Clear acrylic gesso

Anna Wakitsch · 12-08-2005, 04:58 AM

I have a bottle of Liquitex clear acrylic gesso. Have any of you used this or anything similar to prepare a surface for painting in oils? The label claims it can be used for this purpose.

What I want to do is make a pencil drawing on watercolor paper, glue the paper to a panel, use a small paint roller to roll on several coats of the clear acrylic gesso, and then paint over it in oils.

I realize that as the oil paint becomes more transparent over time, the pencil drawing will show through, but aside from that, I'm wondering if there are any archival concerns with this process. For instance, in my experiments, I found the texture to be fairly gritty. I liked painting on that toothiness, but when it's dry I want to see if bits of grit fall off and take bits of paint with them.

I will continue to experiment and post the results if there is interest. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,

Anna

William Whitaker · 12-08-2005, 11:16 PM

Dear Anna,

I've never heard of that before, but I don't think you have to worry. I've found that unless we paint in some mysteriously weird way, oil paints are much tougher than we are led to believe from books.

My first oil painting was done on unprimed paper 56 years ago. It is STILL just fine. No rot or decay from oil on paper in spite of what the book says!

Try your clear acrylic gesso. If you have problems, they will probably show up right away. When the paint dries, scratch it with your fingernail. If it comes off in a sheet, you are in trouble! Otherwise, be happy.

Anna Wakitsch · 12-09-2005, 02:14 AM

Thanks, Bill.

I will experiment away, then!

Anna Wakitsch · 01-12-2006, 05:58 PM

This is sort of an abbreviated version of what I was thinking of above, with watercolor instead of oils. I still want to try it with oils soon.

I did a pencil drawing on 11"x 14" paper, adhered it to a hardboard panel, sprayed it with fixative, and applied clear acrylic gesso with a small paint roller. Then I added washes of local color with watercolor. I liked the texture; the surface seemed to provide a nice balance of absorbency and correctability. The coloring is similar to a tinted photograph.

William Whitaker · 01-13-2006, 11:40 AM

Anna,

That is lovely.
Your drawing is impeccable and very sensitive and the technique looks very promising indeed.

You might enjoy and be inspired by the watercolor technique of Gennady Spirin. Find the children's books he illustrated at your local Borders or Barnes and Noble. He has an inspiring technique.

Bill

Garth Herrick · 01-13-2006, 11:46 AM

Anna,

I also really like that!

Another fascinating new technique, with promise in your hands!

Thanks, I look forward to watching how you develop this painting.
Edit: Whoops, I did not realize you were finished with it as a watercolor. It's truly lovely, congratulations!

Garth