How do I make a canvas smooth before I start a painting?

Question

How do I make a canvas smooth before I start a painting?

Answer 1

Smooth Canvas For Painting

Answer 2

Canvas, even the smoothest weave, will have a 'tooth' that will hold your paint. But, I've found a few small tricks have helps me when I need a smooth canvas (and don't want to use a board).



-Clean your canvas before you stretch. A finer weave, higher quality canvas won't need this.



-Apply gesso with your hands instead of a brush. Once you've stretched the canvas over your frame, massage the gesso into the canvas until you have a nice, even layer. Sometimes using a brush can leave streaks that will turn hard and leave rough textures.



-After your layer of gesso had tried thorough (wait a good couple of days), take a very very fine grit sand paper and giving the surfaces a very light once over. This will rid you of bits of gesso that may have clumped and of any bits of canvas that you may have missed when cleaning. Be careful! If you sand too hard or too much, you will reveal the canvas and have to re-gesso.



But, if you want smoother than this, you'll need to go to a prepared, hard surface.

Answer 3

By smooth do you mean hide the tooth?

If so: Apply a coat of dilute PVA-something like Elmer's white glue. Let it dry. Scrape on a coat of gesso. When the gesso is dry scrape on several coats of the paint you plan to use. It is unimportant if the fabric is stretched or not. Use a broad scraper such as a house painter would use. Sand between coats.



An alternative method is to glue paper to the canvas while the PVA is still wet. Then gesso and prime. The paper will not stretch much so it is best used on a stretched canvas or plan to frame as you would any work on paper.

Answer 4

Gesso

Answer 5

Cheers;

You have to have a frame. Wash the canvass, and staple it damp on the frame. It will shrink tight, as it dries.

Answer 6

rub with lemon!!