Do you have to prime a canvas before starting a painting?

Question

Usually I paint on paper or cardboard but I just bought a canvas to try. Do I have to prime it first? And would white paint work or would I need something special from the store?

Answer 1

You don't have to prime it.. especially if you are just using acrylics. But if you feel the need, I wouldn't go with "white" but rather an off-white almost yellow. My painting professor suggested this to me once because I found myself staring at the whiteness.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Do you have to prime a canvas before starting a painting?
Usually I paint on paper or cardboard but I just bought a canvas to try. Do I have to prime it first? And would white paint work or would I need something special from the store?

Answer 3

If you bought a stretched canvas or canvas on board, it is almost certainly primed with gesso. If you are painting in oils, you may want to add one more layer of gesso, which can be bought it Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and sometimes Walmart. And--it's probably available where ever you got your canvas. When painting in oils, I have often found that the factory-applied gesso is not sufficient, and some of the oil eventually seeps through the canvas. If you'll be painting in acrylics, it's not such a big deal, and I wouldn't worry about that.

Oh, and as someone said, it's that white layer, which may remind you of sizing, that tells you it's been primed.

Answer 4

some artists have been known to use latex house paint - but as the story went on, the paint started flaking off after a year.
If you are painting with oils, & the canvas hasn't been "primed" or gessoed, you do need to - the oils will soak into to canvas and eventually rot it away. I think with acrylics you would still want to so the paint isn't soaking into the canvas. If it's a pre-stretched canvas you may be able to get away with not - but if you put a light coat on and then sand it very lightly with some fine sandpaper and then do it again, you will have a much nicer surface to paint on. I stretch my own, & probably put at least 4 or 5 coats on, with sanding in between layers after the 2nd.
I was taught to use white - because it reflects the light in your paints better.
Have fun with it.
oh yeah - most art supply stores sell gesso much cheaper than Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

Answer 5

If you bought a prestretched canvas you may notice there is this white layer on there...That is your primer.

If you have just the canvas it may suck the water out of your paint and not handle very well to begin with. You can use white paint but gesso is specially made (invented) for this purpose. For fine painting you can not get around it. For some more rough painting you may even like the 'primer-less' canvas.

Answer 6

Canvas Primer

Answer 7

Been "dabbling" on & off for a long time & generally do prime canvasses unless they are storebought pre-stretched.
One thing priming will do, prevent raw canvas from showing "hairs" & too much "weave".
Also depends on the type of brush & knife techniques you will use .
Fine brushwork , might be better to prime .
Very often even white primed canvasses are "stained" w/ a
wash of a darker color (earthtones or greys) that will be compatible w/ the painting, just to knock down the brightness of the primer.
Have used masonite as well as canvas & just use sealing primer ( for walls) .
Inexpensive & it works fine.
Make up your own rules.

Answer 8

u proably bought a pre primed canvas since they dont sell unprimed canvas unless its in a roll. anyways, yes u do have to prime it especcially for oils. acrylics wont damage the canvas but they will be absorbed to quickly into the canvas, and a primer will make it a much easier surface to paint on. oils can acutally destory and decay the canvas over time if u paint on a raw surface.

Answer 9

Is the Canvas you bought from the store, White?
...if so, than it is already primed. It is common for store bought canvases to come already primed. You can prime again if you like, but its optional.

...If your canvas is a brownish color, this means that is not primed. In that case you need to buy what is called "Gesso." Gesso is a special kind of primer that artists use. Any art store supplies it.

Best of luck and have fun.

Answer 10

i wouldn't prime it, although priming it does make the paint last longer, but from personal experience, the clarity of the painting is the same whether you prime it or not.