Painting Materials: Gesso Application

Video Transcript

"So for demonstration purposes I have a little piece of canvas here. You've got a house painting brush, a nice one but basic, not an artist grade brush. And you dip it in the gesso here. You're just going to get a good amount on and go into the weave of the canvas, both directions. But what you're going to end up doing is going all over the whole canvas in the same direction. Once you've ground it in thoroughly so that when your canvas is drying after the first coat, all the marks are going one direction. Then when it's dry, give it about four hours, you're going to go back, turn the canvas the other way, do the whole thing over again. You'll find the second coat usually doesn't require as much gesso as the first, but the second coat, when this is dry, you'll grind it in again and then go all the opposite direction so it has a cross grain to it. And then two coats, your canvas will be thoroughly primed. Some people like to sand between coats. I do not. It's a matter of taste I feel, not a matter of structure. And when you're done you right away want to dunk your brush in some ordinary water and rinse it out thoroughly so it can be used again."