Top Gesso Brands: Elevating Your Artistic Canvas

If you're a budding artist or a seasoned painter, choosing the right gesso can significantly impact the quality of your work. Gesso acts as a preparatory coating on canvases and other surfaces, providing a slightly textured surface that enhances paint adhesion. Knowing which brands offer the best gesso can save you time and ensure a smooth painting experience. Below, you'll find a curated list of top gesso brands renowned for their excellent consistency, durability, and finish.

Illustration of gesso

Best brands of gesso in 2025

Liquitex

Liquitex is a renowned brand in the art supplies industry, particularly celebrated for its high-quality gessos. Founded in 1955 by Henry Levison, Liquitex introduced the first water-based acrylic gesso, revolutionizing surface preparation for artists. Their gessos, available in various colors including white, clear, gray, and black, prime surfaces to enhance color adhesion and stability and can be thinned with up to 25% water for optimal application. Liquitex gessos are archival-safe, non-toxic, and certified by the Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI), ensuring long-term durability and safety for artists. Whether you need a matte white finish or a transparent base, Liquitex gessos provide the ideal foundation for your artwork. For more details on their offerings, visit the Liquitex gessos product page.

Golden

Golden is one of the top producers of gesso, offering a range of products that cater to various artistic needs. Their Gessos and Grounds are formulated to be flexible and highly pigmented, ensuring opaque coverage and a long-lasting artwork. Golden Gesso can be mixed with Golden Acrylics to create colored grounds and is suitable for use with acrylics, oils, alkyds, charcoal, pastels, and watercolor. The Sandable Hard Gesso, made with 100% acrylic polymer emulsion, can be sanded for a smoother surface. Golden recommends at least three layers of gesso for oil painting to ensure optimal results. For more details, visit their Golden Acrylic Gesso page.

Winsor & Newton

Winsor & Newton is a renowned brand in the art supplies industry, particularly noted for its high-quality gesso products. Their acrylic gesso contains less than 0.1% zinc oxide, which is trapped in the acrylic medium and does not react with oil paint, ensuring safe and reliable use. The brand's gesso is widely praised for its excellent paint adhesion and durability, making it a favorite among artists. Winsor & Newton's gesso is available in white, clear, and tinted varieties, offering versatile options for artists to prepare their canvases. Their products are part of a larger market expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.1%, reaching a market value of US$ 4.78 billion by 2033.

Blick

Blick is renowned as one of the best producers of gesso, offering high-quality products like the Blick Artists Acrylic Gesso, which is certified non-toxic by the Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI), ensuring safety for artists. This acrylic gesso is highly versatile, suitable for preparing various surfaces such as canvas, wood, and cardboard, and it includes calcium carbonate and titanium white pigment for optimal texture and absorbency. With a 4.6-star rating, it is a favorite among artists for its reliability and performance. The product is part of a lineage that transformed the preparation of painting supports, making it faster and safer since the mid-20th century. Blick's commitment to quality and innovation has made their gesso a staple in many studios and classrooms.

Utrecht

Utrecht is renowned as one of the best producers of gesso, having developed their revolutionary acrylic gesso in 1957. Their products, such as the Utrecht Black Artists' Acrylic Gesso, are praised for their ultra-matte quality and affordable price point, with costs ranging from $0.69 to $0.83 per ounce. Utrecht's gessoes are made in their Brooklyn, New York plant and are known for their excellent covering power and archival stability. The company, founded in 1949 by Norman and Harold Gulamerian, continues to manufacture high-quality art supplies under the ownership of Dick Blick since 2013. Utrecht's Brooklyn Made program has earned them Gold Certification from the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

Old Holland

Old Holland is renowned for its high-quality art supplies, including gesso, which is highly prized by artists for its superior texture and durability. Established in 1664, Old Holland boasts a long history of using traditional methods combined with modern technology to produce exceptional art materials. Their gesso, like their oil paints, is made with meticulous care, ensuring high pigment loads and the absence of cheap fillers. This attention to detail results in a product that is both smooth and highly absorbent, making it ideal for various artistic applications. Old Holland's commitment to quality is evident in their rigorous testing and quality control processes.

Art Alternatives

Art Alternatives is highly regarded as one of the best producers of gesso, offering a high-quality product that is favored by many artists. Their gesso is formulated with a combination of acrylic polymer medium, calcium carbonate, and titanium white pigment, ensuring a durable and non-absorbent surface. This formulation provides excellent flexibility and long archival life, making it ideal for both acrylic and mixed media art. Art Alternatives gesso is known for its smooth, even application and its ability to enhance color vibrancy. Many artists appreciate the consistency and reliability of Art Alternatives gesso, which has been a staple in the art supply market for years.

Grumbacher

Grumbacher is highly regarded as one of the best producers of gesso, particularly their 525 Acrylic Gesso, which is praised for its thick, creamy consistency and excellent tooth for painting surfaces. This product is often recommended by artists and instructors due to its high quality and durability, making it a staple in many art studios. Despite being on the higher end of the price spectrum, with a 32 oz container costing around $34, Grumbacher gesso is valued for its performance and longevity. It is widely used for preparing surfaces for oil and acrylic painting, and its ability to be thinned with water makes it versatile and economical in the long run. Grumbacher's reputation in the art supplies market is further underscored by its presence in a growing market projected to reach USD 4.77 billion by 2030. For more information, visit Grumbacher's gesso page.

DecoArt

DecoArt is renowned for its high-quality art supplies, particularly its gesso products, which have been trusted by crafters, artists, and educators for over 35 years. Their gessoed hardboard panels, coated using a two-coat waterfall system, ensure a lightly textured and durable surface ideal for various artistic applications. DecoArt's commitment to quality and sustainability is evident in their use of reclaimed acrylic materials in some of their products. With a wide range of colors and textures available, DecoArt continues to be a preferred choice for artistic projects. Their products are crafted in the USA, reflecting their dedication to quality and customer satisfaction.

Daler-Rowney

Daler-Rowney is a renowned brand in the art supplies industry, particularly celebrated for its high-quality gesso products. Founded in 1783, the company has a rich history of producing fine arts materials, including gesso primers that are widely used by artists of all levels. Daler-Rowney's gesso is known for its thick and heavy consistency, although it can be challenging to apply in thin coats. The company's products comply with stringent regulations such as REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, ensuring safety and environmental standards. Daler-Rowney continues to innovate, contributing to the growth of the global canvas primer market, which is expected to register a CAGR of 5.1% by 2033.