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Some painting surfaces need to be gessoed before they are ready for oil or acrylic painting.
In this video, I will show you how easy this is to do!
I'm Sarah F. Jayne, welcome to this episode of my painting videos.
You don’t really need to gesso your canvas if you are using pre-primed rolled canvas
or linen or a canvas pad such as this Fredrix brand canvas pad since it already has a layer
of gesso or other primer. Some painters prefer the more absorbent surface that one or more
additional layers of gesso provides. There are some surfaces that require gesso such
as this raw canvas and linen and also hardboard or wood panels such as these. It’s also
helpful to gesso paper, such as when painting on these Strathmore 400-series pads. A demo
on that can be seen in Oil Painting Workshop Video #1.
If you're using panels, you need to size them by painting the front and back of each panel.
Now let’s apply the gesso. First you’ll need the gesso. Traditionally, gesso was made
with chalk, rabbit skin glue, and white paint. Nowadays, most painters use acrylic gesso.
That’s what I’m using here. I buy a 1 gallon container of gesso and then pour some
into a glass jar with a tightly sealing lid. This makes it easier for me to handle and
keeps the bulk of the gesso fresher with less dust particles introduced. Notice that I put
a piece of wax paper over the jar before putting the lid back on. This makes it so that the
lid doesn’t stick and it’s always easy to open.
Next, you need a wide brush. You can use a house painting bristle brush, but I prefer
a wide watercolor wash brush as it leaves less brushstrokes.
Of course, you’ll need the painting support that you’re planning to gesso. By laying
your piece of canvas or board on a piece of wax paper or newspaper, you can be sloppy
about painting over the edges and you can move the painted piece out of the way without
having to handle it.
Some people add up to 25% water to the first coat so that it goes on more smoothly. I am
just as happy not doing this, but do experiment to see which way you like it. To get the gesso
to really absorb in raw canvas, you’ll need to brush in one direction and then in the
other to meld it into the interstices or crevices of the canvas weave. Then smooth your brushwork
out. OR, you may like the effect of painting over a rougher brushstrokey surface!
After the gesso thoroughly dries, sand it with a 400-grit or higher sandpaper. You can
apply as many coats as you wish. If you’re gessoing wood panels, such as basswood, it’s
a good idea to gesso the reverse side of the panel as well.
Now, your canvas or panel is ready to paint on. For an easy economical way to provide
a firm support for your canvas, watch the next video about painting supports (#8). It
provides a perfect lightweight solution for transporting wet canvases.
I hope you enjoyed this video. I invite you to subscribe to my YouTube channel. If
you have any questions about this video, comment below or email me via my website, www.OldGarden.com.
I look forward to painting with you.