Oil Painting
#2
Canvas 

The canvas I’m using is a Belgian linen, that has been sized and primed with an oil-ground. The reason I use oil grounds is threefold. One, they’re more stable and provide better long term adhesion than modern acrylic grounds. Two, they are much less absorbent so the the painting will sink-in less so I don’t need to oil it out as much and introduce more oil into the painting than necessary. And three, oil grounds are slippery and this lets me paint a the underpainting fluidly as if I was using medium without having to use any. When there’s an underpainting in place, it will be less slippery and things stabilise more. 

The choice of texture or weave can come down to a few different qualities. If a painting is very small and people are meant to view it up close, it can be wise to have a tighter weave canvas as it will distract less. If you want very distinct brush marks but keeping things somewhat thin, smoother canvases can help with that, perfectly smooth canvases have a habit of making brushwork very sharp. 

The canvas itself can convey materiality and when painting more coarse subjects, it can add to the overall effect to have a more textured canvas. Weathered looking men tend to look more weathered on rougher canvases and young women tend to look smoother and prettier on a smoother canvas.

More textured canvases are often materially stronger and are more appropriate for larger paintings. Coarse canvases also preserve a texture through several layers of paint. The reason you’d want this is that the texture breaks up the edges of brush marks making them appear somewhat softer or more integrated. It also stabilises the paint, giving it more grip when working. The pores of the canvas give a relief that the paint can fill, giving a mechanical attachment between the ground and paint layer, reducing the chance of flaking with age. Smooth detailed work can be achieved on coarse canvases but it often needs to be approached a little differently than on a smooth canvas.

Personally I like coarse canvases but there are some thin effects that can only be achieved on smoother canvases so I use both. For tighter canvases, the surface should still have a bit of bite to it so it properly grips the paint. Oil grounds are usually thinner and have a bit more tooth than acrylics. In general, I like a thin ground so you can feel the weave of the canvas more. Thin grounds are often more flexible with age although they do become more transparent, so darkening can be an issue. Many modern oil grounds are made with titanium so transparency shouldn’t be as big of an issue as they age, making thin grounds more viable.




This is an example of the two canvas types I’ve been using the past year. The right is a tight and smoother canvas, good for smaller paintings or when painting more thinly. The canvas on the left is more coarse and can be considered a “medium” or “medium-heavy” texture. In the future I will be experimenting with even coarser canvases, hopefully using them for larger paintings but for now, I’ll be using the medium canvas. 

Stretching

While you can buy ready made canvases fully stretched, I’ve always preferred stretching my own. It gives me full freedom of the size I want to work with, it leaves me with small bits of extra canvases I can use for sketches and studies, it also is just part of the work of art, being a crafted object by the artist. The more I do myself, the more of my object it becomes. 

Before I cut my canvas to size, I often measure out more than one painting. Playing a little game of tetris to see what the most optimal layout is for the paintings I want to make. I then cut the canvas with a margin that will cover the width of the stretcher as well as enough for the stretcher clamps to hold on to. This depends on your materials and tools and you get a feel over time. It’s always better to add a little extra in the margins than you think you may need.




(ps, with the small canvas, I may do a post for going outside and painting landscapes)

I like thick stretcher bars. The ones I used in my student days were too thin and behaved weirdly on larger paintings. These have a bit of girth and are much nicer without being too expensive. 

There are two primary attachments when trying to stretch a canvas. Staples and tacks. Staples are more common now, they’re quick, convenient, easier to aim etc. Tacks are the traditional way of attaching a canvas to the stretcher and I personally prefer it. It takes more time, is a hassle but the end result is an overall nicer, more handmade canvas. Tacks also damage the canvas less, as the staples can rip more easily and can puncture through the canvas entirely if the wrong kind or wrong power setting is used.




When stretching, I always start in the middle with one tack on each side, then progressively move out from there, centre out, stretching and tacking one bit at a time. It’s time consuming but ensures an even stretching with no trapped waves or uneven tension. If there are tiny waves in the canvas, they’ll most likely relax after a day as the canvas gets used to being stretched. Bigger waves often need to be re-stretched but which isn’t a huge issue.

The stretcher is just the support for the painting. If you make something great and someone wants to maintenance the painting in 100 years, it can often happen that they re-stretch it and replace the old stretcher bars with new ones. It’s also common to add canvas along the edge when the work is being re-stretched. I used to worry about re-stretching canvases but it’s fine if you have to, the part with the paint is what people want to preserve. That being said, don’t be needlessly reckless. 

(oh and remember to have the white part on the outside, unlike in the pictures above, this was just for measuring)




Imprimatura
Before I begin painting, I like toning my canvas just a little bit. In the past I used to tone my canvas to a medium value but lately I’ve enjoyed lighter grounds. There isn’t any rule for this, it’s really down to personal preference and your own techniques. At times I’ve liked trying to tone my canvas to a general halftone in my subject and attempting to never having to touch in throughout my painting, leaving an area of pure, un touched canvas. 

In general, painting over lighter grounds will make the paint appear warmer and painting over a darker ground will make them feel cool. This can of course be overcome by painting more thickly but it is a quality that can be used in interesting ways. 

To start I select the pigments I want to use for my imprimatura. It’s a good idea to select strong and fast drying pigments for this. I am using mostly raw umber and a little bit of mars black to cool it down. This forms a brown green grey that I first spread over my canvas somewhat haphazardly. Then I take a paper towel with some solvent and wipe it across the canvas, evenly distributing the pigments. I then begin to try to use my paper towels to rub off the color, lightening it until it’s the desired tone and texture I want.






I like to try and disrupt any pattern in the imprimatura, as to not bias me when I begin my painting. 

I wait for this to dry fully, often just a day unless it’s very cold or humid. When working pure alla prima this can be done and directly worked into but then it’s best to use turpentine and be conscious of how to handle the surface if you don’t have the time to wait. There’s nothing wrong with starting on a white ground but I often find myself spending a bunch of time just trying to get rid of all the white instead of focusing on the actual painting. By toning it down a little, it’s easier to focus on the painting rather than all the pure white canvas.


Alright. That’s enough for today. 
Next up I think I’ll talk about pigments/colors, what my palette is like and some brushes.

Discord - JetJaguar#8954
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Messages In This Thread
Oil Painting - by Tristan Berndt - 12-31-2019, 06:08 AM
RE: Oil Painting - by Tristan Berndt - 12-31-2019, 06:18 AM
RE: Oil Painting - by JosephCow - 12-31-2019, 04:29 PM
RE: Oil Painting - by Tristan Berndt - 12-31-2019, 10:52 PM
RE: Oil Painting - by Tristan Berndt - 01-02-2020, 05:58 AM
RE: Oil Painting - by Artloader - 01-02-2020, 06:51 AM
RE: Oil Painting - by Tristan Berndt - 01-04-2020, 03:34 AM
RE: Oil Painting - by Tristan Berndt - 01-07-2020, 02:09 AM
RE: Oil Painting - by Artloader - 01-08-2020, 08:59 AM
RE: Oil Painting - by Tristan Berndt - 01-12-2020, 10:34 AM
RE: Oil Painting - by Artloader - 01-15-2020, 08:25 AM
RE: Oil Painting - by Tristan Berndt - 01-31-2020, 02:51 AM
RE: Oil Painting - by JosephCow - 01-31-2020, 08:16 AM
RE: Oil Painting - by Artloader - 02-10-2020, 06:29 AM
RE: Oil Painting - by Jaydenaomy - 12-19-2023, 09:50 PM

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