Similar to painting your home, your artwork needs to have an undercoat/primer to provide it with a good foundation.

Depending on the substrate (the base you create your work on, e.g. paper, canvas, wood etc.) you use, there are different ways of creating that base coat. For wooden panels, which I don’t use very often, it is recommended to use GAC 100. This is basically a clear gesso which, when applied to wood will need two coats to ensure the entire surface is covered. GAC100 can also be used on canvases but personally I prefer gesso.

What is gesso? Essentially, a primer that prepares a surface for painting by making it slightly textured and ready to accept acrylic paint. Without gesso, the paint would soak into the weave of the canvas.

NB most shop bought canvases already have a thin coating of gesso, but adding your own is advised.

For canvases two coats of gesso are recommended and if you have lumps or you want a really smooth surface then sanding between each layer solves that issue. I have an artist friend who applies 8-10 layers of gesso on her canvases because she wants a really smooth surface, which canvas does not give.

As with anything, the professional grade gesso is considered better than the student grade, but it depends on what you want to do. I use either student grade or thinned down professional gesso so that I can create texture on the surface of my canvases without creating lumps which I get with the good stuff.

   
Hopefully you can see the ridges I like to make with the gesso on the first layer of my work.

You can make your own gesso using one part glue, three parts cornstarch and three parts baking soda. Once mixed I add some white paint and boiled, cooled water to get the consistency I like.

This might all seem like a big fuss if you are just starting out. However, if you get used to preparing surfaces before your work starts selling, you will understand the results you can achieve. Once your work is selling you won’t have to go back and start learning how to treat your surfaces properly to ensure your work has the longevity you want to give your clients.

Having created your masterpiece, remember it takes a week to fully dry/cure before you can prepare it for varnishing. With acrylic paint you need to apply an isolation coat before you varnish.

An isolation coat is a clear, permanent and importantly non-removable layer which separates your acrylic paint from the varnish you need to apply. This isolation coat allows for the varnish to be removed and reapplied should it need to be.

These days you can buy an isolation coat all pre-prepared for you. However, I have always used soft gel gloss medium and thinned it down with two parts water to one of medium. You will need to apply two isolation coats and then wait a week before you start to varnish your work.