Beginner Questions...

[Smithy948]

I was enthused by Bob Ross so I went and bought some WMO's (Most are Artisan from dickblick. Wow, 200ml tubes are huge! LOL.). I also bought some brushes, but I think from reading this forum I will end up with synthetic brushes soon because they remain stiff and don't go limp with WMO's. I also got a huge sturdy metal easel from Hobby Lobby.

Here are my beginner questions:
1. I can't afford stretched framed canvas for practice. I thought I might save some money at first by buying a canvas pad book. It is 16x20" and 10 sheets of pre-primed canvas. I don't care about mounting them because they are just for practice. But how do you hold them on the easel? I could leave them on the pad but each one will take forever and a day to dry before I could tear it out. I was thinking about using pins to hold them to cardboard. How are you supposed to use canvas sheets from a pad?
2. Can I make Bob Ross's "Magic White" by just mixing some white with water mixable Linseed Oil?
3. Do you only use Gesso to prime a canvas? If I buy pre-primed canvas then I don't need that right?
4. Can anyone recommend a DVD/How-To for painting animals in a landscape? Most want to make the animal the main focus and draw/paint large figures. I just want to add some animals to the background, in the distance. Bob Ross doesn't paint animals in his landscapes. Any recommendations?

Any help appreciated...

[hal_s]

Tape the corners of the oil-painting paper to a board.

You don't need to use gesso if you are using pre-gessoed painting surfaces, such as the oil-painting paper, or store-bought pre-stretched canvases.

I don't know anything about Bob Ross so can't answer the other questions.

[kbaxterpackwood]

techically you don't have to gesso the canvas if it's pre-primed/gesso'd. I, however, do gesso them as I've bought a few that were a little less than perfect, meaning the gesso applied at the factory wasn't the greatest.

Take a good look at your canvas, be it from a pad or a pre-stretched canvas at different angles and make sure it has no bare spots etc., if not then your good to go.

I use the canvas pads as well. You can tape the canvas to a piece of foam core using painters tape, it's blue you can find it in the painting section at WM. I lay the tape down so it's a quarter inch all the way around the piece to make sure it's good and secure. Foam core isn't all that expensive at HL get it when it's on sale. Otherwise you can use plywood to tape your canvas to.

Sorry I'm more of an abstract painter so don't know anything about Bob Ross, I'm not even sure what magic white is.

Kimberly

[Crystal1]

1) Has already been answered.
2) I don't know anything about Magic White, either.
3) If you buy cheap canvases, it is still recommended that you add 2 coats of gesso to them. If you buy good quality canvases, you don't need to do anything more.
4) At the top of the page there is a box that says "Choose ...", there is a listing for a forum called "Animals & Wildlife". Hopefully, they can answer your questions about a DVD or they may have the lessons you want there.

Good Luck!!

[kbaxterpackwood]

1) Has already been answered.
2) I don't know anything about Magic White, either.
3) If you buy cheap canvases, it is still recommended that you add 2 coats of gesso to them. If you buy good quality canvases, you don't need to do anything more.
4) At the top of the page there is a box that says "Choose ...", there is a listing for a forum called "Animals & Wildlife". Hopefully, they can answer your questions about a DVD or they may have the lessons you want there.

Good Luck!!

Name some good quality canvas' please.

K-

[kbaxterpackwood]

Another newbie question, because I know my students will ask me, is on Gesso, is there that much of a difference from brand to brand? Myself for my collage pieces, where I'm painting paper, I'm using Hobby Lobby's house brand. For my paintings I've just finished off a bottle of liquidtex gesso and plan to buy Golden Brand since I've started using their paints for acrylics almost exclusively, except for galeria for blocking in very large areas.

I'm curious as to what others are using/doing.

Kimberly

[Crystal1]

I can't help you with that one. I'm on a limited income and basically still a student, so I buy a few cheap ones from WalMart, and spend a day putting 2 coats of gesso on them. Then I put them in a box with a lid and use them when I need them.

You might want to try both types of canvas. My teacher preferred to have the "tooth" of the canvas show, so he used less gesso. I like to have a smooth surface to paint on, so I need more gesso anyway.

[Crystal1]

As far as gesso goes, yes, you need a quality gesso when you are painting with oils.

I bought a gallon of a cheap brand of gesso from Nasco (a teacher supply warehouse). The first time I tried to wipe back some oil paint, so I could redo a section, the gesso was deeply stained under the paint. I was unable to continue painting since some of the colors I was using were transparent.
Nasco was very nice about my returning the gallon, so I bought a gallon of liquitex gesso and paid the difference. You might suggest that a few of them get together and buy a gallon of gesso and split it up. It is a lot cheaper by the gallon.

[Einion]

I also bought some brushes, but I think from reading this forum I will end up with synthetic brushes soon because they remain stiff and don't go limp with WMO's.
I think this is a good idea. This is the reason I also recommend synthetic bristle brushes for acrylics.

2. Can I make Bob Ross's "Magic White" by just mixing some white with water mixable Linseed Oil?
It'll be closer than the white straight from the tube but you won't be able to match it exactly. I suspect you'll have to mix in some water too.

This kind of mixing is best done with a palette or painting knife if you don't already have one. Mixing large quantities of paint with a brush is a surefire way to wear it out more quickly.

3. Do you only use Gesso to prime a canvas?
You can but many sources also recommend that you size (a thinned glue layer used in part to help seal off the canvas from oil penetrating through from the paint layer, which will rot the canvas over time).

Synthetic canvases such as polyester don't need to be sized unless it is to help stiffen the fabric.

If I buy pre-primed canvas then I don't need that right?
In theory, yes. But on many commercial canvases the priming isn't up to much so quite a few people add at least a coat or two of their own 'gesso'.

Oh by the way:
gesso = the traditional priming used on panels, made from chalk or gypsum and glue;
'gesso' = acrylic primer.

4. Can anyone recommend a DVD/How-To for painting animals in a landscape? Most want to make the animal the main focus and draw/paint large figures. I just want to add some animals to the background, in the distance. Bob Ross doesn't paint animals in his landscapes. Any recommendations?
Learn to paint landscapes (even just to the level of Bob Ross) and you'll be able to add in animals - if you can paint an orange you can paint an apple. Everything is just a coloured shape when you get down to it.


Another newbie question, because I know my students will ask me, is on Gesso, is there that much of a difference from brand to brand?
Yep, sure is.

Einion

[Einion]

I bought a gallon of a cheap brand of gesso from Nasco (a teacher supply warehouse). The first time I tried to wipe back some oil paint, so I could redo a section, the gesso was deeply stained under the paint. I was unable to continue painting since some of the colors I was using were transparent.
That can happen even with a high-quality 'gesso'. Primers of this type suitable for oils as well as acrylic should be rough on a microscopic level (with a chalkboard-like feel if you run your nail over it) which will easily trap pigments. Additionally, many pigments have particle sizes that are extremely tiny, capable of staining even smooth plastics in some cases!

The phthalo blues and greens are the most notorious for this but staining pigments are not uncommon.

Einion

P.S. If a 'gesso' doesn't stain it might actually indicate that it's too smooth to be a good choice for oil painting.

[Crystal1]

Thank you Einion. I appreciate that information. It's funny but I never had another problem after I bought Liquitex, but then again, maybe I got a bit better at painting.

[kbaxterpackwood]

P.S. If a 'gesso' doesn't stain it might actually indicate that it's too smooth to be a good choice for oil painting.

Really! Now that's really interesting I did not know this, I've never had a problem with the paints staining under the gesso before.

K-

[dspinks]

The water used to rinse brushes between color changes is what causes the natural brushes to go floppy. I wipe my brushes on a rag or paper towel to remove most of the paint and use a little Artisan Thinner in place of water to get the remainder out. No more floppies. I only use water for the end-of-day wash-up.

[mplsmarjorie]

Love this: if you can paint an orange you can paint an apple. Everything is just a coloured shape when you get down to it. This is so important to remember - those aren't birds in the sky, they're pointy lines!

And dspinks - thanks for the added info re: floppies. I have been wondering about this. I have so many brushes I don't want to buy more, and mine keep getting floppy. I will change my habits and see what happens.

[Woolfthefirst]

Like you I have to watch expenses. You don't need to buy large tubes of oil and you don't need every color. I keep only about 10 colors. The pads of canvass are fine. I use the 16x 20 size and cut each sheet down to 9x12 which gives a better image. I keep at least four paintings going. I put double sided scotch tape(Wall-mart or a hardware store) around all four edges and press on to my 23x30 work board. Works fine, the edges stay down fine and when I've scraped and washed it off so many times it can't be used any more I pull off the tape, turn the canvass over and use the other side!! Stick to stiff bristled brushes, those fine ( expensive) brushes are fine if you are into real fine work like portraits but the stiff bristles are best for landscapes ( Bob Ross). You know Bob passed away about ten years ago. You can buy his videos but they are too expensive. Your local library may have one or two. I tried having the library order them through the Interlibary Loan System but so far other library systems are reluctant to send them out. I too have been trying his system with W/M's but so far I still have to allow some drying time to do what I want to do. I'm a little doubtful whether or not W/M/s can be used as Bob used his oils. No matter, I'm not getting to toxic materials. As far as gessos go, you can use store brands or pay more for someone's name. I use store brands, and they do fine. You won't be able to imitate Bob's Liquid White or Clear. I find that a drop or two of water mixed with a couple drops of W/M linseed oil is as close as I can get. You might try a couple drops of Walnut oil instead of Linseed oil. Be careful if you use any W/M thinner. It makes the " Liquid White " too wet. But experiment, you can wipe it off with a wet paper towel easy enough. Let us know how you do. I just posted one of my first efforts at W/M. Take a look. Just call me Woolf.