Ultimate guide to Gesso: Applying, drying time, and techniques

What is gesso?

Gesso is a white paint mixture consisting of a binder mixed with chalk, gypsum, pigment, or a combination of all three. Acrylic gesso is an alternative to real gesso, possessing a similar absorbency or tooth that one expects from a gessoed surface.

If you want to keep the natural look of your canvas, you can use a clear gesso. To make a coloured surface preparation, you can use acrylic colour with clear or white gesso, giving your painting a toned ground base layer. Oils are not suitable in this context. You can see the effects created with different gessoes in this video tutorial.

How should I apply gesso?

It’s best to use a wide, flat brush with relatively short bristles to apply gesso, and brush it in firmly. Thinning the first coat with a little water makes it easier to apply and helps the gesso soak into the first layers of the canvas.

You apply acrylic gesso in the same way you would apply acrylic or oil gesso after sizing. Use a flat brush and apply the acrylic gesso neatly in one direction only, ensuring the gesso sits on the surface of the canvas and does not go through the canvas. This will prevent your paint seeping through the canvas and rotting the unprimed side later. When the first coat has dried, apply across the original direction in one direction. Allow to dry. Then for your final coat apply across the last coat in the same direction as your first. This will ensure you have an even ground across your canvas that creates a protective layer between your paint and the canvas.

For a demonstration and more information, watch our video masterclass on priming your canvas.

How many coats of gesso do I need?

As an average, about three coats. For acrylic paintings, one or two coats of gesso are normally recommended. For oil paintings, you need two to four coats. But the precise number of coats depends on the absorbency of your surface and your personal preference.

How long does gesso take to dry?

Although gesso can be touch dry within one to two hours, depending on temperature, it’s best to wait at least 24 hours before painting on a gessoed surface. You should also wait at least an hour between coats. Keep in mind that sometimes humidity and temperature changes can affect the drying time of gesso.

Can I prime canvas without gesso?

You can use other primers after sizing with rabbit skin glue. If you don’t prime or gesso your canvas it is likely to rot over time when directly in contact with your paint.

Can you gesso over oil paint and reuse the canvas?

No – you can paint over old paintings but not re-gesso or prime over oil. If you have an acrylic painting you no longer want and you would like to reuse the canvas, start by lightly sanding the work to make the surface even. Then you can paint over it with gesso, before starting again with a new painting

Are WN Canvases already primed? If so, why would you use Acrylic Gesso to prime a ready-made canvas?

All our canvases are primed with a of minimum 3 coats of highly pigmented gesso. So no additional priming is needed. What can give a different painting experience is when the artist applies a few additional coats and then sands the surface to eliminate the cotton/linen texture. But purely optional then.