Post 440: To Gesso or Not to Gesso, That Is the Question

To Gesso or Not to Gesso, That Is the Question

Do you prime your canvas before you begin to paint? Gesso is something that is a personal decision for every artist, encompassing different situations; HIGHLY recommended for raw canvas, gesso is subject to artist likes and dislikes in textures and smoothness, perhaps optional on pre-primed ready-made canvas, but applying a gesso base goes a long way toward priming your surface before you lay down your painting. Let's learn all about gesso in this blog post.

 

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What is Gesso?

According to Wikipedia, gesso is:

"Gesso (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒɛsso]; 'chalk', from the Latin: gypsum, from Greek: γύψος), also known as "glue gesso" or "Italian gesso", is a white paint mixture used to coat rigid surfaces such as wooden painting panels or masonite as a permanent absorbent primer substrate for painting. Gesso is used in painting as a preparation for any number of substrates such as wood panels, canvas, and sculpture as a base for paint and other materials that are applied over it." - Wikipedia Gesso

 

Here's Emmy from Jerry's Artarama, Jerry's Live Episode #JL307: All About Gesso

By the way, subscribe to the Tuesday afternoon Jerry's Live shows - always good, endless topics, and occasionally you can win something! This video is well worth your time to learn more about the what, why, hows and choices available about gesso.

Usually you will find gesso in Titanium White when you purchase it, but you may find it in Black as well. But, good to know, you can color your own gesso too, which I think can make a great base to begin on for many purposes.

How to Gesso

There isn't necessarily a right or wrong - its up to you and what you want to achieve on your surface. This is where applying gesso goes "off the edge of the canvas" (as opposed to "off the rails"). And it is interesting to understand that there are as many ways of applying gesso as there is in brands of gesso. Again, its all in the artist preferences and you don't know that until you give it a go one way or another. Here are a few suggestions.

• You can apply gesso with a soft brush, palette knife, or trowel
• On an acrylic-based gesso, you can apply with a wet brush or you may admire the texture of the non-watered down application. 
• Acrylic based gesso has very easy cleanup of your brush or tools with water.
• You can use an acrylic-based gesso UNDER an oil painting but you cannot use an oil-based gesso UNDER an acrylic painting. 
• If doing an acrylic painting, you can start painting gesso as soon as the gesso is dry to the touch, which is fairly quickly. 
• If your doing an oil painting, wait at least 24 hours before applying the paint over the gesso.
  

Do You Use Gesso? - From our PWAS Members  

The question about gesso was asked of our Prince William Art Society members and wow, I'm sure glad I asked! I learned even more just by sending the question out there. The PWAS membership consists of artists at every level, from art beginners to VERY experienced professionals. Some members studied art while in school and college while others are self-taught.  

Here is the wonderful feedback that they sent in...

From PWAS Member Patti Durbin

"Sometimes I use one coat of gesso to create texture on the canvas before painting."

From PWAS Member Otis Stanley, PWAS Photographer

Yes, I use gesso, usually one coat . I do not mix it with water.

From Elizabeth Stathis, PWAS President 2024-2025

"I was taught how to build my own canvas from scratch. Raw linen or canvas stretched then gesso'd with water.

Let dry.

Sand it smooth.

Gesso'd thicker.

Let dry.

Sand again.

Gesso full thickness.

Let dry.

Sanded smooth.

One Gesso coat on back of canvas.

Let dry, no sanding needed.

When you no longer see the canvas weave on the front, you are done.

I'm sure there are other versions out there."

From PWAS Member Janice "Cookie" Bell

"I'm sending this to you for Raymond Bell.  It's what he used for preparing his board

for his soft pastel paintings. I believe he originally got this from the Pastel Society.

Hope it's useful for those interested.....  it worked so well for him for years.

 

                           Fill a pint jar one-third of water. Then add one or two

                           tablespoons of Gesso and stir. Next, add another

                           one-third pint of water.  To this, add one tablespoon of

                           white glue, three tablespoons of pumice (powder FF

                           medium at hardware store, usually in paint or furniture

                           refinishing area), and one or two more tablespoons of

                           Gesso and stir well.  Finally, fill the jar almost to the

                           top with water and add three more tablespoons of 

                           pumice and one or two more tablespoons of Gesso.

                           Stir the mixture well.

 

                           Apply the mixture to the board with a brush, using

                           horizontal strokes in one direction, apply to both sides.

                           When dry, apply second coat vertically to both sides.

 

I know this sounds like a never-ending procedure but it worked miracles in getting the pastel to stick to the board, although it does not smell too good!!  The outcome

was worth it all.  You know, Raymond did not like the pastel paper.......never held up as good as the board.

 

Hope this has been a help.  Wish he was here to help more!"

From PWAS Member Mickey Winslow

"In answer to your question about gesso; when I used to stretch my own canvasses I did use several coats of gesso on them & also on purchased canvasses. It just made for an interesting surface to work on.  If the gesso was too thick, I would use water to thin it down.  Hope this helps."

From Bettie Sperty, PWAS Co-Secretary

"I have used Gesso on occasion, but since most of my canvases and surfaces are pre- gessoed, I don’t use it on a regular basis. Where I have used it is when preparing naked wooden panels. Or, if a canvas is unusually coarse, I will apply a layer of gesso and once it is dry, I’ll sand it a bit and wipe with a damp cloth. Repeat if necessary."

From PWAS Member Mark Clifton

I paint with oil and use acrylic gesso. 3 or 4 coats on canvas straight out of the container, undiluted, lightly sanded. Store bought pre-gessoed canvas gets the same 3 or 4 extra coats. Sides are also gessoed so they don't rot. Hardboard panels get 3 or 4 coats front, back, and edges.

From PWAS Member Kacy Egan

"Thanks for the Question. This prompted me to research what is Gesso. 

I’ve always use pre-primed canvas. I had no idea that this could improve my art work. Is it possible to add color to the Gesso?"

From Donna Liguria, PWAS Blog Admin

"I didn't use it at first...as a self-taught artist I had to learn to use it and why. Since then, all of my canvases have at least 2 layers of gesso, sometimes 3 (except for the mini canvases). At 3 or more coats, the acrylics start acting weird, so I have found that I like the 2 coats better. Occasionally, I use sandpaper on it for more smoothness, and I apply the gesso with a plastic straight-edged trowel. Next time, after this blog post, I'd like to try it with a brush - this has been enlightening!" 

A big thank you to all the PWAS Members that sent in their gesso notes.

And so do we, Cookie. 

And Kacy, I asked the same questions when I began taking ART more seriously a few years back. I've actually learned even MORE about gesso just asking our PWAS members!

Do you gesso? What can you share about your process? What brand do you like and how do you apply it? Drop a comment below.

For Further Exploration on the Topic

What is Gesso?

Oil Over Acrylic Application Guidelines

How to Prime a Canvas using Gesso for Acrylic Painting

 

How to Gesso from Siso Art 

Note that a few more responses are coming in from PWAS Members, I'll add them in as they arrive!

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Author: Donna Liguria
Artistry Spin Blogmaster and an artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, her Donna's Esty site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

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Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

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