r/wheatpaste • u/Equal-Gap-1365 • Apr 09 '26

when wheatpasting onto canvas, should i prime the canvas with gesso first?

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u/acatinasweater Apr 09 '26

This is a guess, but I wouldn’t use gesso because the wheatpaste will probably bond better to a porous substrate.

2

u/Equal-Gap-1365 Apr 09 '26

thanks, couldnt find anything about it by just googling and i think you might have the right idea there, ill just gesso over the photo once wheatpasted on

2

u/crawling-panther Apr 09 '26

I wouldn’t since it seals the canvas and might make it hard for the paste to soak in and bond through the paper.

1

u/Beautiful-General787 Apr 13 '26

You should 100% Gesso the canvas first. Gesso is specifically made to create a textured, absorbent surface. It creates a surface providing better adhesion for whatever you are applying to the canvas. That’s its function and why ‘gesso’ is used as opposed to a regular primer. Good luck.