Home Forums Explore Media Oil Painting The Technical Forum proportions for a decent ground

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  • #485566
    p_nathan
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        Hi,

        long time no see – I have been very busy, but times are letting me paint a little more now.

        Turns out my williamsburg ground cured out in the can. :( The smallest can they sell is 16oz, much too big for my needs – this one was about 3 years old with 1/4 used. :lol:

        Looks like it’s marble dust + titanium pigment in linseed. Does anyone have advice on a good recipe here?

        hobbyist in oil.

        #963012
        WFMartin
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            Hi,

            long time no see – I have been very busy, but times are letting me paint a little more now.

            Turns out my williamsburg ground cured out in the can. :( The smallest can they sell is 16oz, much too big for my needs – this one was about 3 years old with 1/4 used. :lol:

            Looks like it’s marble dust + titanium pigment in linseed. Does anyone have advice on a good recipe here?

            Just use plain ol’ oil paint; that’s what I do.:)

            Use some Titanium White, by itself, or tint Titanium White with a bit of Burnt, or Raw Umber, to create a “taffy” color, and paint away! Thin it with a mixture of Linseed Oil, and OMS, or with Turpentine, for faster drying. Put enough of that medium with the paint so that it is self-leveling, rather than retaining brush strokes, and apply it with a soft, 1-inch, Flat, Taklon Brush.

            Been doing this for years. Lead White is better, but Titanium works well, also.

            Two applications may be necessary, but one will suffice, if applied generously.

            wfmartin. My Blog "Creative Realism"...
            https://williamfmartin.blogspot.com

            #963014
            contumacious
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                If you prefer a more absorbent and / or toothy ground (oil paint alone as a ground can be pretty slippery) – just add some calcium carbonate, chalk, marble dust, ground limestone or whiting to white oil paint. Try varied amounts to see how much you like the best. It doesn’t take a lot to change it quite a bit. Adding some alkyd medium will make it dry a lot faster but will increase the gloss a bit. You may need to add a bit of oil if it gets too thick.

                Gamblin has a white ground in 8 ounce cans. I haven’t tried it. If you get some I can tell you how to keep it from drying in the can.

                https://www.dickblick.com/products/gamblin-oil-painting-ground/

                If you are concerned about the Zinc found in most Titanium whites and don’t want to use Lead, the least expensive white paint I have found that is both lead and zinc free is from Lukas. Their studio grade is only $10.69 for 200 ml. shipped free with a minimum order from Jerrys’s or you can pay more and get it from Amazon in a single tube order, but it is still coming from Jerry’s as they are the sole distributor of Lukas paints in the USA.

                https://www.jerrysartarama.com/lukas-studio-oil-colors

                #963013
                JCannon
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                    “Looks like it’s marble dust + titanium pigment in linseed. Does anyone have advice on a good recipe here?”

                    Seems to me that you already have the recipe.

                    Perhaps you are concerned about proportions, but I’m wondering if that matters very much. When I make a ground — using acrylic gesso — I just toss in calcium carbonate until it feels right. I believe that, in art, there are times when you should just cock an ear and listen to what the gods are telling you.

                    Probably the first layer needs little dust because the important factor is whitening the ground. Subsequent layers can be dust-heavy.

                    #963015
                    contumacious
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                        ”Looks like it’s marble dust + titanium pigment in linseed. Does anyone have advice on a good recipe here?”

                        Seems to me that you already [I]have[/I] the recipe.

                        Perhaps you are concerned about proportions, but I’m wondering if that matters very much. When I make a ground — using acrylic gesso — I just toss in calcium carbonate until it [I]feels[/I] right. I believe that, in art, there are times when you should just cock an ear and listen to what the gods are telling you.

                        Probably the first layer needs little dust because the important factor is whitening the ground. Subsequent layers can be dust-heavy.

                        That is how I do it as well. Just don’t go too dry or it won’t have enough binder (oil) to hold it together and you can get cracking. If it is easily brushed on, it isn’t too dry. If you have to use a knife to move it, probably too much powder.

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