How do I prime a canvas?
Most store-bought canvasses come with a layer of gesso, so they’re universally prepared for various types of paint. These primed canvasses are a great surface to work on with acrylic paint.
A canvas that is specially prepared for oil paint, however, is usually prepared using an oil-based primer. This results in an oily layer on top, which is unsuitable for acrylic paint.
Unprepared canvases
If you’ve chosen an unprepared canvas, you should definitely prime it before painting. To prime your canvas, you need two things: an acrylic binder and gesso. Acrylic binder closes the structure of the canvas to prevent gesso and paint from seeping through. Gesso will provide you with an absorbent surface after drying, which makes it the perfect base for acrylic paint.
Start by adding a thin layer of acrylic binder using a spalter brush. Once this layer has dried completely, you can add one to three thin layers of gesso. Gesso can be thinned using a small amount of water. To add color to your background, you can add a small amount of acrylic paint.
Remove any irregularities in your gesso layers by lightly sanding the surface once it has dried completely.
Stretching your own canvas
If you’ve bought an unstretched canvas, make sure to properly stretch and attach the fabric to the frame before adding any primer. After that, you can apply acrylic binder and gesso as described in the previous paragraph.
Note: since canvasses are usually made from natural materials, the tension of your canvas can be influenced by the weather, humidity, temperature, manner of transportation and the way it’s packaged.
