Oil paints on paper

[Enzie Shahmiri]

Mary, I have seen these old works on paper as well and always wondered how it is they didn't deteriorate. You solved a little puzzle

This sounds like a fun thing to experiment with and I will give it a try. David, thanks for the link!

[David Clemons]

You're welcome Enzie.

I probably shouldn't have used the term "spoil" since what it does is more like deteriorate when left in solution too long. I usually mix up about a pint at a time and use it within a few months. The dry flakes last indefintely as far as I know.

I imagine the Constables I saw were sized with gelatin. Many areas of the paper were left unpainted, but the paper was a bright white.

[Adriano Maggi]

This sounds like a fun thing to experiment with and I will give it a try. David, thanks for the link![/QUOTE]

Dear Enzie,
I suggest you to experiment oil painting on paper before using shellac.
Because the beauty of this effect depends on the drying up the paper does. If you look of the hair of the Klimt' s painting , you can see the transparence , but if you impermeabilize the surface you wouldn't get such effect.
Adriano

[Adriano Maggi]

Hi Rebecca
Many painters have been painting on cardboard in the past.
The effect is quite similar you have when you use pastel.
Look at this beautiful Klimt's painting!
Ciao
Adriano

[Dan Landrie]

There's a technique called Peinture a L'essence (meaning "painting in spirits," or "turpintine"). The Impressionist artist Edgar Degas invented the technique to create artworks that imitated the apperance of pastel drawing but did not require glass for protection. The technique involves applying oil paint to a cardboard palette, which draws the oil out of the paint. The pigment is reconstituted with turpentine and applied to a cardboard support. The turpentine evaporates, leaving the pigment dry and chalklike in apperance.
I took this information from a book, THE ARTIST COMPLETE GUIDE TO DRAWING THE HEAD, by William L. Maughan.
I've used this technique successfully on a bond paper ground, but have no idea how it will stand the test of time.

[Sharon Knettell]

Originally Posted by Adriano Maggi

Hi Rebecca
Many painters have been painting on cardboard in the past.
The effect is quite similar you have when you use pastel.
Look at this beautiful Klimt's painting!
Ciao
Adriano

Yes they have, but paintings such as those are probably keeping conservators in full employ.

Go on to conservators sites and see the lengths they go to save paintings from the past, especially mid-century paintings when all knowledge of good craftsmanship was lost. Also notice the cartwheels they do trying to save works on paper.

I don't have any particular sites, because I was reading them for general information.

I use a canvas paper for quick color studies. There are quite a few brands out there.

[Adriano Maggi]

[Hi Sharon
I wouldn't be so worried to preserve a painting forever,as much as I would be in being able to render the delicacy of such particular technique.
Adriano

[Enzie Shahmiri]

Thanks David!

Adriano, I think Sharon makes a good point as far as the conservation goes. I don't think it's wise to invest too much time on a completed painting on something that is not as durable as a canvas or a panel.

I browse a lot through auction catalogs and that is where I have mainly seen a lot of the studies on paper. They seem in good shape, yet I have not seen them in person. The ones that I saw in the museum look great, but then again, god only knows what conservators had to go through to get them in that shape. I am reminded of the drawings and paintings on paper seen in the flea markets and antique shops of Paris doted with brown spots, haze and tears.That's what works on paper usually tend to look like before conservators do their magic.

I am considering giving this a try, since I already have this nice paper which is just lying around and not being used. For my purpose of quick studies for drapery, figure composition and maybe even color studies, longevity is not a concern.