ABS Panel (Portrait of George)
 

I thought I would post the result of my first painting on an ABS panel.

Bill Whitaker introduced his class to the technique of making these panels at his April Scottsdale Artists School workshop, discussed at length elsewhere on this Forum. Several of us were intrigued by the idea and vowed to come up with a few panels (although Michael Georges said he was way ahead of us, having already made a few).

ABS is a form of sheet plastic available at speciality plastic companies. It comes in varying thicknesses; I used 1/4", although I would have used 1/16" if I could have found it locally. It compares in price to a sheet of Masonite. When sanded (with a rotary power sander) the surface becomes absorbent, with the look and feel of ivory (or perhaps a bar of white chocolate). I glued this sheet onto a 1/4" sheet of Masonite to make it more sturdy, though I probably didn't need to, given the thickness of my ABS.

I loved this surface though it took me a while to get used to how the paint behaved. The ABS is very absorbent and the paint "sits" differently on it than it does on linen. It also has a slightly 'dusty' surface appearance, which will possibly change after I varnish it. There are several layers of paint on the surface, since I put on a thin layer of Maroger over the section I wanted to work on each day (after scraping down the surface I worked on the day before) (Thank you, thank you, Bill Whitaker.... ).

Carl Toboika and I have been emailing about the archieval properties of ABS which I'll be happy to set forth here, if anyone is interested. By the way, this panel certainly meets the four foot high Drop Test.

Oil, 24" x 30"

Linda,

First of all this is fantastic painting, it is definitely George! Beautiful design and original angle, too.

As I have been doing some wall painting lately, I am curious to know whether the ABS coupld be primed with a deglosser, the stuff that takes the slickness off of glossy paint to allow it accept new paint.

Could you post some extreme close-ups so we can see the surface texture?

Hi Chris,

I wouldn't prime with a deglosser. For one thing, you might have mysterious chemical adhesion problems, either with the ABS/primer bond or the primer/oil paint/medium/varnish bond. (Heck, this is all a mystery.)

Most importantly, though, it would affect absorbency. I just completed another little painting in which I used a sanded Masonite/Gambin Oil ground board, which had almost no absorbency. In fact, it seemed to almost repel the paint. I fought with that painting every step of the way; this ABS panel seemed to paint itself.

You are, like me, a big panel user, so I'll get one of these over to you to try.

Here's a closeup:

Linda,

I have been using Gesso Board by Ampersand. It too has a very smooth surface and my understanding is that a fine porcelain coating is applied before it receives a coating of gesso.

I wonder if you have used it and can draw a comparison between it and the ABS Panel.

The benefits of panels over canvas seems to be the ease of transporting them. I also like the fact how I can create different textures or erase layers without apparent damage to the surface. With this African Lady I had a lot of fun just going at it and used an electric pencil sharper, sharp needle like instruments, my fingers, you name it.

I am interested to hear how the two compare.

Linda,

First of all, let me congratulate you on a lovely painting. It

I'm posting a picture of an 8" x 10" ABS panel glued to 3/8" plywood that I took at an angle to show how nicely it turns out. I then sanded the panel to suit my style.

I mounted the ABS to the plywood using a water based countertop contact cement I bought at a home store. I apply the cement to both surfaces with a disposable roller.

It is easy enough that even I can do it.

I'm going to try and mount it to gatorfoam board next. It will be much lighter in weight.

Unsanded ABS looks cheap - like plastic. It is slick and shiny, often full of tiny scratches, and often has tiny pits from the casting. Sanding makes the plastic look like the finest traditionally prepared gesso panel, only it is easier to do. Since there is no gesso involved, there is no possibility that the ground can chip. ABS itself does NOT chip. It is flexible, not brittle.


Bill

Wonderful Painting!
 

Linda,

I don't know who George is, but I must say, your painting is fabulous. You really have captured a personality there. I love it.

Where (in AZ) will I find ABS material?

Thanks,
Linda

Linda, this is just great! Very expressive hands. Isn't the ABS just a dream to paint on? :)

Linda, what a terrific painting! I, too, love the hands. The color and light seems to be much more subdued than your usual work. Is this a new style for you that we'll be seeing more of?

ABS plastics distributors
 

Linda Fried asked,
Ah, a question an engineer can answer! Look in your yellow pages under Plastics, Rods, Tubes, Sheets, etc. Supply Centers. I believe Laird Plastics, Port Plastics, and Professional Plastics are chains with locations in the Phoenix area. They stock 4ft x 8ft sheets, and will cut to size for you.

ABS
 

Thank you, Chuck!

Linda

ABS
 

One more thing; ABS sheet comes colored white or black, so be sure to specify what color you want before they cut up your order. I just went out to my local plastic supplier to get some ABS to try, and they had 3/32" thick sheet in white ABS.

Hmmm.......black, eh? That sounds interesting..
Thanks for the heads-up!

Linda

Thanks a heck of a lot Linda, Bill, et al.!

I am in the middle of struggling with a sheet of copper for a new painting (trying to get the lead ground even and then waiting for it to dry) when along comes ABS!! Now, I'm eager to ignore my $50 copper plate and run out to get some ABS and start painting right away. Arrgh!

:)

The painting looks great, Linda. Brava.

Juan

Sorry, one more thing: Bill, do you think that a finishing sander will work as well as a rotary one? It's the only kind I have, so I'm hoping ...

Juan

I used a finishing sander for several ABS panels and did not like the results - because they vibrate back and forth, I ended up with a lot of little "v" shaped impressions in the surface.

I think the rotary sander does much better, but if you don't have one, you can just use foam sanding blocks.

I did my latest panels with sanding blocks starting at a medium rough pad and finishing with a very fine pad. These panels ended up much smoother with no unusual marks in the surface.

Thanks, Michael, I do have foam sanding blocks.

Juan

Thanks so much to those of you who said they liked this painting, you've made my day. Bill, thanks for more fully explaining your technique and including the photo.

Enzie,

I've never tried that brand of gessoed board. Good painting (I love pale backgrounds.)

Linda,

George is my husband. I thought I ought to try an experiment on ABS before I tried to convince clients to let me use it for their painting.

By the way, the composition of this painting came about in part because my husband and I couldn't agree what should be in the background. I decided I liked the open pale background after I did a couple of thumbnail sketches.

Linda, you are busy enough these days without having to sand down plastic! I'll give you the name of my supplier if you promise not to do anything about it for a few months: Plastic Engineering in Tempe, very nice people.

Michele,

I'm trying to find my own personal ledge in portraiture between "Painterliness" [West Coast?] and "Classicism" [East Coast?]. The former sometimes doesn't look much like the subject; the latter sometimes looks too much like a photograph of the subject.
Possibly this is just an issue of taste.

Linda B
 

Linda,

Well, you did a wonderful job on your husband's portrait. So relaxed and really gives us (the viewers) insight into his personality. Very good!

I tend to admire realism in portraits because when done well they are so amazing they take my breath away.

Yet I find myself drawn more to doing- and being attracted to- a more painterly quality in likenesses. I love the looser more gestured paintings because for me they often (again when done well) seem more "alive".

You've seemed to accomplish the best of both worlds here.

You're right about my having way too much to do to think about sanding plastic right now. This impending move is exhausting me. But it gives me something to look forward to. The saddest day of packing so far is when I had to pack all my art supplies, save a small sketchbook. I am really missing the smell and the pushing around of paint! Ah, soon (not soon enough) it will be over, and the first thing I'll unpack is my paints!!

Thanks for the info. Hope to see more of you when I'm back "home".

Linda

Hi anyone,
I am curious and wonder if I can find a Danish word for this plastic material.
What does the letters ABS stand for?
I have read that it contains three plastics: Styrene, plexiglass and rubberizer. What is the normal use of it, what is it produced for?

Allan.

ABS is a blend of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene. Acrylonitrile contributes strength, with heat and chemical resistance. Butadiene contributes impact strength, toughness, and low-temperature property retention. Styrene contributes gloss, processablility, and rigidity. It is used for a wide variety of engineering and decorative uses. Perhaps the most familiar product (with a Danish connection) made from ABS are LEGO blocks.

Thank you Chuck,

Now I know the material. I will do as you suggested, contact a plastic company.

Allan

Linda,
Your painting is striking! The composition really grabbed me. Everything about it is beautiful. Thank you for posting it as it is inspiring and one from which I can learn.