .
July 4, 2012 at 8:53 am #1167139
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imFragrance – welcome to the forum, and eventually you will learn to love this medium!:) It will work on just about any surface you can think of
BUT
some surfaces are porous and these will soak the paint in very quickly if not first sealed or primed. Printer paper is not the best!
Watercolour paper or card is perfectly acceptable but your forst coats will sink in, so, for these, thin the paint to a fluid (just enough water to make it like milk) and use this to seal the surface – one or more coats needed! Or use gesso if you have it – this also can be thinned to apply more eaily. After that, the ampount of paint needed depends on the size of the are to be covered with that particular colour.:) You don’t say what size you’re working on but, e.g on small areas, say 7×5″ you won’t need much more paint than 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon of each colour you use. That’s all I use and re-new as necessary. A liquid medium (gloss or matt) will help flow and make little difference to the quality of the paint.
Water (this is all I mostly use) can also be used but just enough on the brush to make it move easily – you will need to keep re-newing the paint on the brush more often that you may have done with watercolours! The only problem adding too much water could make the paint less adhesive – but many people do dilute a lot and use like watercolours – it will stay ‘usable’ to allow runs and mixes IF the paper is not absorbent and the heat is not great! Hope this helps you?)
thank you so much. I think i will get a liquid matt medium i dont have much money to try out a lot of products…
However, i am still not sure about the gesso.
July 4, 2012 at 11:05 am #1167120
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If you’re using cheap paints, get a tub of cheap gesso from a craft shop and use a couple or more coats on the canvas – doesn’t matter for paper but use it if you wish – experiment.:) When funds improve, move up to better materials – at present, just experiment with the medium and find out for yourself what works for you …… but do ENJOY the process:)
Cheers, Maureen
Forum projects: Plant Parade projects in the Florals/Botanicals forum , WDE in the All Media Art Events , Different Strokes in Acrylics forum .
Best Tools & Practices
The basic tools you’ll want ready in addition to your gesso and raw canvas are a broad application brush and mixing stick. There are a couple of things to keep in mind before beginning the priming process. Because gesso dries into a waterproof state, thus providing the best painting surface for acrylics, you’ll want to make sure that you properly clean your tools in between layers and after priming to avoid damaging them.
It’s also wise to work quickly as gesso dries fast and you want to make sure every coat is applied evenly and that each layer is lightly sanded flat before beginning the next. Primers typically have “plastic” elements within their makeup. Once dried it creates a protective layer between your raw canvas and environmental inconsistencies, like heat or humidity, which can naturally cause your canvas to shrink or expand.
Center Out Technique
Start in the center with a square by brushing the primer on with both horizontal and vertical strokes. Follow the natural weave of the canvas as you alternate between the two and evenly spread out the gesso toward the edges. Spread the primer on quickly so that every brush stroke is slightly overlapping with the previous damp strokes from the time before. This process of working from the center outward allows you to ensure an even coating without doubling up the application of primer in any particular spot and creating inconsistencies on your painting surface. Always lightly sand down each layer after drying before applying the next coat.
Another technique that proves to be systematically quick and highly effective is the row, or corner squares, technique. Pick a corner of your canvas and brush a small square, alternating the direction of your strokes to follow the weave of the canvas. Then move along the row to create another small square next to the previous one. Again, remember to allow the edges of your brush to overlap with the previous, damp strokes of gesso so that there are no gaps in your coat of primer.
Advance Priming Techniques
Instead of gesso, you can use a clear acrylic medium that dries transparent and matte instead of bright white. You can also try pre-tinted gesso, or even DIY tint your white gesso for an entirely different look. A personal favorite is that by using acrylic modeling paint, you can create a unique texture on your canvas similar to many of the stunning acrylic paintings you see in galleries. To learn how to apply this type of primer, I suggest speaking to an associate at your local art supply store and talk to one of the friendly staff members to learn more.
Pro tip! To make your gesso containers last as long as possible, you should use a damp cloth to wipe down the sides of the container and lid before sealing them into place. This allows the gesso to remain moist while preventing the lid from gluing itself shut.
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