Primers, which is best?

[bagheera86]

Okay this is something I've been wrestling with for a while, I bought a beautiful tub of Derivan Gesso for about $5 two years ago, it's painted four ponies and minimal was used. But I've been painting this foam head thing.

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and it's taken more than half the jar, and enough is enough! I know it shouldn't take up so much but it has! I was originally doing this for a charity store I volunteer for, to give the store that extra dash of colour (because everything in it is pink, it's a breast cancer store) and to entice more people in.

BUT. Because it's foam there are all these pin holes over it and whatever, I was hoping to make it tougher. But. I dropped it on my foot and now there's a hole in the side of her head like shes been shot.  so now I have to fill that in.

Yet  I should get to the point.

TL;DR- What primers do you guys use? which is cheapest but still does the job? I like primers because the paint has something to grip, makes the original base tougher (usually, i'm guess since it's foam.. It might just peel off after a while  ) and I think a primer/base just gives the paint more durability and if I screw up? I just give a hard ass scrub under hot as heck water and it's mostly gone.

I've seen these spray on primers at the auto crap store, would these work? as the original bottle I have of gesso.. is now $18. I'm not wanting to spent that unless I really have too orz.

Yes I'm a cheap skate. orz

[bagheera86]

Bump!

[Maniah]

I accepted a charity task of airbrushing a styrofoam cupcake tree thing before.. What a nightmare. I would totally try a spray primer. I would use the cheapest stuff possible if it was coming out of my own pocket. I bet your key thing here will be a good sealer.

It might sound odd, but Id even consider using the same type of paint that people use on their homes. It tends to have some elasticity to it, and its super thick.

[bagheera86]

I accepted a charity task of airbrushing a styrofoam cupcake tree thing before.. What a nightmare. I would totally try a spray primer. I would use the cheapest stuff possible if it was coming out of my own pocket. I bet your key thing here will be a good sealer.

It might sound odd, but Id even consider using the same type of paint that people use on their homes. It tends to have some elasticity to it, and its super thick.

This^

Thank you for your comment, this is what I've been thinking but argh. I wish I had asked sooner and now? I'm out of gesso and that head was $15, and i only work twice a week.

But another thing- I heard aerosol primers/paints can melt foam? What have  you heard about this?

[NoDivision]

whether you can use a spray depends on the spray and the styrofoam - most spray paints will eat most styrofoam. You'd have to find something foam safe.

You'd need to look for something water based rather than solvent based. I've heard that krylon makes water based sprays, but have never seen them myself. At my old job we reccomended floral sprays - design master is the only brand I know of off the top of my head.