Can You Use White Acrylic Instead of Gesso?

While practice and technique are crucial parts of painting, having the appropriate materials is also important to make sure your art pieces are as high quality as possible. You may need a particular tool, paint color, or other materials and are considering swapping out one thing for another.

You cannot use white acrylic instead of gesso. White acrylic paint will not prime paper or a canvas the same way gesso will. You risk having the paint seep through the canvas, and your painting will also not look as good as with a primed surface. You will also end up using more paint than necessary. 

In this article, I will answer Can You Use White Acrylic Instead of Gesso? (no), the uses for gesso, and alternative ways you can use white acrylics in your work.

Why You Can’t Use White Acrylic Instead of Gesso

Acrylic paint and gesso have specific uses. Both are helpful tools for artists but should not be used as replacements for one another as they don’t serve the same purpose. 

White acrylic will typically have a thicker consistency than gesso. Gesso is lighter and more fluid, so it doesn’t create as thick a layer on the canvas, which makes it better as a base coat. 

Moreover, acrylic paint dries down smoother than gesso, so it doesn’t offer as much ‘tooth’ or roughness to the canvas as gesso does. Gesso makes the canvas rougher, so it can hold onto the paint as it is applied. 

Let’s explore the properties of acrylic paint and gesso to understand why you can’t use white acrylic instead of gesso. 

What Is White Acrylic?

Acrylic paints consist of three basic components: water, pigment, and an acrylic binder. Acrylics are a popular and easily accessible painting medium because they are quick-drying and easy to wash off. They are also less expensive than oil paints, another popular medium.

There is not just one shade of white. White paints have a wide range of undertones to match different palettes—from warm yellows and reds, cool blues and greens, or neutral beige and grays.

One of the most popular shades of white paint is Titanium White, made with titanium dioxide. This shade is often used as a base coat and helps other colors stand out. 

Another commonly used shade of white is Zinc White, made with zinc oxide. It is not as opaque as Titanium White and also dries slower.

What Is Gesso?

Less experienced artists and hobbyists may not be very familiar with gesso. Gesso is a primer for painting surfaces. 

It is applied to whatever the paint will be used on – including canvas, wood, and paper – to create a protective seal between the painting’s surface and the paint itself. Since acrylics are water-based, there is the risk that they will bleed and spread across canvas and paper.

You may also hear gesso referred to as “ground,” which is the surface that the paint sits on. Not all ground is gesso, but gesso often achieves the same goal as ground. Different brush stroke methods can make the paper or canvas rougher and create more texture.

Gesso can be tinted white or, more commonly, clear. There are oil and acrylic gessos, with the latter being the more popular choice.

What Are Alternatives To Gesso?

Since white acrylic is not a good substitute for gesso, you’re probably wondering what you can use if gesso isn’t readily available.

There are gel mediums that you can use to prime canvases. Matte gels, for example, are thick and paste-like, which creates a slightly rough surface that helps the paint adhere to the surface of the canvas. These gels can range from medium to ultra matte, depending on the effect you want to create on your canvas.

The traditional binder used in gesso is glue or gelatin derived from animal skins, such as rabbits. If you are vegan or otherwise looking for a cruelty-free option, the Eco Gesso Kit by Natural Earth Paint is available on Amazon. This gesso is not only vegan; it is also free of preservatives and formaldehyde, making it an environmentally friendly alternative. 

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What Are Other Uses for Gesso?

While it is most commonly used as a primer for canvases, gesso can also be utilized in other ways. 

If you make a mistake in your painting, you can use a small amount of gesso to cover it up. Gesso is lightweight and will not create too thick a layer to paint back over.

You can also mix gesso into the paint to lighten the color. It is a good alternative if you do not have white paint to mix and lighten the other colors on your palette.

What Can You Use White Acrylic For?

Perhaps you have a lot of white acrylic paint and want to use it. Although you should not use white acrylic paint as an alternative to gesso, there are still ways you can incorporate it into your artwork and other projects.

As previously mentioned, white paint is used as a base layer for painting on canvas, especially in the shade Titanium White. 

The white paint helps other colors appear brighter and gives you a neutral surface to begin on. Some paper and canvas are not pure white (sometimes appearing more off-white or pale yellow).

Like gesso, you can blend your other acrylic paints with white to create lighter shades. When mixing new colors, acrylics can be a better application than gesso because you don’t have to worry about changing the consistency and texture of the paint.

Final Words

Priming your painting surface is essential to ensuring your acrylic paints adhere and do not spread or bleed through. Gesso is a primer that creates a protective layer between the paint and the surface you are working on (canvas, paper, wood, etc.). You should not replace gesso with white acrylic paint because it will not create the same seal or barrier.

Gesso has other uses in addition to being a primer. It can cover mistakes and be mixed into the paint to create lighter colors. Traditional gesso is made with animal glue, but vegan options are available.