Acrylic paint can be used straight on to the surface or support (the support is
your canvas, board or paper) but you may want to prime or use a transparent
glue size (thinned PVA or rabbit skin glue) to give you a non absorbent surface
so your paint doesn’t get soaked up into the canvas or board.
You will need:
- a canvas or board
- a priming brush
- water and Acrylic primer
- a spare jar or tub
First you need to mix up a weak solution of primer about half water half
primer. This will be your first coat (or size) this is to seal in all the little gaps
between the weave of the canvas.
Next, very simply apply enough coats of
pure primer until you have the surface you require probably 2 or 3.
Be careful to apply each coat in
different directions to ensure an even coverage and allow each coat to fully
dry before applying the next.
If you have any lumps or imperfections
in the surface use fine sandpaper to carefully sand then out.
If you are priming a smooth board (mdf
or hard board) you may wish to give each coat a light sanding to remove brush
marks. Also, if you thin the primer down a little the brush marks will be less distinct. Be aware this also means that more layers will be needed to
cover the surface.
More complicated/old fashioned priming coming soon...
