Gesso vs. Titanium White

Gesso vs. Titanium White: Understanding the Difference in Jerry Yarnell’s Painting Techniques

When watching Jerry Yarnell’s painting lessons, you will often hear him refer to both Gesso and Titanium White. Although they are both white, they serve very different purposes in a painting. Understanding how and when each is used will help you create more realistic depth, atmosphere, and light in your own artwork.

What Is Acrylic Gesso?

Acrylic gesso is not paint — it is a primer. It is made from an acrylic binder, chalk or marble dust for texture, titanium dioxide for whiteness, and water for easy application. Its primary job is to seal and prepare the painting surface. Gesso creates a slight texture (“tooth”) that helps paint adhere properly and keeps colors looking bright and vibrant. Most canvases sold today are already pre-primed with two or three coats of gesso, so additional priming is usually not necessary.

During the acrylic painting process, Jerry sometimes mixes small amounts of color into gesso and applies it to areas where he wants softness and atmosphere. Because gesso dries to a matte finish, and dries a little slower than acrylic paints, it remains workable a bit longer than paint alone, so it helps diffuse color, soften edges, and makes blending much easier — especially in skies, mist, fog, and distant scenery. This technique helps create depth by allowing background areas to fade gently into the distance. For example, a little ultramarine blue mixed with gesso produces a gentle, hazy sky tone, while green mixed into gesso can produce soft distant trees. The gesso reduces intensity, creates a matte softness, and allows the color to fade smoothly into surrounding areas.

What Is Titanium White?

Titanium white is a strong, opaque white paint used for brightness and clarity. It is clean, luminous, and has excellent covering power. Jerry uses titanium white to mix lighter colors, create crisp cloud edges, add sparkle to snow and water, and place final highlights wherever light strikes an object.

Unlike gesso, titanium white sits on top of the painting surface and retains its brightness. This makes it ideal for strong highlights, sharp detail, and bringing light forward in the composition.

The Big Picture

In simple terms, Jerry uses gesso to blend and soften acrylic paint colors and push areas back into the distance, while titanium white brings light forward with crisp highlights and brightness. Using both correctly creates the balance of atmosphere and light that gives a painting depth and realism.