Primers: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (UPDATED 2020)

The last prepping party prompted this post. I think Primers are a difficult topic because everyone has their own preference and everyones humidity level is different. But out of all the primers I've used, the stuff I like works well for my region and humidity. To help out any new artists reading this, I'll write about the primers I've used and rate them. Remember that I am in Ontario, Canada, if you are in a hotter climate the primer may not agree as well. This list is also based off of my regions availability.

#5 Krylon ColorMaster Primer

Krylon I think is the most widely available primer on the market. It is very affordable and can be found at Walmart, craft stores, or hardware stores. It's probably the most popular among model horse artists because of all of these reasons. I think at some point there was a recipe change or some sort, because it seems like this primer is starting to fall out of favour. I personally hate it. The cans more often than not are faulty causing unwanted blobs of primer landing on your model. The primer itself I find is thick with poor coverage. You lose a lot of details and have to put multiple coats down to get full coverage, which I think puts you financially in the same place if you bought a better but more expensive primer. I know a lot of artists use this but I put this primer in last place on this list. Another downside: slow to dry.

#4 Rust-oleum Painters Touch Ultra Cover 2x

Rusto-leum's Painters Touch Ultra Cover 2x is another widely available primer found in the same places as the Krylon above. This primer I also find has similar issues to that of Krylon; blobs created by the can, poor coverage, thick (it is in the name), and you lose detail. However I find another issue with this one is that the primer ends up gummy. Like it never fully cures and feels like the bottom layer is still wet. I'm not sure if I got a bad can but I am permanently turned off of this primer.

#3 Rusto-leum Painters Touch

Also by Rust-oleum is Painters Touch. I'm pretty sure this primer and the last as pretty much the same but the 2x is just a thicker formula. I find this primer easy to find but not as widely available as the other 2. If you find yourself desperate, this isn't a bad product. Its coverage is weak but if you spray in quick sweeping strokes it dries quickly without gumminess or blobs. I still find it a little thick and I find that I still lose detail but ehhhh it isn't terrible. Seriously shake this one well to avoid thick blobs and shake again after a few sprays.

#2 Tamiya Fine Surface Primer

From Japan, this one gets a bad rap for being

volatile and reactive to other chemicals. Some say you

should only use Tamiya products, others say its perfectly fine.

Tamiya is a brand specifically geared towards models,

specifically Gundam, so its very fine and

holds detail really well. The downside is that the cans are

smaller than the others mentioned in this post, its expensive,

and hard to find. Here in Ontario there are only a handful of

stores that carry it and getting it online is virtually out of the

question. From what I know its quite bountiful in the U.S.A.

This primer also comes in a paintable version! So when

you cant get into that awkward area under the tail, you

can use a tiny brush and paint on the primer!

#1 Dupli-Color Sandable Primer

I discovered this primer through the grape vine of model horse painting... I think it was Snowdrift Studio's (Lynn Cassels-Caldwell) that recommended this primer but I may be wrong. This primer is expensive compared to the others on this list ($13CAN a can in store and up to $65CAN+ on Amazon). It's a rarity to find as well as its only sold at some auto parts stores (and not all colours are sold at all locations). International folks, sorry but this product is only available in the U.S. and Canada unless you buy online. Some of the highlights of this primer are that, as already mentioned, it doesn't just come in white. I love using the rust brown or grey as the first layer and then going over it in white for pastels. If you are not using pigments, you can use the coloured base coat as a starting point! The best thing about this primer is that it actually comes out in a mist. The coverage is amazing. It dries in seconds so you can do a batch of horses in one sitting and paint them nearly right away. As the name suggests, its easy to sand and repriming isn't an issue. This is my primer of choice and I drive long distances to buy it (white is impossible to find in my region). The micros below are all primed in the rust brown version of this primer. https://duplicolor.com you can see if there is a retailer near you through the website.

Gesso:

It should be mentioned that there are other types of primer that don't live in a spray can. Gesso is typically used to prime canvases and is an affordable and easy solution for priming. Most people complain about the consistency however, it's a very thick liquid that you brush on. It's slow drying, leaves brush strokes, and can be very frustrating. However its sandable, water based, non toxic, and great for kids. If you don't want harsh chemicals at your kitchen table, this is a really good option, so long as you are very patient with sanding! Oh, and it comes in black and white plus different viscosities.

I hope you found this list helpful when it comes to choosing primer. Of course I haven't tried every primer, but this is what I have tried; the good and bad.

As a public service announcement: don't use these cans! These spit primer everywhere!