Our range of acrylics gesso primers includes:

Talens Universal Gesso Primer- a highly pigmented, Titanium White acrylic primer. The sheer volume we sell of this renowned artists' gesso enables us to offer it at incredibly cheap prices.

Spectrum Acrylic Gesso Primer- bright white, matt and with a workable 'tooth', this primer is good for use with oils and acrylic.

Liquitex Acrylic Gesso Primer- the reputable Liquitex brand offers their all-purpose primer for use under all painting mediums.

Daler Rowney Acrylic Gesso Primer- Highly adhesive, ideal for directly sealing all semi-absorbent surfaces before applying colour - both acrylics and oils. Daler Rowney have specially developed this primer to be low cost and is available in 3 sizes.

Golden Gesso- Golden Gesso is a flexible liquid ground that seals, protects, and gives "tooth" to substrates, which promotes paint adhesion. It is formulated to accept a wide variety of media on many commonly used painting surfaces. It comes ready-to-use, but can be mixed with water for thinner applications. When applied in thin layers, Golden Gesso will conform to a variety of textured surfaces.

Golden Sandable Hard Gesso- Golden Sandable Hard Gesso is formulated with 100% acrylic polymer emulsion. It contains high levels of titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate and talc to produce an easily sanded surface. This product is designed for rigid substrates only and is not to be used on flexible materials, as cracking may occur. Sand lightly between coats.

These are the traditional primers for oil painting and are unsuitable as a base for acrylic painting. You must first size your canvas with rabbitskin glue to prevent the oil from rotting the canvas over time.

Spectrum Thixotropic Alkyd Primer- a multi purpose primer for all types of oil painting supports. Canvas needs sizing with rabbit skin glue before priming. This one coat multi-purpose primer gives an opaque gesso-like surface and requires a few days to dry.

Spectrum White Lead Primer- a traditional lead primer for canvas, for the professional artist. Canvas must be sized with rabbit skin glue before priming. This product requires careful handling and will require at least 4 weeks drying time.

Roberson Oil Primer- offers better coverage in 1 - 2 coats, dries flexible and won't crack. Roberson oil primer dries within 16 hours and contains Titanium white, china clay, linseed oil and alkyd resin.

This traditional animal glue has been used for centuries to size canvas before the application of an oil based primer to protect the fabric from the damaging effect of the oil. There are two schools of thought about whether rabbitskin glue should be used under acrylic primers and paints - since there are less controversial acrylic alternatives I would advise NOT to use rabbitskin in this context.

We sell Rabbit Skin Glue both prepared and in its granular form.

To prepare rabbit skin glue, soak approximately 40g of granules in 1 litre of water overnight (keep covered to avoid evaporation) then warm until fully dissolved- do not boil. Apply while liquid in one thin coating.

Roberson Rabbit Skin Glue- Roberson's excellent rabbit skin glue is by far our most popular. Available in three packet sizes, following the simple steps above will guarantee consistent sizing every time.

Roberson Prepared Rabbit Skin Glue- takes the time out of sizing. Available in 4 different weights, this prepared glue couldn't be simpler to apply.

Paintworks Budget Rabbit Skin Glue- for the budget conscious- our 'own-brand' alternative is of excellent quality but comes in no-frills packaging to offer a cheaper price!

Spectrum Clear Acrylic Canvas Sealer- an alternative to Rabbit Skin Glue, this acrylic based sealer can be used as either a size on which to prime or simply as a prepared surface in itself. It is better suited for use with water based paints where rabbit skin glue would be an inappropriate ground.

Liquitex Modelling Paste- this unique product from the brilliant Liquitex range can be used to create experimental, relief surfaces on which to apply oil and acrylic paints. The addition of an acrylic medium is essential to make it flexible enough for use on canvas.

Whiting- for those with an interest in making their own gesso, this fine ground chalk will make your primer sandable for an ultra-smooth surface.

Marble Dust- a hard, inert pigment for adding tooth to grounds.

Pumice Powder- like marble dust only finer. Also used for producing toothed ground for pastel.