A primer is applied to a canvas to seal and preserve the support, reduce the absorbency of the canvas, and help the colors pop. Priming is an integral part of any painting project, and many artists use oil and acrylic primers like gesso when painting. But can you use acrylic paint to prime a canvas?
You can prime a canvas using acrylic paint. However, acrylic paints may not work as well as popular primers like gesso, especially if you’re not careful during the priming process. Nevertheless, acrylic paint will work as a primer if you properly apply it to your canvas.
Below, I’ll cover everything you need to know on the question “Can You Prime a Canvas Using Acrylic Paint?” I’ll touch on whether priming a canvas is necessary before painting, and talk about the steps and tips for priming a canvas using acrylic paint.
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Is It Necessary To Prime a Canvas Before Painting?
Priming is a lot of work, and many artists go so far as to say it’s not necessary. Also, pre-primed canvases exist, and you can go with these instead to save time and resources. If you have a regular canvas, is it okay to start painting without applying a primer?
It’s not necessary to prime a canvas before painting. However, priming improves how well paint sticks to the canvas during the painting process. It also helps prevent bleeding and gives your brush a smoother surface that’s easier to work with. Also, priming offers various benefits depending on the paint you’re using.
For example, you’ll need to prime and cover the canvas before using oil paints
. Otherwise, the paint’s chemicals will destroy the canvas long-term. Oil paint can seep into your canvas and produce dull areas on the surface. Pale patches in your work indicate that the canvas wasn’t correctly primed or wasn’t primed at all.
Acrylic paints are different. You can use them without priming on a variety of surfaces and supports. However, you should make sure the base isn’t too oily or greasy.
How To Prime A Canvas Using Acrylic Paint
The primary purpose of priming is to create a functional buffer between the canvas and the paint. Artists typically use primers like acrylic gesso, hyde glue, or oil priming white when working, but there are other options. You can easily apply the above substances to your canvas, and priming with acrylic paint is no different.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to priming a canvas using acrylic paint:
- Use a gentle, wet cloth or rubbing alcohol to clean the unprimed canvas’s surface. Make sure the fabric isn’t dripping wet, so the canvas doesn’t take too long to dry. Once the canvas dries, you can set it up for priming.
- Pour the acrylic paint into a bowl or similar container and mix it thoroughly. You can add an acrylic medium to increase the thickness of the paint, or dilute it with water to thin it. However, diluting the paint will mean you need to add a few more layers to your canvas.
- Apply the mix to the canvas using a broad brush. Make sure you use firm, vertical strokes and good priming techniques to reach all corners of the canvas so the paint covers it completely. You may need to cover the mix during the priming process to keep it from drying out.
- Paint the edges of the canvas with new layers of the mix. The first coat is essential, since it’ll form the base for the remaining layers of primer. Make sure you apply lots of primer to the edge of the canvas, taking care not to miss any spots.
- Leave the canvas to dry. The primer should dry within 20 to 30 minutes. In the meantime, wash your brush carefully. It’s possible the primer may take longer to dry, so I suggest leaving the canvas for another hour or two.
- Sand the surface until it’s as smooth as you want. Sanding is necessary to control the smoothness of the primer surface. Sand lightly to not damage the canvas.
- Apply a second layer of primer. This coat should be thicker than the first, and should be applied in the opposite direction to the first. Let this one dry, and sand just like you did during the initial application.
- Repeat the process a few more times. You may need to apply more layers of the acrylic paint primer than usual, and the entire process might take a few hours.
Tips for Priming
Although the priming process is pretty straightforward, there are various strategies you can employ to make sure you do it as fast as you can. After all, priming can take hours — and that’s before you start painting. Here are a few tips to make the priming process as efficient as possible.
- Wash your brush loads of times before use to ensure the hairs don’t mix into the primer on the canvas.
- Use a thinner brush. A thinner brush might work better as a priming tool, and you can easily cut some of the hairs off with scissors.
- Add acrylic gel medium or sawdust when applying the final coat of primer to give your canvas a unique texture.
- Canvas primed with acrylic paint is usually smoother than that primed with gesso, so you don’t need to sand the former as vigorously as you would the latter.
- You can also use acrylic paint to prime substances like cardboard or paper, although these may need more layers of the priming mixture.
- Insert pushpins into the back of your canvas braces to make it sturdier while you prime, especially if it’s a smaller canvas.
Final Words
You can prime a canvas using acrylic paint. However, it may not work as well as primers like gesso. Acrylic paint can work as a primer for various surfaces if you properly apply it.
It’s not necessary to prime a canvas before painting. But priming can improve how the paint sticks to its surface. It also helps prevent “bleeding” and gives your brush a smoother surface that’s easier to paint on.
Sources
- Jerry’s Artarama: How To Prime Your Canvas For Acrylics
- The Spruce Crafts: Priming A Canvas For Acrylics Or Oils
- InkJet Media: 6 easy ways to prime your canvas with gesso
- FeltMagnet: How to Prepare a Canvas for Painting: A Step-by-Step Guide
- University of Delaware Art Conservation: Materials Information and Technical Resource for Artists – Grounds and Primers