Questions for acrylic emulsion as ground

[Xander Calceta]

I have few questions regarding on the things I experimented. I coated the canvas with 4 coats of gesso then applied 2 coats of pure acrylic emulsion to make it glossy and non-absorbent. After making the preliminary sketch, I started painting oils. It was a bit difficult to make brush works because the canvas was too slippery but i found it nice applicable to my style. When finished painting I let it dried and found out that it looks brighter and better than the priming preparation i've done before.

My questions is does anyone of you know the durability of the painitng i did? Is acrylic emulsion good as ground for priming or sizing? Does the oil paints penetrate well to the ground?PLease let me know because I really find this thing (acrylic emulsion) soothing to my technique.


xander

[Claudemir Bonfim]

I'm not sure, but I think your painting will crackle and vanish away in a few years. That's what happens when people paint on glue or anything like that.

[Richard Bingham]

Xander, most painters in oil agree (or at least debate) that water-reduceable acrylic co-polymer, a plastic that lays claim to remaining indefinitely flexible, violates the essential "fat over lean" principle of oil painting, since a flexible ground or underpainting is at odds with the inevitability that oil paint becomes increasingly brittle with age.

Acrylic "gesso" thinly applied is not an unworkable primer for oil paint because it is absorbent, a quality you seem desirous of avoiding.

I'd recommend you apply a single-coat of acrylic gesso and avoid applying the emulsion (gel medium ?) entirely. There are better ways to accomplish a "fast", minimally absorbent painting ground by using materials better suited to oil paint. Sooner or later, the over-layers of oil paint will part from the glossy acrylic underlayment in the method you described using.

Depending on your personal approach to beginning the painting, sanding the surface smooth and applying an initial "couch" of oil and turps, or Maroger's medium will eliminate the annoying "drag" of an absorbent ground. Using oil-primed fine linen provides other options for painting surfaces more to your liking.

"Real" gesso (rabbitskin glue and whiting preparation) applied to a panel and finely sanded can also provide a velvety smooth surface, and its absorbency may be controlled either by altering the proportions of glue in the mixture, or by oiling or rubbing in a painting medium before beginning to paint.

[Xander Calceta]

Thank you Claude and Richard for the information. My follow-up question would be this; what if i coat it with varnish to potect the oil painting from crackling or peeling off from the emulsioned ground or protect from fading away, would it be more problematic in the end if i do it this way?

The reason why i like this is because it makes my work faster and it soothes my impressionistic technique. actually, the method is this:

first, the initial sketch, charcoal pencil or acrylic on gessoed canvas.
second, acrylic wash either the complementary color or the nearest color.
third, coating it with acrylic emulsion twice.
fourth, painting with alkyd and oil.
lastly, retouch varnish.

I have several paintings here that were done this way.Some of the paintings were already in the hands of buyers. Will it not last, what do you think? Or what else do i need to do to protect my paintings?


Thank you,
xander

[Richard Bingham]

Originally Posted by Xander Calceta

. . . what if i coat it with varnish to potect the oil painting from crackling or peeling off from the emulsioned ground or protect from fading away . . . ?
. . . fourth, painting with alkyd and oil . . .

. . . Will it not last, what do you think?

The final varnish applied to an oil panting offers some protection, but it's essentially applied with long-term maintenance in mind. When enough dust, dirt, smoke, etc. has embedded in the protective varnish, it can be cleaned off without damaging the actual painting.

It's axiomatic that any layer, whether paint or varnish, is dependent upon the durable qualities of all of the layers it's applied over for its own performance. This means violations of the "fat over lean" principle, delamination, cracking, etc., etc. present in or caused by underlayers cannot be corrected by applying yet another layer.

More bad news for your approach, unless you paint with alkyd paints strictly alla prima, (a primier coup) alkyds themselves are prone to delamination between layers, an issue quite aside from your use of acrylic underlayers, but problematic nonetheless.

So often quite able artists adopt a methodology that runs counter to sound procedures in oil painting. Finding it conducive to their own visual expressions, they're loath to give it up in favor of other, more acceptable oil techniques for the sake of permanence.

Basically, painting is trade-craft like laying bricks or welding, with physical rules that govern a sound construction. If durability is a consideration, they cannot be broken, whether one is painting the backyard fence, or a masterful portrait. The "rules" of painting with oil paints can't be ignored and still produce a successful product any more than one may lay bricks using whipped cream for mortar, or weld steel by using chewing gum.

Finding yourself at the point where you're questioning the advisability of continuing with the method you have devised, it seems to me you have two choices: A. The least disruptive to your preferred methods would be simply to complete your paintings entirely with acrylic paints. No harm done. Or, B. You can study the vast amount of literature available on the topic of "proper" oil painting materials and methods, and through knowledgeable experimentation, eventually settle on a system of materials and methods that best suits your needs.

Do I think your current methods will "last" ? In a word, no. I think failure in one form or another is inevitable far sooner than the durable span of time generally expected of an oil painting.

[Xander Calceta]

Thanks Richard for this very meaty information. Maybe i'll avoid using acrylic and maybe try to use alkyd for the first layer and oil for the second. I still want my canvas to be smooth and shiny. Do you have any advice to replace acrylic emulsion? How about varnish or any medium?

_______
Xander

[Richard Bingham]

Xander, I probably don't have quite enough information on your working method to "re-invent" it in oils, so please bear with me.

Steps: As noted above, acrylic gesso may not be the best prime under an oil painting, but thinly applied, has proven workable. You can lay-in a rudimentary drawing with vine charcoal, so long as not a lot is deposited on the canvas, which can be fixed with a re-touch varnish, either damar or copal. Damar will be possibly re-soluble in subsequent layers, so that may be a factor, depending on your handing. You can also isolate a charcoal drawing with shellac, insoluble in oil and turps. Of course, there's no problem simply beginning the painting by drawing with a brush to establish initial shapes and placement.

Your next step, that of "washes" depends on whether you are speaking of toning the canvas or establishing fields of local color. If you are toning the canvas, one approach is simply to apply a tone, rubbed into the canvas and allowed to dry before you begin working. The desired tonal color mixed with a bit of medium and a little turps is a good way to go; the color will appear warmer scuffed onto a white ground than opaquely lightened up with white. Ancillary to this approach is the "rub-out", i.e., toning the canvas as desired, and then picking out the lightest values using a rag moistened with turps, fingers, Q-tips, whatever. Many painters establish a very finished initial layer in this manner before proceeding to add deeper values and color.

If your intention in the first rub-in is to establish values and local color, it is better to use full-bodied paint, little or no medium, and work the paint well into the ground with a brights, using a wee bit of oil and turps if some lubrication/thinning is desired. It is not adviseable to extend paint to a "wash" consistency with MS, turps, or either in combination with oil.

Must you insist on using alkyds? Your outline indicates a layered approach, and using alkyds results in delamination between layers. There is simply no compelling advantage for choosing alkyd paints over good oil paint and traditional resins and vehicles. If economics is a factor, two "iron laws" apply: 1. All painters literally throw away two or more times the amount of paint they actually apply to pictures. It's the nature of the trade. 2. No one ever became wealthy by saving on the cost of paint.

Again, if you desire a juicy lustre to visible strokes in the finished painting, I recommend Maroger's medium. If you want a flat, enamelled look to your pieces, no impasto, use stand-oil and a resin in the final layers. Lastly, scarecely any method of applying paint results in a lustrous, unified finished surface. Such a "look" is accomplished after the painting is completed by oiling out sunk-in or dry areas, and/or the application of a suitable final varnish.

[Richard Monro]

Xander,
There is some excellent technical information on this subject from the experts at Golden paints. Here is the link.

http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/prepsupp.php

Hope it helps.

[Xander Calceta]

Thanks, all of you. You've all been a great help.