Medium for Retaining Brustrokes - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists

This topic has 24 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 3 months ago by Yorky Administrator Ormskirk.

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December 25, 2019 at 3:01 am #481788
Ed Hopper
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Whats a good one thats NONE Alkyd? Do you make your own or buy something thats already prepared?
Cheers all.
December 25, 2019 at 4:21 am #923367
Jeffro Jones
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Ed, unless its an impasto medium, I think mediums are going to thin down your paint and you’ll lose brushstrokes.
I’m thinking just paint straight from the tube is going to preserve your brushstrokes best, but if someone has better information, I’m prepared to stand corrected

:::
December 25, 2019 at 7:38 am #923373
Ed Hopper
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Ed, unless its an impasto medium, I think mediums are going to thin down your paint and you’ll lose brushstrokes.
I’m thinking just paint straight from the tube is going to preserve your brushstrokes best, but if someone has better information, I’m prepared to stand corrected

:::

Thanks Jeffro. Yes that makes sense. Are student quality better than artists quality for retaining brushstrokes as they have more filler in them?
December 25, 2019 at 8:28 am #923365
Anonymous
Maroger type of mediums, and chalk thickened stuff.
With gel mediums, the key is to use the minimum amount of medium that is needed for retaining brushstrokes, but mediums are not the whole thing.
For me the number one thing to do to retain brushstroke is to practice “laid and staid”. You want to do the opposite of what brushstroke eliminators do, which is to lay it down thin, smooth it out over and over, and go over it with a soft brush.
For brushstroke retention, lay it down thick and leave it there, no fiddling around.
December 25, 2019 at 9:06 am #923374
Ed Hopper
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Maroger type of mediums, and chalk thickened stuff.
With gel mediums, the key is to use the minimum amount of medium that is needed for retaining brushstrokes, but mediums are not the whole thing.
For me the number one thing to do to retain brushstroke is to practice “laid and staid”. You want to do the opposite of what brushstroke eliminators do, which is to lay it down thin, smooth it out over and over, and go over it with a soft brush.
For brushstroke retention, lay it down thick and leave it there, no fiddling around.

Thanks Sid. I have noticed a few folk who lay the brushstroke down and leave it. Can you go over another brushstroke to correct though? Richard Schmid manages to put numerous strokes down and they dont blend. How does he do this? Cheers again.
December 25, 2019 at 11:30 am #923366
Gigalot
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I can add acrylic paint into oil paints if I need more impasto effect. No alkyds at all, but acrylic instead.
December 25, 2019 at 12:04 pm #923375
Ed Hopper
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I can add acrylic paint into oil paints if I need more impasto effect. No alkyds at all, but acrylic instead.

Just to clarify further. I don’t want an impasto painting. But one where the brushstrokes are clearly defined by the shape of the brush and control when painting.
December 25, 2019 at 12:24 pm #923359
Delofasht
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Just to clarify further. I don’t want an impasto painting. But one where the brushstrokes are clearly defined by the shape of the brush and control when painting.

What you describe is an impasto medium, just because it is meant for thick applications, does not mean you actually need apply the paint really thick. The purpose is to keep the strokes from leveling out, which is often what happens with stand oil in a medium.

Most impasto mediums contain regular painting oil mixed with an inert colorless, or nearly so, pigment filler. Some add a touch of wax, which can help with stroke retention as well.

- Delo Delofasht
December 25, 2019 at 1:57 pm #923372
Richard P
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Would oleogel work? Never tried it myself..
December 25, 2019 at 1:58 pm #923376
Ed Hopper
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What you describe is an impasto medium, just because it is meant for thick applications, does not mean you actually need apply the paint really thick. The purpose is to keep the strokes from leveling out, which is often what happens with stand oil in a medium.

Most impasto mediums contain regular painting oil mixed with an inert colorless, or nearly so, pigment filler. Some add a touch of wax, which can help with stroke retention as well.

Thanks Delo. So Richard Schmid uses impasto medium to retain his brushstrokes? Can you clarify this for me.
December 25, 2019 at 2:56 pm #923368
Jeffro Jones
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Richard Schmid manages to put numerous strokes down and they dont blend. How does he do this?

I think they DO blend a bit, Ed, but Schmid knows what he’s doing, and where they mix, he is under control of the effect.
From the Schmid videos I’ve seen, if he’s painting outdoors, he sets up his painting with turpsy washes (which will stiffen up pretty quickly as the turps dries off) allowing him to lay paint over the top with minimal disturbance.
Also, as other posters have remarked, he leaves the brushmark alone once he’s made the stroke, and doen’t fiddle or push it around on the canvas.

It seems that you are looking for a certain consistency in your paint, so you can achieve your optimal brush mark.
Bear in mind that different brands of paint vary in stiffness – from “buttery” to “stiff”.
If a paint is too stiff, it may simply need to be worked on the palette with a tiny touch of oil or medium to get it right.
A buttery paint may be squeezed out onto a paper towel, which will absorb some of its oil, and it will stiffen a bit.
Also, a natural hog bristle will impose a different brushmark than a softer brush like a sable or synthetic.

BTW I don’t think Schmid used an impasto medium.
I think Delo is referring simply to a possible use of impasto medium.

:::
December 25, 2019 at 4:19 pm #923377
Ed Hopper
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I think they DO blend a bit, Ed, but Schmid knows what he’s doing, and where they mix, he is under control of the effect.
From the Schmid videos I’ve seen, if he’s painting outdoors, he sets up his painting with turpsy washes (which will stiffen up pretty quickly as the turps dries off) allowing him to lay paint over the top with minimal disturbance.
Also, as other posters have remarked, he leaves the brushmark alone once he’s made the stroke, and doen’t fiddle or push it around on the canvas.

It seems that you are looking for a certain consistency in your paint, so you can achieve your optimal brush mark.
Bear in mind that different brands of paint vary in stiffness – from “buttery” to “stiff”.
If a paint is too stiff, it may simply need to be worked on the palette with a tiny touch of oil or medium to get it right.
A buttery paint may be squeezed out onto a paper towel, which will absorb some of its oil, and it will stiffen a bit.
Also, a natural hog bristle will impose a different brushmark than a softer brush like a sable or synthetic.

BTW I don’t think Schmid used an impasto medium.
I think Delo is referring simply to a possible use of impasto medium.

:::

Thanks again Jeffro. I think i will try to find a decent brand of paints that are suited to brush stroke retention. I know Mark Carder paints are very soft as he blends a lot. So I need a stiffish paint over a turpsy underpainting with bristle haired brushes for the best results you say. I will try to find these tools of the trade to give it a go. Up until now ive only ever done grisailles wih glazes. But i’m wanting a change of direction as i need to push myself more. Its gotten very predictable and thats demotivating.
December 25, 2019 at 4:20 pm #923378
Ed Hopper
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Would oleogel work? Never tried it myself..

I will look into this. Thanks Richard.
December 25, 2019 at 5:13 pm #923369
Jeffro Jones
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So I need a stiffish paint over a turpsy underpainting with bristle haired brushes for the best results you say.

No, I was just saying that’s how I saw Schmid work, you could probably work in a variety of ways.
For example, a softer brush with buttery paint could work too…
Is this the sort of effect you’re interested in, a little Schmid study:

This looks like a hogs hair brush using stiffish paint, but also note he’s using a painting knife, especially to lay on white highlights.
He’s not too fussed about a few little grungy blobs, either

:::
December 25, 2019 at 5:39 pm #923379
Ed Hopper
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No, I was just saying that’s how I saw Schmid work, you could probably work in a variety of ways.
For example, a softer brush with buttery paint could work too…
Is this the sort of effect you’re interested in, a little Schmid study:

[IMG]http://s3.amazonaws.com/wetcanvas-hdc/Community/images/25-Dec-2019/1891000-schmid.jpg[/IMG]

This looks like a hogs hair brush using stiffish paint, but also note he’s using a painting knife, especially to lay on white highlights.
He’s not too fussed about a few little grungy blobs, either

Sort of Jeffro. I guess a picture speaks a thousand words. I want something like this.

[IMG]http://s3.amazonaws.com/wetcanvas-hdc/Community/images/25-Dec-2019/2237983-tumblr_mo1ql3msYp1rw4g7no1_540.jpg[/IMG]

:::

Hope this helps a bit
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