Gesso over Pastel and Colourfix?

[Brenda Ellis]

Richard and Sharon,

Thank you. I have sanded, then wiped the pastel off as much as I could and then just covered it with three coats of gesso, sanding lightly in between. I think it will be fine too.

Sharon, what do you usually use as your ground for oils?

This will be my first time painting on hardboard so we'll see how it goes. I want to be able able to put a lot of detail in this painting and I'm hoping the smooth surface will allow me that.

[Sharon Knettell]

Brenda,

I use lead primed linen. Fredricks makes a good one called RIX.

The problem with painting oil over previous attempts is that there is the problem of 'pentimento', that is oils have a tendency to get more transparent with time and reveal what is underneath them.

I just talked about a cheap and archival substrate in the Masonite thread, cheaper and easier than canvas and more archival.