How to Prime a Canvas Board for Acrylics

Most canvas boards you buy today come pre-primed with gesso, which means you can usually start painting right away. But understanding what priming does, why it matters, and when to add extra coats is useful knowledge for any painter. And if you ever work with unprimed canvas or wood panels, you'll need to know how to do this yourself.

What is Gesso and Why Does It Matter?

Gesso (pronounced "jesso") is a white primer made from chalk or calcium carbonate, binder, and pigment. When applied to a surface, it creates a slightly textured, absorbent ground that paint grips to. Without it, paint can bead up on smooth surfaces, absorb unevenly, or eventually peel off.

For acrylics specifically, gesso does a few important things:

• Creates a consistent surface texture (tooth) that the paint adheres to
• Seals the surface so the paint doesn't absorb unevenly
• Provides a white or neutral base that affects how colors look on top
• Protects the canvas or board from long-term damage

Do You Need to Prime a Pre-Primed Canvas Board?

Usually no. Good-quality canvas boards come with a factory-applied gesso layer that's sufficient for most painting. ARTIOS canvas boards come pre-primed and ready to use straight out of the pack.

However, there are situations where adding an extra coat makes sense:

• You want a smoother surface for detailed work (sand the first coat lightly, then apply another)
• You want a more absorbent ground for thin, wash-like painting
• You want to change the surface color (toned grounds, which we'll cover below)

How to Apply Gesso

If you're working with an unprimed surface or want to add extra coats, here's the process:

1. Gather what you need: Gesso, a wide flat brush (or a sponge roller for a very smooth finish), and water for dilution.
2. Thin the gesso slightly if needed. For the first coat, you can dilute with a small amount of water (no more than 10 to 20%) to help it flow more easily.
3. Apply in thin, even coats. Brush in one direction first, then in the perpendicular direction (crosshatch) to get even coverage. Don't apply too thick as this can cause cracking.
4. Let it dry completely. Gesso dries in 30 to 60 minutes depending on coat thickness and humidity.
5. Sand lightly between coats if you want a smoother surface. Use fine-grit sandpaper (220 or higher). This step is optional.
6. Apply 2 to 3 coats for a good ground. More coats give you more control over the surface texture.

Toned Grounds: Painting on Color Instead of White

One technique many intermediate painters use is toning the ground. Instead of painting on a pure white surface, they first apply a thin layer of color to give the canvas a mid-tone base.

This does a few useful things:

• The white of the canvas doesn't peek through gaps in the painting
• It gives you a base tone to work from, which makes judging lights and shadows easier
• It unifies the color temperature of the painting from the start

Toned Ground Color	Best For	Effect
Raw sienna / yellow ochre	Landscapes, warm scenes	Creates warmth under everything
Burnt sienna / reddish brown	Portraits, figurative work	Warms skin tones, classic Old Masters look
Neutral grey	Still life, urban scenes	Neutral, doesn't affect color temperature
Deep blue	Night scenes, moody work	Cool undertone, dramatic shadows

To tone a ground, just thin your acrylic paint heavily with water and apply a very thin wash over the gessoed surface. Let it dry and you're ready to paint.

Ready to Start?

If you're using ARTIOS canvas boards, they're pre-primed and ready to go. You can paint directly on them or add a toned ground if you want to try it. Browse our canvas boards collection to find the right sizes, and check out our full beginner's guide for everything you need to know to get started: Complete Guide to Acrylic Painting for Beginners.