If you have never painted on a primed, toned, and sanded canvas before, you are in for an absolute treat.
I will be honest: preparing canvases is not my favourite thing to do. It is a little tedious, and it is easy to skip. But I consider it to be the foundation of a solid realist painting, and once you understand why it matters, I think you will feel the same way.
If you would like to watch me walk through this entire process in real time, I have made a full video tutorial you can watch below. Otherwise, keep reading for the complete written guide.
The good news is that you can do your future self a big favour by batch preparing a bunch of canvases all at once. Get it over with in one session, and then all of that friction standing between you and your painting is gone.
Do You Need to Prime a Pre-Primed Canvas?
Most of us buy canvases pre-primed from the art store, which means they already have a layer of gesso on them. So why add more steps?
A few reasons.
The white has to go. Store-bought canvases are pure white, and as a realist painter, that is a problem right away. Colour is relative. Anything placed next to pure white will appear darker by comparison. So if you are trying to judge whether a pale yellow is the right value, and you are comparing it against a white canvas, it is going to look far too dark. You will overcorrect, and your values will be off from the very beginning.
The solution is to tone your canvas by mixing colour into your gesso before you apply it. I usually choose a warm earthy tone for this. I love Golden Liquid Acrylic in quinacridone nickel azo gold, though they have discontinued it, so yellow ochre is an easy and inexpensive alternative.
The toned ground ties all of your colours together as a built-in unifier, and if you accidentally miss a small section of canvas, you get a little warm colour showing through instead of a glaring white gap.
The texture needs to be smoothed out. Pre-primed canvases typically have more tooth, meaning more texture on the surface. As someone who lives for blends, I want my brushes to glide as easily as possible. Sanding between gesso layers buffs out that tooth and gives you a surface that is buttery soft. The difference when you start painting is remarkable.
Can You Use Acrylic Gesso for Oil Painting?
Yes. Acrylic gesso works as a primer for both acrylic and oil paint, which is one of the reasons I use it exclusively. It dries quickly, is easy to apply, and gives you a smooth, stable ground to work from. Just make sure each layer is fully dry before you paint over it.
What You Need
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Liquitex Professional artist grade gesso
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Golden Liquid Acrylic in yellow ochre (or your preferred warm earth tone)
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A foam brush
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220 grit sandpaper block
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320 grit sandpaper block
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A spray bottle with water
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A damp microfibre cloth
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A canvas dropcloth to protect your table
How to Apply Gesso to a Canvas: Step by Step
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Choose your canvas sizes. Before you buy or prep anything, decide on the sizes you need. I do this by taking my reference photos into Lightroom and cropping them to different aspect ratios. The aspect ratio is the relationship between the height and width of your canvas. A 16x20" canvas has a 4:5 ratio, and so does an 8x10". They are just different sizes with the same proportions. If your reference crop does not match your canvas ratio, you will end up compressing or stretching your drawing without realising it. Once you have your sizes, decide between a regular profile (thin, ideal for framing) and a gallery profile (thicker, no frame needed).
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Set up your space. For batch prepping, I move into a larger space like my dining room and protect the table with a canvas dropcloth. Unpackage all your canvases and lay them out with enough space between each one.
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Mix your toned gesso. Combine gesso, liquid acrylic, and a small splash of water in a bowl. The water loosens the mixture so it glides on easily and does not leave brushstrokes. I eyeball it rather than measuring precisely, but the general guideline is no more than 25% water relative to the gesso. Mix enough to cover however many canvases you are batching.
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Apply the first layer of gesso. Using a foam brush, apply the mixture to each canvas in smooth, even strokes. The foam brush gives you a more even application than a bristle brush. Watch the sides for drips and smooth them out before they dry. Then put on a podcast and let everything sit for at least an hour until fully dry.
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Sand between coats. Once dry, lightly mist the surface of the canvas with water, and do the same to your 220 grit sandpaper block. Sand in small circles all over the surface. The water keeps the dust from flying everywhere. When you are done, wipe away any residue with a slightly damp microfibre cloth.
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Apply a second coat and repeat. Apply your gesso mixture again, let it dry, and sand again. I usually do at least two full layers. If I want an especially smooth surface, I will do a third.
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Final sand with 320 grit. For the final layer, after your usual pass with the 220, do one last sand with a 320 grit block. This makes the surface extra smooth and soft. You will feel the difference immediately when you start painting.
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Paint the edges black (optional but recommended). I finish my canvases by painting the edges black. It gives them a clean, finished look if you choose to display them without a frame, and it makes the front edges look intentional rather than forgotten.
How to Tone a Canvas: Why I Never Paint on White
Toning your canvas is one of the most impactful things you can do for your painting, and it costs almost nothing extra to do while you are already applying gesso.
A toned ground does three things. It eliminates the stark white that throws off your value judgements. It gives your painting a built-in colour harmony, since every layer of paint shares the same warm undertone at its base. And it means that any small gaps you accidentally leave in your paint coverage look like a deliberate colour choice instead of a mistake.
I almost always use a warm earth tone. Yellow ochre is my practical go-to. It is inexpensive, easy to source, and works beautifully under a wide range of subjects.
Why Batch Preparing Your Canvases Changes Everything
Once your canvases are prepped and stacked and ready to go, the barrier to starting a new painting essentially disappears. There is no prep work standing between you and the first brushstroke. That small shift makes a bigger difference than you might expect.
Frequently Asked Questions About Priming Canvas
How many coats of gesso does a canvas need?
At minimum, two coats with sanding in between. For a very smooth surface ideal for realist painting or fine detail work, three coats is better. I sand between every layer and finish with a 320 grit for the final pass.
Should I sand between coats of gesso?
Yes, always. Sanding between coats is what gives you that buttery smooth surface. It buffs out the tooth from the canvas and from any brushstroke texture left by the previous layer. Mist the surface lightly with water first to keep the dust down.
Can I tone my canvas with regular acrylic paint instead of liquid acrylic?
Yes. I prefer liquid acrylic because it mixes easily into the gesso without thickening it, but regular acrylic paint works too. Just be aware that heavier body paints may thicken your gesso mixture and require a little extra water to compensate.
How long should gesso dry before painting?
I wait at least one hour between coats, and I let the final coat dry fully before I start painting, usually a few hours at minimum. If you are in a hurry, a hairdryer on a cool setting speeds things up considerably.
Does canvas need to be primed for oil painting?
Yes. Painting directly onto an unprimed canvas with oil paint will cause the oil to seep into the fibres and eventually degrade them. Acrylic gesso is a reliable and widely used primer for oil painting, as long as each coat is fully cured before you begin.
If you have any other questions about canvas prep, leave them in the comments below!
Happy painting!
xx Marianne