How to cover ink that bleeds through canvas
I sketched my canvas with a Sharpie and cannot cover the ink. It bleeds through the paint. What can I cover it with? I tried gesso.
I’ve done this before, so I know how you feel! The inks from markers such as Sharpies are very difficult to cover over with paint, which is why it is best to use black charcoal for underdrawings. Charcoal rubs off easily and can be easily covered with paint.
Here are a few things you can try in order to cover over the ink that bleeds through your canvas:
- Paint black paint over the whole canvas (maybe try a few coats – you can even use black gesso), then gesso over it with white again so that you have a fresh new surface to paint with. Depending on how much marker you used, this may or may not work.
- Mix gesso (or any color paint) with an acrylic medium such as light modeling paste, and apply it to your canvas. The extra “bulk” of the acrylic medium may help cover up the ink so that it doesn’t show through anymore. Once the layer of paint/medium has dried, you can paint over it as normal and the ink won’t show through.
Of course, if you try this method, you will end up with a textured surface (depending on how much acrylic medium you add, and what kind you use), which may or may not be to your liking. Light modeling paste is the most recommended acrylic medium if you want to have a painting surface that is fairly uniform and not too different from painting directly on the canvas itself. In any case, if you build up a few layers of medium, you can also sand it lightly to make the surface more smooth. - Depending on the type of painting you are creating, you can try to cleverly incorporate the ink into your painting in such a way that it accentuates your piece. This could be fun if you are creating an abstract painting or a pop art painting, for instance. However, if you are aiming for realism, impressionism, or another style of painting where the ink bleeding through detracts from the piece, then you should try the first two ideas outlined above.
