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  Why prime a canvas?

 Once you have a canvas constructed, it is necessary to coat the raw canvas cloth with what is called a primer. The primer is needed because if either linen or cotton cloth is directly exposed to oil paint, the canvas will eventually rot. Primer is also good for filling in the tiny pores of the cloth and making the surface more smooth, especially when well sanded in between several coats. The most common name for ready made primer on the market is called "Gesso". Gesso is Italian for "board chalk" which refers to the powdered mineral calcium carbonate used in both chalk and primer. Gesso also contains an acrylic polymer medium latex, a pigment and other chemicals that ensure its flexibility and archival quality. The odor of gesso comes from ammonia and/or formaldehyde which are added as preservatives.

 Most gesso is white but it also comes in other colors such as black for example by replacing the titanium white with carbon black. Personally I prefer the black gesso for most paintings since it seems to make things look a little more solid and dark with fewer layers of paint as opposed to starting with white gesso. It mainly just comes down to personal preference though.

          Steps to priming a canvas:

1. After stretching the raw canvas, read the bottle of gesso to see if it requires the addition of water for thinning. There will be a recommendation for the mix ratio. While some bottles require mixing, some are ready to use. If you buy a concentrated gesso requiring mixing, just remember you do not want the primer to be too thick or it will leave brush marks. Likewise, if it is too thin, you will have to apply several more coats.
  2. Brush the primer on evenly in column-like strokes side to side using a wide flat brush. (Like Mr. Miyagi in the movie Karate Kid when he says "Up down. Paint the fence") It is important to gesso quickly and evenly because gesso causes some shrinkage to the canvas fabric as it dries and if shrinkage is distributed unevenly it may cause the entire structure to warp. If this happens, you will need to detach the canvas cloth from the frame, increase the strength of it with wood beams and then re stretch the canvas back onto the frame. On theother hand, if the shrinking action of gesso still leaves your canvas too loose, rinse it in hot water once it has dried and it will tighten up, just like shrinking your clothes by washing them in hot water.   3. When the primer dries completely, it will probably feel noticeably more rough. If you prefer a smooth canvas allowing less friction in brush strokes, sand the surface lightly until it is noticeably smoother to the touch. 4. Repeat all of these steps about 2 to 5 times. Sand the canvas in between every application of gesso if you would like a smoother surface.