Do You Have To Prime Cedar Fence Before Painting

Robie is an artist who loves sharing what she has learned almost fine art and painting in the promise that information technology might help other creatives.

Before you can paint on sail, the fabric should be primed. Here are footstep-by-footstep instructions for how to prep a canvas for acrylic or oil painting.

Steve Johnson via Unsplash

Is Your Canvas Primed and Ready to Be Painted?

Before yous start a new painting on raw, stretched canvas, you need to make sure you are good to become. Store-bought stretched canvases already have gesso, and then there'south no need to use more than unless yous want to modify the texture. Nonetheless, if you're using canvas that has not been primed before, you lot are better off applying gesso first.

Why can't I pigment on raw material?

Whether you lot'll be painting with oil or acrylic paint, priming gives the canvass a much smoother texture that'south less absorptive and easier to work on that lets your brush movement easily across the surface.

Tin can I apply oil paint to unprimed canvas?

If y'all're using oil pigment, you must prime and seal the sail first because otherwise, in the long run, the chemicals from the paint volition rot the canvas.

Tin I employ acrylic to an unprimed canvas?

You tin can apply acrylic pigment to a broad range of materials and supports, often with no or minimum grooming of the surface, as long as the base is non oily or greasy. This is why yous cannot paint with acrylics over oil pigment (although yous can apply oil on summit of acrylic).

Therefore, you could pigment with acrylics direct on unprimed canvass, but the absorbent surface would suck up a lot of expensive paint, and so it'south a skilful idea to seal and prime with gesso before you paint.

How to Prime a Canvas With Gesso

Fabric needed:

• Canvas: best if already stretched or glued onto a rigid back up
• Sponge
• Water
• Plastic or metal stirrer
• Acrylic gesso
• ane"- two" flat castor
• Plastic container
• Newspaper towel

ane. Moisture the Sail

With a sponge dipped in water, lightly moisture the canvas and its sides.

2. Stir the Gesso Thoroughly

Stir the acrylic gesso (in its container) with a stirrer.

iii. Pour the Correct Corporeality of Gesso

Into a plastic loving cup, pour just enough gesso for the chore. Y'all don't want to finish up with much extra since it isn't ideal to put it back into the jar when it'due south drier.

Shut the jar equally soon as possible—gesso dries quickly!

four. Add together Water

Thin the gesso, calculation up to 20% water, as needed. Stir well. Make sure you dilute the get-go layer particularly, since diluted gesso will penetrate the fibers of the canvas more easily and will be easier to spread.

5. Clean Spills Promptly

Go along a paper towel handy to clean the stirrer and any spills, equally acrylic gesso dries very fast and, once dry, it is not water-soluble.

Read More From Feltmagnet

6. Castor Information technology On

Using a 1" or 2" brush, lay the gesso on the sheet with horizontal strokes, evenly spreading the gesso from left to right and back.

Apply the acrylic gesso on the canvas with even, parallel strokes, using a 1"-ii" household castor.

vichie81 via freedigitalphotos

A colored gesso application creates a tinted basis. Y'all tin can castor the gesso on or use a roller.

Robie Benve

seven. Let Information technology Dry Thoroughly

Once the gesso is dry, after at to the lowest degree an hr you can start painting on it, simply information technology's improve if you allow information technology sit overnight.

How can I tell if the gesso is dry?

If the sail is cold to the touch, the gesso is not dry out yet.

viii. Sand Lightly (Optional) and Repeat

For a smoother surface, you can sand the beginning layer lightly earlier you brush another layer on. After sanding, make sure you make clean upwardly any dust residue with a rag.

Whether or not you sand betwixt coats, utilise a second layer. As you practice, utilise the brushstrokes perpendicular to the first layer (so if the first one went horizontally, the next i will exist vertical).

9. Optional Extra Layers

For actress layers, echo the drying and sanding steps between each coat.

For a textural effect, skip the sanding and utilize the gesso in an uneven and textural mode. See video below for an example.

10. Paint Your Painting

Wait until the coats are dry before you get-go painting.

How to Add an Interesting Background Texture With Gesso

What If I Don't Want to Prep the Canvass?

• Ready-primed canvases are e'er a skillful option if y'all don't want to prepare your own. You tin can buy set-primed canvas on a scroll or already stretched on calorie-free wood frames, available in many sizes at every art store.
• Canvas-covered boards are a more than inexpensive option to stretched canvases. They likewise come up in a diverseness surfaces, from very fine or fibroid. I started out using but sail-covered boards, but then I switched to stretched canvas considering boards, which are made of cardboard or some wood derivative, can blot moisture and deform with time, then storage becomes an issue.

What's ameliorate: stretched canvas or sail lath?

For the professional artist that wants to sell the paintings and hopefully keep them in practiced quality for generations to come, stretched canvass is a better, longer lasting choice.

Canvas is sold past the yard at the fine art store. There are dissimilar kinds of materials and finish.

Robie Benve

Unlike Types of Canvass

Dissimilar types of canvas will nowadays a different tooth for the paint, and a dissimilar effect of texture on the final product. You tin can buy cuts of painting canvass from rolls, available in a variety of materials, weights, textures, and widths.

Typical materials are cotton and linen, with the latter being more expensive. Canvases may also contain a percentage of synthetic fibers. Fabrics with fine threads are great for detailed piece of work, while the coarser ones might exist visible through the paint and produce a textured event on the terminal painting.

Tin I Pigment With Acrylics on a Canvass Primed for Oil Paint?

Sometimes, you'll find a sail that has been primed specifically for oil paint. This ways information technology is sealed with an oil-based primer, and it'south non suitable for acrylic painting.

What happens if you lot put acrylic on oil paint?

If you use acrylic paint on oil-primed canvas, the oily surface will eventually crusade the pigment to peel and bit.

Still, most canvases are primed with an acrylic primer which can be used equally a ground for both acrylic and oil paints. If you buy pre-packaged canvas, read the label: if it's compatible with acrylic paint, information technology will say so.

What Is Acrylic Gesso?

Acrylic gesso is a primer that penetrates and grips to the support and becomes a stable base for painting, with a good tooth that holds the pigment. It'south usually available in bright white, black, and articulate.

Gesso can be tinted with acrylic paint to form a colored base and tin can usually be applied pure or diluted near 20%, depending on the event you are looking for.

When dry, it provides a porous surface that allows a good degree of absorption but with higher resistance to h2o than paper. It can be used for acrylics, watercolors, gouache, and oils.

Articulate gesso primer looks white when wet, but it dries completely clear, creating protection for the surface and a prissy tooth to hold the paint.

How to Stretch a Canvas

You volition need:

• Canvas
• Scissors
• Stretcher confined
• Mallet
• Staple gun
• Canvas pliers

Step-by-Footstep Guide to Stretching Sheet

1. Assemble your bars. Interlock them by paw and then tap them in tightly with a mallet.
2. Form an fifty-fifty foursquare. Check by using a square ruler. Again, tap with mallet at the corners to conform.
3. Staple across each mitered joint to hold the frame square during stretching.
4. Cut your sail allowing about three extra inches of canvass all around.
5. Place your bars on the flat sail, with the confined askew side down.
6. Fold canvas over and staple, starting from the center of each side.
7. Utilise the canvas pliers to pull tight and keep stapling.
8. Tuck your corners.

Watch video beneath for how to stretch a large sail.

Stretcher confined are sold by size, ready to employ. Pictured, stretcher rack at Dick Blick art materials store.

Robie Benve

How to stretch a canvas step-by-footstep Y'all will need: • Canvas • Stretcher bars • Staple gun • Canvas pliers • Mallet

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author'south knowledge and is non meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: I have never applied gesso on shop bought canvases. The paintings take turned out fine. So is applying gesso really necessary?

Reply: When you buy a stretched canvas from a store, it'southward usually already primed, and so you don't need to use any extra gesso.

The reasons for applying gesso to a canvass are:

1. The canvas has not been primed before. This is usually true for raw canvases bought by the yard.

2. The canvas is already primed for painting but you don't like the texture, so y'all adjust it to your liking applying smoother or more textured gesso.

Question: What is the best painting medium to utilize for a beginner painter?

Respond: Well, it depends. :) Any painter on any painting, the medium has been a beginner at one bespeak. I personally think that watercolor is one of the most challenging for beginners, because it's hard to fix problems without risking to make the painting muddy. However, I know people that accept painted only watercolor for years, loving it, and would not change information technology.

Acrylic, on the other hand, makes it very like shooting fish in a barrel to alter and correct things. Oil besides, but since oils dry slower, information technology takes a few days to be able to paint over without risking the new layer of paint to mix with the i already on the sheet, creating mud.

And then, in short, in my opinion, acrylics are the easiest painting medium to use for beginners.

Question: Tin can I reuse a canvas that has a motion picture painted on it?

Reply: Absolutely!

I paint over old paintings all the time.

Nevertheless, yous tin't pigment with acrylics over oils (just y'all could do the reverse).

Also, I never paint over a picture show that has already been varnished. You could remove the varnish, I guess, just I unremarkably rather invest my time and resources getting a new canvas.

If keeping the old motion-picture show as background makes it likewise disruptive, you can paint a layer of color all over and unify it or, in case of an acrylic painting, you can gesso it over.

Question: Can I purchase fabrics, such as broadcloth and upholstery fabric, from a fabric store and prep them with gesso to use for acrylic paintings?

Answer: Sure, you can potentially pigment on any fabric. As far as the priming, you lot can utilize gesso or PVA glue, which is as well archival. There is besides the option of priming with a transparent acrylic medium, similar a soft gel, that would leave the material texture and design completely viewable.

For some fabrics that may be as well thin to stretch, you tin can glue them to a hard back up, like a forest or MDF panel, using PVA glue or acrylic medium.

Keep in mind that you tin can technically paint with Acrylics on unprimed material and no hard volition be dome to it. Oil paint, in the long run, tin can rot the canvas, but acrylics are fine. If the fabric is thin, it does not soak up all the paint - which makes your job harder - and particularly if you like the pattern design, you lot may not want to cover information technology with gesso.

A word of circumspection for upholstery cloth: often it's treated to be stain resistant and water repelling, I'thousand pretty sure that would bear on the priming and painting. Prewashing might help, simply I'm not certain.

Question: I want to employ acrylic ink to create a background on stretched canvas. Exercise I have to utilize a specific primer for ink?

Answer: Acrylic ink is a superfluid version of acrylic pigment, and it's ideal for under-paintings. As for any paints, y'all desire your canvas primed with gesso before y'all start. The ink can be mixed with any acrylic paints and medium, and yous can use it as you would any other pigment.

Question: Tin yous paint with acrylics on a sail if gesso has non been applied yet?

Answer: Yous tin can paint on a canvass that has non been gessoed, but it volition absorb the paint a lot, making painting a little harder and edges hard to control.

Question: I bought a cheap stretched canvas and it came with a little bag of minor wooden tabs. What are these for?

Respond: The wooden tabs that came with some stretched canvases are canvas wedges.

The canvas tension of whatever stretched canvas should be fine for painting on without the use of the wedges. However, after a menses of time, the tension of the canvas could become loose. If this occurs, the tension can be regained by fitting the sheet wedges into the corner slots using a small hammer.

Y'all can google this and find lots of video tutorials on how to do information technology.

Question: I would like to make hanging tapestries - so non stretched or mounted canvas. How would I set up my canvass without it warping?

Reply: To be able to hang a canvas without a stretcher, I would treat it similar a hanging quilt. Quilters take found many creative means to prevent their creations from warping or become all wavy. You may want to look into what is used for backing and as a hanging device for all kind of different fiber artworks. I've never done information technology myself (yet), but information technology'southward totally achievable.

Question: I desire to buy unprimed canvas roll and prime it with clear acrylic medium. How do you prime the roll that is unstretched with primer. Likewise, what articulate primer can you recommend?

Answer: All right, I'll be honest, I usually apply gesso to stretched canvas or forest panels, I accept non much experience with unstretched canvas. That said, I would think that y'all employ the gesso - white, colored, or crear - with a brush or a roller, the same way you'd do if the canvas was stretched.

Notwithstanding, I would visit a local fine art supply store and ask them for tips. They may take amend insights on what works and what should be avoided when the canvass is not stretched.

Question: The store bought canvases I buy have tiny piddling squares, should I sand it then these don't effect the pigment or prime number it? As is, it tends to make my lines crooked or uneven.

Answer: If you lot don't like the texture of a store-bought canvas, you lot can make information technology smoother by calculation a layer or ii of gesso.

Question: If I employ water or soak a new canvas, will it stretch information technology or shrink it?

Reply: I've never tried to soak or moisture a new canvas, so I'thousand not certain of what would happen. All the same, 1 erstwhile fob for stretched canvases that take become kind of loose and wavy, is to spray some h2o on the back of the canvas, where at that place is no primer. Allow it air-dry out. This volition assist the canvas get tighter on the stretchers, so practically information technology shrinks a little, and at that place will be less bounce and fewer waves on the canvas.

Question: I am looking to paint on Sheet Tote bags with acrylic paints, should I gesso the tote bags or volition it ruin the feel of the material?

Answer: To paint on canvas tote bags I would use paint that is specific for fabric. You lot can discover information technology at the craft shop, no gesso needed.

Yet, I accept painted on t-shirt with acrylic pigment before, without using any priming, and I have to say they lasted a long fourth dimension and several washings.

After I painted them I made them go through a cycle in the dryer to fix the paint.

Question: What is tracing newspaper for?

Respond: Tracing paper is a semi-transparent paper that you can use to transfer a pencil drawing to a surface, near similar a carbon re-create, by placing it upside downward on the canvas or paper and so rubbing the drawing so that the graphite transfers onto the surface.

Question: Does mixing emulsion with gum work on canvas as a primer?

Answer: Lamentable, but I have never heard of mixing "emulsion with mucilage" as being a feasible canvas primer.

What do you refer to as "emulsion", possibly some kind of wall paint?

To me, emulsion means a pause of two liquids that will not mix, like an emulsion of oil and water. Also, at that place are many kinds of glue. If y'all can exist more specific, it might help me empathize the question better.

© 2012 Robie Benve

Jason from Indianapolis, IN. USA on October fifteen, 2019:

It is more often than not rewarding. Heck of a learning bend. The organic pigment can be labor intensive. So, if I need decent amounts of them, I use my rock tumbler to make a dispersion. I can get 35 to 50 per centum pigment in a dispersion past weight

Robie Benve (author) from Ohio on October 15, 2019:

Wow Jason, you are quite a talented artist! I take never made my ain paints, I bet that's rewarding and exciting. Thanks a lot for your keen comment and feedback.

Jason from Indianapolis, IN. Usa on October 12, 2019:

Thanks Robie! I capeesh your generosity and hard work writing this hub! I mull pigments to make my ain acrylic paints to relax and relieve stress from daily grind(pun). Anyways, I had about 3 grams of pyrolle red left over from testing that I gave to my daughter. She is asking for a canvas and now I am more informed! You volition see in my hubs that I paint on metals, wood and occasionally plastics. Then over again thanks for your help!

Robie Benve (author) from Ohio on Baronial 05, 2019:

Hello Alok, I'm sorry but I can't really aid you. My feel is as an creative person, not as a manufacturer. I am non sure what kind of process you need to apply to create gessoed canvases from a product stand betoken. Sorry, simply I have no feel with fabric with acrylic coating.

Alok Bhardwaj on Baronial 05, 2019:

Howdy sir,

We take blanket car and we are doing acrylic coating in material and sell it to in market place. Client utilize it in digital printing in latex or solvent machine and some customer is using it as artistic sheet.

My principal business organization is that is gesso is required in top coat of my acrylic coating for better effect.

Please suggest.

Jasna vp on May xvi, 2019:

hiii,fifty am a bigginners. so all the data given you are and then helpful.thanks. and l would like to learn painting and be an artist for happiness and relief from my pains.and so hope your and all suport

Robie Benve (writer) from Ohio on March 18, 2019:

You are welcome Lia, happy painting!

Lia Thomas on March xviii, 2019:

Just the information I needed today about how to gesso a canvas, cheers!

Fidelis on Jan 01, 2019:

Thank you,very helpful informatiom

Robie Benve (author) from Ohio on July 27, 2018:

Hi Donna, usually the main reason why people gesso over pre-gessoed boards or canvases is to conform or modify the texture.

I accept added layers of gesso to canvases that had too much thread texture for my taste. I have also added gesso to boards that were as well smoothen. If the support is already gessoed and y'all similar the kind of grip and pattern that surface offers, the at that place is no reason to add together more gesso.

Likewise, the simply gesso that I've ever used is acrylic from the fine art shop, I'chiliad not sure what other kind of gesso is available.

Donna on July 25, 2018:

Should i gesso over a pre gessoed board or canvas before i use information technology?

And what's the difference betwixt acrylic gesso and gesso?

Robie Benve (author) from Ohio on August 04, 2017:

Oh boy Redemta, that's a great question and honestly one that I don't know the answer to. I accept never used a PVC support to paint, either flexible (canvas) or rigid. I have always used natural fiber canvas, gessoes, or masonite boards, also gessoed.

I don't know if the PVC might create problems on the long run, equally far as the paint peelig off or whatever other unwanted effect. Maybe you tin can size it? I'm not sure. Sorry but I can not help you lot with this. If anyone else knows the reply to "tin I use PVC canvas for oil painting?" delight write it here in the comments, I'd dear to know it to now. :)

Redemta on Baronial 03, 2017:

Hello,can I utilize PVC sail for oil painting?

Robie Benve (author) from Ohio on November 22, 2016:

Sounds like an awesome project Dennis, skillful luck to you and have fun doing it! :)

Dennis on Nov eleven, 2016:

Thank you, I'm planning a landscape 8 feet wide by 2 feet alpine with the MIA from Michigan in Vietnam with data on the person along with the longitude and latitude where they went missing. They will exist standing side by side looking at the dominicus rise on the Sea of China. I retrieve a watercolor will work best to get the proper emphasis.

Robie Benve (author) from Ohio on November 10, 2016:

Hello Dennis, commonly wrinkles disappear with the tension after you stretch, but you can iron before hand if y'all want. I would not launder - unless it's very soiled, then yous may want to use your own judgement.

If some wrinkles are left after stretching yous can spray the back of the sail with water and permit it air dry. This helps tighten up the sail fibers. I hope this helps. Happy painting! :)

Dennis on Nov ten, 2016:

How-do-you-do, I have my canvass, and the frame work made, before I staple the canvas to the wood exercise I want to wash and fe information technology? Thanks. :)

Robie Benve (author) from Ohio on September 06, 2016:

Howdy Hannah, I merely heard of people using white gum (that is acrylic based anyway) equally canvas primer, perhaps mixed with baby powder, simply to be honest with you I have never tried any other canvass primer than acrylic gesso. Great question! Now yous got me curious to explore. There probably are much cheaper ways to prime a canvas than gesso! All the same, I would also cheque on archival qualities of whatever other material y'all are going to employ.

Hannah on September 05, 2016:

hello! what could be the quick alternatives of acrylic gessos?

something that y'all could hands grab at home?

Robie Benve (author) from Ohio on September 05, 2014:

Hi ItayaLightbourn, belongings the gessoed canvas to the light is a slap-up tip to check yous you've missed a spot. Thanks! :)

Itaya Lightbourne from Topeka, KS on September 02, 2014:

I have stretched my ain canvas and information technology is definitely a big task. Making sure the gesso has completely coated the canvas is important. Y'all want to brand sure that you've put plenty coats on that when y'all concur the sheet to the light, there are no spots you missed. Great article.

Uzma Shaheen from Lahore,Islamic republic of pakistan on April 07, 2014:

very informative and useful hub, you explained it very well. Gesso is very expensive and it is very hard to detect here in Lahore I searched for it on many stores. I wish there would be an alternative for gesso.

great hub, well done.

Robie Benve (author) from Ohio on September 03, 2012:

Summerberrie, with the cost of ready-fabricated canvases getting more affordable, stretching your ain canvass seems to be a rare thing nowadays. I sure like the convenience of the store-bought myself. :)

Thanks for stopping by. :)

summerberrie on September 01, 2012:

I call up stretching canvases in higher. Take not washed it in a few years. Cracking resources for creative person!

Robie Benve (author) from Ohio on July 02, 2012:

Ballad, Thanks for reading, I'm glad you plant it interesting. :)

carol stanley from Arizona on June xxx, 2012:

I pigment with acrylics and this brought out some really skillful points.

Robie Benve (author) from Ohio on June 08, 2012:

Hi wayseeker, sounds similar yous really take your hands full, and they are all creative activities, so I'm sure that as presently as your calendar volition have some gaps, you lot'll find the manner to fit painting in and you lot'll do just great!

I think I'll take your suggestion to add some of my paintings to the fine art hubs, thanks! :)

wayseeker from Colorado on May xi, 2012:

Robie,

This makes me desire to retire! (Just another xv to twenty years or so, and I'm good.) I dear all things artsy and I've always wanted to get an easel and some paints and brushes and see what happens. My problem at the moment is that I have my hands into too many other things--music, acting, drawing, sculpting...oh, and writing--to have the time.

Notwithstanding, the time will come, and now I have a wonderful source of numerous ideas and helpful hints to get started. Thanks for these great hubs!

wayseeker

P.S. I'd love to see some of your paintings come through on these hubs sometime.

Robie Benve (author) from Ohio on April 13, 2012:

gamelover, I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

Cre8tor, thanks to you and your friend for the kudos! It always keen to receive expert feedback from the experts. :)

Dan Reed on April 12, 2012:

Great hub! My friend (fine art caste and teacher) read this and is very impressed. Voted upwardly and useful.

Meskens Geert from Kingdom of belgium on Apr 12, 2012:

thank you, good stuff

Robie Benve (writer) from Ohio on April 09, 2012:

@ europewalker: Of the many video I viewed on priming a canvas this was the 1 that stroke me for its clarity and professionalism, and it has the extra twist of creating texture that I plant highly-seasoned. I'm glad you lot enjoyed it! :)

Robie Benve (writer) from Ohio on April 09, 2012:

@ alliemacb: priming your ain canvas can be an intimidating task, I'm happy to hear that I made information technology sound easy. Cheers! :)

europewalker on April 09, 2012:

Useful hub. Enjoyed the video. I checked out of more of Joe's videos on You lot Tube. Thank you!

alliemacb from Scotland on April 09, 2012:

Yous've made this actually like shooting fish in a barrel to empathise. Voted up.

Source: https://feltmagnet.com/painting/How-to-Prepare-a-Canvas-for-Acrylic-Painting

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