- 1). Start with a canvas that has already been stretched. Once the canvas is stretched, all available areas will be flat and ready to be sealed.
- 2). Many artists like to use a gesso primer because it will keep the canvas flexible while allowing the paint to adhere efficiently.
- 3). Open the primer and stir. Like paint, it will work best when blended and uniform in composition.
- 4). Choose a small brush to apply the primer. It can be tempting to use a very large brush to get the job completed faster, but a large amount of primer applied at once may drip and settle unevenly. Apply either horizontally or vertically and continue to do so until the entire canvas is covered.
- 5). Let that layer dry and then choose the opposite direction, either horizontal or vertical, and cover the canvas again with those strokes. Allow that layer to dry.
- 6). Use a fine-grain sandpaper to sand the entire canvas lightly to even up the layers. Dust away the powder and give it more layers of primer if needed. Many painters choose give their canvas as many as four coats of primer. Others are satisfied with just two. The more layers of primer you apply, the stiffer your canvas will be.
- 7). Allow the canvas to dry at least overnight after you have applied the last coat. If any part of the canvas still feels tacky, give the canvas another day to dry.
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