A coating apparatus comprises a coating vessel holding a coating liquid with a liquid leakage preventing member having an opening. A cylindrical member such as a cylindrical support for supporting a photosensitive member is inserted into the opening and the cylindrical member is moved relative to the coating liquid vessel in the vertical direction. A scraping member for scraping the coating liquid is at least partially immersed in the coating liquid, or is positioned above the surface of the coating liquid in the coating liquid vessel, the scraping member being almost concentric to the cylindrical member and movable in the radial direction of the cylindrical member. The cylindrical member is axially aligned with the scraping member using coating liquid pressure applied to the scraping member to coincide the center of the scraping member with the center of the cylindrical member. This invention provides an apparatus and method for forming a coated layer having a uniform layer thickness free of unevenness on the outer periphery of a cylindrical member such as an electrophotographic photosensitive support at a high production rate inexpensively.