Preparing your canvas for Painting

Assemble your supplies. Put some gesso on a palette or in a small cup; don't dip your brush right in the jar or tube of gesso. ...

1. Paint across the canvas in one direction, covering every surface of the canvas. ...

2. Let the gesso dry, and then repeat the process with a second coat. ...

3. If desired or necessary, add a third coat.

Gesso (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒɛsso]; "chalk", from the Latin: gypsum, from Greek: γύψος) is a white paint mixture consisting of a binder mixed with chalk, gypsum, pigment, or any combination of these.