# Priming Linen Canvas With Acrylic Gesso & Oil Primer



## Hobo Chang Ba

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forum. I just started painting so I am inexperienced and nervous about making mistakes when it comes to priming my canvas.

I am starting a painting on a linen canvas and I have sized it with one coat of GAC 400 and two coats of GAC 100. This was recommended on a website I went to. I have with me right now Fredrix Acrylic Gesso, but I also ordered a Gamblin Oil Primer and I am waiting for it to be delivered in the mail.

My question has to do with using both forms of primer. I was wondering if it would be okay to do a few coats of the acrylic gesso, sanding in between, and then applying about two coats of the oil primer when it arrives.

Is it okay to apply oil primer over acrylic gesso?

On a side note, this idea to use the acrylic gesso before the oil primer came when I noticed that my canvas, with the GAC 400 and 100 coats applied, is very smooth now but still contains very very minuscule holes in some places that are natural to the linen canvas. I have applied 3 coats of these GAC sizings and I am wondering if it is okay that these tiny tiny holes are there. If it isn't okay, I'm wondering if I can make it better with coats of acrylic gesso and then coats of oil primer. I don't want to apply any more sizing to the canvas than has been recommended in what I read on the Golden website.

If someone can help me or point me in the right direction, I would appreciate that greatly! Thank you!


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## pencils

making mistakes is part of the learning process, learn from them and move on.


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## DLeeG

Or ask questions and learn from others' mistakes.


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## AZACRYLIC

Perhaps it would be best to sand it back down as far as you can then apply 3 or 4 thinned down acrylic gesso coats sand between each (smooth paper) then when its dry, you can either paint on it that way or give it a thin coat of retouch varnish and paint away.
You can paint with the acrylics and retouch with oils over the acrylics.
Hope that helps.


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## DLeeG

Things like this is why I'm not painting


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## pencils

Hobo Chang Ba said:


> Hello everyone!
> 
> I'm new to the forum. I just started painting so I am inexperienced and nervous about making mistakes when it comes to priming my canvas.
> 
> I am starting a painting on a linen canvas and I have sized it with one coat of GAC 400 and two coats of GAC 100. This was recommended on a website I went to. I have with me right now Fredrix Acrylic Gesso, but I also ordered a Gamblin Oil Primer and I am waiting for it to be delivered in the mail.
> 
> My question has to do with using both forms of primer. I was wondering if it would be okay to do a few coats of the acrylic gesso, sanding in between, and then applying about two coats of the oil primer when it arrives.
> 
> Is it okay to apply oil primer over acrylic gesso?
> 
> On a side note, this idea to use the acrylic gesso before the oil primer came when I noticed that my canvas, with the GAC 400 and 100 coats applied, is very smooth now but still contains very very minuscule holes in some places that are natural to the linen canvas. I have applied 3 coats of these GAC sizings and I am wondering if it is okay that these tiny tiny holes are there. If it isn't okay, I'm wondering if I can make it better with coats of acrylic gesso and then coats of oil primer. I don't want to apply any more sizing to the canvas than has been recommended in what I read on the Golden website.
> 
> If someone can help me or point me in the right direction, I would appreciate that greatly! Thank you!


you could, try different methods on unstretched canvas, cut small pieces and see what works better, or you could just buy pre gessoed canvas and make life easier, that would give you more time to paint too.


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## emisitano

Don't paint into retouch varnish…. it's called that for a reason, use it to retouch! Not archival if you use it in your paint.


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