Hi MITRA Team,
I am inquiring on information that would support the use of White Oil Base Primer paints (sold through paint stores/major home improvement stores ) as an alternative to Gesso and/or for adding as a top layer to the existing Gesso foundation.
I recently re- read some articles and books written by artists and several mentioned that they used a White Cover Stain Oil Based Primer sold through hardware /paint stores for sealing canvases. Some applied the Oil Primer as the top layer over Gesso and others stayed with an oil base for all layers. One or two articles actually mentioned the name of Zin_ _ _ r Oil based primer for indoor/outdoor applications.
Has anyone tested and/or heard about using traditional oil based primers that are normally available for household/commercial paint stores on artist canvas and/or panels?
Is there any reason NOT to use oil based primers that are available through paint/hardware stores?
Looking forward to your reply.
Patrick McGuire
Hi Matthew, Thank you for the reply and sharing your insight on the fillers for those commerical grade paints. Those are very good reasons to stay with the “artist” grade materials. Patrick McGuire
I posted here recently where I found that several coats of Bullseye 1-2-3 primer resulted in the oils being sucked out of the subsequent layer of oil paint extreemly quickly.
Maybe 1 layer would have worked better, but it has made me reluctant to use this primer again.
Patrick, While I haven’t tried substituting these architectural primers for artists’ grounds myself, I know that some artists who have used oil-based “prime anything” stain blocking primers report that they are very thirsty, with a tendency to desiccate oil paints and force drying. Many include talc, kaolin (clay) and other absorbent fillers, along with amounts and types of driers not normally used in artists’ primers.
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