Preparing Canvases
 

Hi folks

I have been reading books on preparing canvases, and getting quite confused. It seems like it's very complicated with applying several coatings to prevent oil leakage and the ravages of time, dampness, heat, separation of layers of paint or primer problems, removing air bubbles, letting the canvass dry for six months etc. on, and on..

If my medium is oil on linen or canvas, what is a good compromise solution. Is there a quicker way to prepare canvas/linen? What brands to buy? and how to prime it properly so that there is no leakage of oil through the canvas and no damage to the paint layers from behind. And finally, how do you apply the paint ideally?

I remember about 30 years ago reading John Howard Sanden's book, in which he describes his painting wet-into-wet technique in which you finish the painting in one layer while it is still wet for maximum permanence.

Are there any ready-made pre-primed canvases available? and if so what are good brands?

What do most portrait artists here do in this regard?

Any suggestions, such as good books, art stores in the San Fran or California area, etc. will be highly appreciated?

Thanks

Fredrix has pre-primed linen that solves the problem of being sure to prime it properly. The 2 that I like the best are 111Rix and 125 Kent. You buy it by the roll and all you have to do is stretch it. When you stretch it, make sure that you pull it really tight because the linen has a tendency to sag if it isn't pulled tight enough. You'll need a canvas pliers to facilitate stretching the canvas, and I recommend spending the extra money and getting a good one. I avoided paying the extra money for quite some time and when I finally purchased the pricey one I couldn't believe how much easier it is to work with.

Hope this information helps.

Thanks
 

Mary, thanks for the info. I'll check all this out and also remember to get good quality canvas pliers.

Thanks,
Tarique

Preparing canvas
 

Frankly, I don't buy anything but acrylic pre-primed linen (and sometimes cotton) canvas. You can paint directly on to this surface without any fuss.

Sometimes I want to add another layer of gesso to get the surface a little smoother, so I use any decent brand of acrylic gesso and apply it with a disposable foam brush (from the hardware store). Recently I have been experimenting with Holbein's colored gesso and like it a lot.

I don't use oil primed canvas because I like to avoid leaded paint. Also, if you have an oil primed surface, you are limited to only using oil in your upper layers of paint. I like the option of using a fast drying acrylic sketch underneath my oils.

Sometimes purchasing raw linen or canvas can be tricky. I have had problems with "pinholes." I even broke a stretcher once when the linen I had just primed suddenly shrunk to an extreme. I like to keep it simple and if at all possible, I buy the pre-primed stuff as I am always impatient to start the actual painting right away!

I have never heard what you said about the permanence of keeping your painting wet until the end....I do know that many of the Old Masters painted in layers that dried in between and it didn't seem to affect their longevity.

Good luck.

Oil over Acrylic
 

The jury is still out on whether or not acrylic emulsion grounds (called "acrylic gesso") will prove suitable for oil paintings on stretched canvas in the long run, but acrylic paints do not have enough tooth to provide good adhesion for oil paints applied over them. They will appear to work all right for awhile, but will be prone to delaminating in later years, after the oil paint layer loses some of its flexibility.

As part of my selective editing policy of destroying my worst pictures, I once tore a painting in half that had acrylic underpainting overpainted in oils, and as I ripped the canvas, the oil paint layer cleanly separated from the acrylic underpainting. It was obviously poorly adhered, and would have come off at some point whether I'd torn the canvas or not. This painting was seven years old at the time. Needless to say, I never again underpainted in acrylic. Some extremely knowledgeable conservators and conservation scientists in my acquaintance have expressed concerns that acrylic grounds (primers, acrylic "gesso") may also prove problematic in the long run on oil paintings done on stretched canvas. On panel, it may prove to be all right, but it is too early to say with certainty at this point. I have also had a demonstration painting delaminate at the interface between the acrylic ground and the layer of oil ground I had applied over it some months before, which was enough to convince me to stick with oil grounds. I also decided to stop painting anything important to me on stretched canvas. I now mount my canvas on a rigid panel.

Virgil,

What is the reason you prefer not to use stretch canvas even if it is oil ground? Also, what do you use for a rigid panel - masonite or something else, and how do you adhere the canvas to the panel?

Thanks in advance for your answers,

Karin, I once read that Gainsborough (I hope I spelled that right), had perfected his portrait painting methods to the point that he was extremely prolific. Apparently, he would paint the face, hands, and take care of the general composition, and his minions would then fill in all the drapery and other stuff which he would finish off. Anyway, his paintings still have an unusual brilliance (I read) because he used to store his incompleted paintings in vats of ice, that slowed the drying time of the oil so that he could work while the paint was wet.

As I understand (I'm not a pro), that if the paint dries between several applications, then you end up with several layers, that may expand or contract at different rates with time. Then cracks appear in your paintings, which is why many of the old masters who did that now have cracked paintings. Not Gainsborough (I read). Glazing, was supposed to be a more permanent method, I guess that is what you use Karin, I was reading about your technique.

Virgil, I too read that painting oil on top of acrylic and other mediums ended up in the oil layer having a different coefficient of expansion /contraction with changing weather and temperature, compared to the acrylic layer, which is why it separated.

Does anyone here paint portraits with acrylic. Is oil the preferred medium because that's what clients want. Do they feel that perhaps acrylic is not the real thing. One thing about oil is that I found it easier to blend and get softer effects compared to Acrylic which sometimes dries to fast for me. I imagine acrylic on and acrylic priming should not cause the layers to separate (am I right ??).

Mary, about the pre-primed canvass or Belgian linen that you mentioned. Is that primed for oil paintings ? How does one prime for oil. I'm still quite confused about all the details. There's a whole lot of stuff about rabbit's glue and how you water proof the canvass/linen from behind to prevent dampness getting through etc. Let the layer of primer dry for six months, sand paper out bubbles, then the Gainsborough wet in wet single paint layer technique, and the very sparing use of linseed oil to keep colours saturated to the maximum and to avoid the yellowing of paintings (like many old masters, who apparently used a lot of linseed).

In general, I've been reading a lot about how mixing media and multiple layers of different medias all lead to cracking and general impermanence of the painting.

Sometimes I wonder if oil has all these problems why don't most artists simply go for acrylic ? I read that glazing with acrylic can also get you a very permanent and luminous painting. Probably, with enough practise and drying retardent, it should be possible to get the same effect with acrylic as with oil.

Comments ?

In fact, sometimes I feel it's so complex

Canvas on Panel
 

Mary,

Oil paint layers on stretched canvas are prone to cracking when they get old, as canvas is not rigid, and oil paints lose their flexibility after a number of years, usually 50 to 100, depending on several factors. Notice that panel paintings 500 years old in museums generally show little or no cracking of the paint layer, whereas paintings on canvas 100-200 years old show more pronounced cracking unless mounted on a rigid panel. Stretched canvas grows slack, and the paint stiffens in that position, then someone restretches it or keys out the stretchers, and the paint cracks. I'm not saying this always happens, but too frequently it does. By mounting the canvas on a panel, we get the pleasing texture of canvas to paint on, and avoid or greatly mitigate the possibility of cracking centuries later. I use Artist Panels by John Annesley Company, in Healdsburg, California. Everything John makes is top quality.

Tarique,

Most of the yellowing we see in old paintings is the varnish, not in the paint, unless the artist has added resins to the paint, or oils boiled with driers. The yellowing of linseed oil bleaches out in the light, and disappears unless the painting is kept in the dark.

Oil paint is still the ultimate artist's medium, despite the eventual embrittlement, as it gives the artist the greatest range of light and dark, color saturation, transparency and opacity choices, plus sufficient working time to refine the images to the highest degree if desired. Acrylics do not allow as high a pigment load, dry too fast, and dry to a different value when they dry than they are when wet. I consider acrylics a commercial art medium, where the fast drying allows the picture to be shipped minutes after the last stroke has been applied.

You will find that there is a lot of incorrect information being passed around as fact, including in books, and it can be very misleading and very confusing. The most reliable book currently in print on artists' materials is The Painter's Handbook by Mark D. Gottsegen. I am writing one myself, at the urging of many people, but I cannot say when it will be published, as I put painting first. I recommend you buy Mark's book, and refer to it when you have doubts or questions about art materials. He is the Chairman of the ASTM Subcommittee on Artists' Materials, of which I am also a member.

Administrator's Note:
The Painter's Handbook can be purchased online from Amazon.com by clicking on this title.

Virgil,

Thanks for the information. I'll check out that book you mention. I guess all I need is one reliable reference book.

I checked out John Annesley Company, in Healdsburg, California on Mapquest, someday I'll drive up there (I'm in Morgan Hill, about 2 hours south).

Any suggestions on how to apply oil. Are multiple layers OK? or is is better to finish off the painting in one layer? Also, are there any varnishes that don't yellow the painting? What about painting without linseed oil? is it better to just use the oil in the paints themselves rather than adding extra linseed? Finally, what about not varnishing, if I am concerned about yellowing. Sometimes I find that the darker colours in oil painting seem to get chalky (maybe I was just using cheap colours or don't know how to apply them correctly).

Painting Supports and Grounds
 

Tarique,

You have quite a few questions, and I'll try to cover them all without having to write a book here. The advice Mary (I believe it was) gave you about using Fredrix oil-primed linen and stretching it yourself is good. The very best pre-primed canvas one can buy, of what I have seen, is from Hiromasa Funaoka, in Japan. I believe Gamblin is currently selling it in the U.S. Gamblin is at www.gamblincolors.com. I suggest inquiring there if you are interested; however, the Fredrix product is very good, and I have no complaints regarding it. I've used it myself in the past. The difference between the two is that Fredrix uses a hide glue sizing, and Funaoka uses polyvinyl acetate, which does not expand and contract with changes in humidity the way hide glue (rabbitskin glue) does. Conservation scientists have determined that this expansion and contraction due to hide glue sizing is a major factor in the cracking of old oil paintings on stretched canvas, and thus they recommend PVA sizing as preferable.

Multiple paint layers are fine as long as your earlier layers do not contain a higher percentage of oil than the later layers (fat over lean), as oil undergoes shrinkage as it ages. More oil means more shrinkage, so when the lower layers shrink more than the upper layers, problems result. Ideally, we should know what paints are leaner and which are fatter, and which are somewhere in between, without anything added to them, and make our choices of what to use in what order based on that knowledge. This is what I do, but it is too complex an issue for me to explain fully in a short message. Adding a small amount of linseed oil to the paint of each successive layer will be fine, and will simplify things quite a bit. Use an eyedropper to add the oil to the piles of paint on your palette, and mix it in well with a palette knife, rather than just dipping a brush in a container of oil and stirring it into the paint with the brush, otherwise there will be too much oil in some strokes, not enough in others, and your paint layers will have weak spots.

Regarding varnish, there are several synthetic resins now on the market that are superior to damar. The best of them is Gamblin's Gamvar. It was developed by conservation scientist Rene De La Rie, formerly of the Metropolitan Museum, now with the National Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C. Gamblin works with these conservators and scientists in the development of his products with an eye to archival quality. Note that I do not work for Gamblin, nor receive anything for recommending their products. I only recommend what I know to be the best, and I go to a great deal of trouble to determine what is, indeed, the best. If I don't know, I will say so. Gamvar is unlikely to ever yellow, and if it does, it can be easily removed with a mild solvent that will not take off any paint that has had more than two years to cure.

The chalking of darker colors you describe is common to certain pigments, burnt umber being the worst of them in that respect. Raw umber does it too, but not as badly as burnt umber. Caput mortuum violet also does it. Learn to get along without those pigments, and you will have less trouble with the chalky appearance when the paint dries.

Good luck with it.

Virgil Elliott

Virgil,

You make reference to ATSM. Is that The American Society for Testing and Materials? Perhaps all the artists already know, but just wanted to clarify.

Oil primed linen
 

Tarique,

The Rix and Kent are both oil-primed linen.

ASTM
 

Cynthia,

Yes, ASTM is the American Society for Testing & Materials. I'm on the subcommittee for artists' materials. I will be writing a lightfastness standard for artists' pastels, with lots of help. We are currently conducting some accelerated-aging tests on them, at my urging, but I shouldn't report results until the tests have run their course.

Virgil Elliott

Virgil

Thanks a ton for all this priceless information! I really appreciate the time you must have put in. Hey! when you've done that book, you already have your first customer lined up. I noticed on your site you emphasized permanence. I'm sure that must be of prime concern to clients, as they would surely like to be remembered for as long as possible.

Thanks again

Tarique

Virgil,

When your book is published, you must also let us know by announcing it in the Book section here on the forum!

Hello Mr. Elliott,

All my paintings formed on acrylic gesso underpainted canvas. I use liquin + turpentine for medium.

-What is your advise in order to avoid such deformation?

I prefer stretched canvas because it has bounce effect and soft touch.

-After the painting is done can I re-stretch on to the panel?

-Do you have suggestion to mount 60" x 88" canvas on panel?

Thank you
Abdi

Abdi,

I'm not sure, but there might be posts on the forum about these subjects by others. However if you specifically want Virgil's advice, I can understand, as he's very knowledgable.

In the meantime, the way to find other posts is to use the "search messages" function at the top of this page. Enter one or more keywords.

Abdi,

It is important to understand that an oil paint film loses its flexibility as it gets older, and ultimately becomes brittle. So if the support on which it is applied is not stable, the paint layer will crack when the support changes its shape due to the pull of gravity, handling, temperature changes, or when there is movement in the air for any reason. This is what happens to old oil paintings on stretched canvas. When the paint cracks, the integrity of the surface is interrupted, and the lower layers are then exposed to the atmosphere, dirt, and whatever might be applied to the surface in cleaning the picture. This can weaken the bond between the paint and the ground if they are chemically dissimilar, as acrylic grounds and oil paints are. Oil and alkyd grounds achieve a chemical as well as physical bond with oil paint, whereas the bond between acrylic grounds and oil paints is physical only. Thus it is reasonable to assume that the bond will be better with an oil or alkyd ground, and the likelihood of paint becoming detached from the ground would be less than it would if the ground were acrylic. However, the biggest problem is the lack of rigidity in the support. This can be taken care of by gluing the canvas to a panel, as museums

Thank you Mr. Elliott,

For your comprehensive information. I have seen enough 40 even 30 years old painting got cracked or pulled off its pigment in some part and the canvas looked as if it never been applied any pigment at all, clean no traces. The phenomena was confusing me. My late Grandfather had appreciation in art painting so he collected local paintings since 1950. As I mentioned several of them had that deformation. Then I fixed it by applying a new pigments.

Since glazing is very important method for me and I use Alkyd medium a lot.
-Does it mean I should stick my finished painting on to the panel?

Regards
Abdi

Abdi,

If you don't want your paintings to crack, and subsequently suffer the problems that follow the development of cracking, then you would be well advised to either paint them on something rigid in the first place, which would be best, or glue them to panels after they are finished and well cured. The reason it is best to glue the canvas to the panel before painting is that the adhesives most frequently used for that purpose these days are water-based, and the water will likely soften your acrylic ground, weakening its adhesion to the canvas, or the adhesion between the oil paint layer and the acrylic ground. If the gluing is done before the ground has been applied, the water has a chance to completely evaporate before the ground is applied. If the ground is already there, and covered by a film of oil paint, the water is inhibited in evaporating, and it will soak into everything as it spreads, thus affecting the bond between the ground and the canvas, and between the paint and the ground. Professional conservators are better equipped to perform this operation than artists are, but they are quite expensive, and generally will not be able to do it as quickly as we might like. Your preference for a springy canvas while painting may well be compromising the longevity of your paintings, and the acrylic ground you are using is probably going to compound the problem.

Regarding glazing, the wrong way to do it is to thin the paint with a lot of medium, or, worse yet, with a solvent. This results in weak paint films poorly adhered, which will cause problems later. The best way, if one must glaze, is to choose pigments which are transparent by nature, and add perhaps a small drop of linseed oil (or your Liquin) to a pile of paint the size of a large coin, mixing it in thoroughly on the palette with a palette knife (not a brush), and then scrub the paint on thinly with a stiff bristle brush so that it creates a physically thin layer that lets the underlying layer show through. Note that glazing is only a minor component of the techniques of the great painters of the past, most of whom only used it as a refinement in the later stages of the development of a painting to deepen the darkest foreground darks and to create certain special effects, along with opaque passages representing the lighted areas. I think too many people become overly fascinated with glazing when they first discover it, and tend to place too much emphasis on it. It is really a rather limited technique, and if used in the wrong places will interfere with the illusion of three-dimensional depth.

The common method of thinning the paint with a lot of medium will cause the paint layer to be structurally weaker, and will lead to problems as the paintings age. Medium must be bolstered with solid pigment in order to have the proper degree of strength.

The more we indulge in exotic techniques, the more ways we can go wrong. It is best to master the simplest means before going too far off the deep end with unnecessarily complex techniques.

Virgil Elliott

Mr. Elliott,

thank you for your informative booklet, I think it is every painter's goal not only mastering it but lasting it for centuries.

Abdi