Painting on Wood Panels - Research and Questions - Page 2

Carcharhinus · #16 05-08-2012, 07:49 PM

Sorry to double post, but do any of the experts on here know if I could mix rabbit size with crushed up cheap chalk to make a gesso and would it be good quality?

If I happen to paint something worth keeping on it I'd like it to hold up. Or should I just stick with regular gesso?

Edit: Or can I mix marble dust with it? Which would be better? Do I need extra ingredients?

I'd make a new thread but I thought I'd better not clog up the forum, and this one is kind of related. I'm painting on panel btw.

Freesail · #17 05-08-2012, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carcharhinus

Sorry to double post, but do any of the experts on here know if I could mix rabbit size with crushed up cheap chalk to make a gesso and would it be good quality?

If I happen to paint something worth keeping on it I'd like it to hold up. Or should I just stick with regular gesso?

You can use this which is marble dust, It can be added to both types of gesso. The acrylic kind if you want it thicker and with more tooth.

http://www.dickblick.com/products/fr...d-marble-dust/

Keith Russell · #18 05-09-2012, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carcharhinus

Sorry to double post, but do any of the experts on here know if I could mix rabbit size with crushed up cheap chalk to make a gesso and would it be good quality?

If I happen to paint something worth keeping on it I'd like it to hold up. Or should I just stick with regular gesso?

Edit: Or can I mix marble dust with it? Which would be better? Do I need extra ingredients?

I'd make a new thread but I thought I'd better not clog up the forum, and this one is kind of related. I'm painting on panel btw.

My problem with RSG and marble dust and/or chalk is that such a "gesso"is too absorbent for my purposes. While I like the way the surface feels (once it has been sufficiently sanded) I did not like the fact that paint dried (seriously) in a matter of minutes, occasionally seconds! I currently use Liquitex Artist Gesso...

Freesail · #19 05-09-2012, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith Russell

My problem with RSG and marble dust and/or chalk is that such a "gesso"is too absorbent for my purposes. While I like the way the surface feels (once it has been sufficiently sanded) I did not like the fact that paint dried (seriously) in a matter of minutes, occasionally seconds! I currently use Liquitex Artist Gesso...

Marble dust can be added to your Liquitex Artist Gesso also.

Trond · #20 05-09-2012, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carcharhinus

Sorry to double post, but do any of the experts on here know if I could mix rabbit size with crushed up cheap chalk to make a gesso and would it be good quality?

If I happen to paint something worth keeping on it I'd like it to hold up. Or should I just stick with regular gesso?

Edit: Or can I mix marble dust with it? Which would be better? Do I need extra ingredients?

I'd make a new thread but I thought I'd better not clog up the forum, and this one is kind of related. I'm painting on panel btw.

By 'regular gesso' do you mean acrylic gesso?

Sorry but the terms are so mixed up these days. To me, regular gesso is the old-fashioned kind (as it also is to egg tempera painters today.)

Home-made gesso (rabbit skin glue plus chalk or marble dust, sometimes including a white pigment) can be a bit tricky (maybe premade powder mixes are easier), but it is a very nice surface, and I feel that the surface does not need to be as perfectly smooth for oil painting as for egg tempera. Oil painting on traditional gesso has a very long history. I would say that both traditional and acrylic gesso are safe for oil painting.

Sarah Edgecumbe · #21 05-23-2012, 07:42 PM

Hi everyone,

sorry i missed a few replies here. It seems my "email alerts" have not been doing their job over the past week.

anyway, thanks for the great discussion and help here.

Ron: - I am off to bunnings again today to get some Masonite. I intend on doing two copies of the painting. One on the MDF (Which is now sealed and gessoed) and another on the Masonite.

Yes for the 'recreation side of things Oak panels would be better. Love to get my hands on some. Perhaps i need to do three copies.

I have found that the first layer of "paint and turp mix" that i used to tone the MDF seems to have sunk a little?? so trouble shooting perhaps my 4 layers of gesso on primer is not enough, or the gesso isn't good enough quality (there was a thread about that recently) Or perhaps now once i start painting it will all be good.

you can see it in the photo below. IT's on the black easel to the left.

On a side note - I have started to create a "studio corner" in my garage. I have no other place to go in the house. I was painting outside. Which is beautiful and in fresh air, but it is getting cold. My paintings were getting to 3 degrees over night and not doing them any good i would say. So i had to come inside. This is all the space i am allowed. It took me 6 hours yesterday to clean out the garage enough to get this space.

I am going to get my husband to put up a rail so i can rest my pictures on the wall behind the desk not on the desk ( yes EVERY one of them is wet.) I also need some better lighting and a fan. I am not intending on using mineral spirits in here either.

I also have the space to set up the still life on the dark desk to the left. Which hopefully i can light as needed. I am going to start looking at lighting shortly. No doubt i will trawl the other boards for help with that! need the Aussie names for the things that i need.

anyway here is the new studio and the MDF board with the Madonna and child on the black easel

anyway off to bunnings today. I will enjoy painting both copies of the painting. And It will be good to see the difference. Besides it was totally acceptable to paint two copies of the same painting....

midwest · #22 05-23-2012, 08:43 PM

I want to see the still life with the pewter pots

Sarah Edgecumbe · #23 05-23-2012, 08:54 PM

I haven't done anything on that for ages. It's growing on me again. I have been researching how to do the metal for a while now. Hopefully i will get back to that one soon. It's a copy of a Chardin painting. :-)

Newb · #24 05-26-2012, 08:29 AM

Looks like you've been busy! They all look very nice.

mariposa-art · #25 06-02-2012, 12:06 AM

Regarding SID (surface induced discoloration), correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that affected acrylic paintings only?

I use Golden GAC 100, and they recommend sealing the board with 2 coats of GAC100 to avoid SID (then apply your acrylic or oil ground on top of that, after a day or two). They also recommend the same amount of coats of GAC100 for oil paintings, but I thought I read somewhere on AMIEN that it wasn't absolutely required if you're doing oil paintings.

Anyway, a lot of good information is here. Thanks!

constance6356 · #26 06-11-2012, 09:44 PM

Hi all, i just read mariposa-art's comment on GAC100, etc..
I'd like to also know the answer as i use oil and not acrylic on wood/mdf/board and i'm also just about to order one online.

by the way, is the following the GAC100 mentioned? It is quite pricey...so i'd just like to make sure before i purchase. Thanks!

mariposa-art · #27 06-11-2012, 09:52 PM

Yes, that's the stuff. I love it! I was planning on coating some more boards with it tonight!

I'm not sure if you have to use GAC100 if you only paint in oils. AMIEN (if I recall) said that one thin coat is sufficient, just so that the acrylic ground ("gesso") that you paint over it will absorb more evenly. I get mixed stories about why/how much/when to apply GAC100 to boards when I'm painting in oils. I usually do one or two heavy-ish coats and don't worry about it.

constance6356 · #28 06-11-2012, 10:06 PM

Hi mariposa-art, thanks for confirming that it is the GAC100 used

Now i can proceed to further 'empty' my wallet!

Ron Francis · #29 06-11-2012, 10:23 PM

I think this question about whether or not oil paint is effected by SID is a very good one. One that I hadn't though about before.
My suggestion is to post a question at AMIEN, as that should be right up their alley.

mariposa-art · #30 06-11-2012, 10:34 PM

I did a search and here is the page (from Golden) that says that SID only affects acrylics: http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/prepsupp.php

But lower on the page they still recommend 2 coats of GAC 100 even on boards with no canvas or fabric (just the wood) to avoid oil penetration. Am I mistaken, but isn't it true that oil paint isn't "bad" for wood? I get mixed messages on this. I believe on AMIEN they say that oil is not bad for wood, and that that the GAC 100 is good for just leveling out the ground penetration or absorption when you paint your ground ("gesso") on over the GAC 100.

I found this thread on AMIEN (which I have yet to read through). Maybe it has some answers: http://www.amien.org/forums/showthre...-size-on-panel

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