Steps to Preparing a Canvas for Painting

Preparing a canvas for oil painting may differ from painter to painter, but you will find that most follow similar steps. First, the artist prepares the surface. While surfaces such as linoleum, pressed wood, wood panel and cardboard have been used, the most popular and most used is canvas. While many painters have used panels for paintings, they are quite small and may be susceptible to cracking. Stretched canvas doesn’t have that problem.

First the artist prepares a wooden frame called a “stretcher”, then the fabric is pulled across the hard wooden frame and stapled to the back edge.

The next step is to apply a primer to isolate the canvas from the acidic qualities of the paint. The canvas is usually covered with gesso, made from a combination of rabbit hide glue, titanium dioxide, marble dust and water.

The artist may apply several layers of gesso or plaster as needed, sanding it smooth whenever it dries. The layer of plaster tends to draw the oil paint in the porous surface, according to the thickness of the layer.

The artist may want to sketch their subject before applying the pigment to the surface. Pigment is usually mixed with oil, usually linseed oil but other oils can be used as well. The various oils dry differently, creating different effects.

The artist most often uses a brush to apply paint. Brushes are usually prepared of different fibers for different effects. The sizes of brushes even create different effects. “Bright” brushes are used to apply large areas of color. The artist can also paint with a spatula. A palette knife can be used to remove paint from the canvas when necessary. You can also use unusual tools such as rags, sponges and cotton swabs. Some artists even paint with their fingers.

Most artists paint in layers, a method first introduced in the egg tempera technique, and then adapted in Northern Europe for use with flax seed oil paints. After this layer dries, the artist applies “glazes” to the painting, using a process of “fat over lean” , which means more paint than the previous coat. This method is known as “alla prima”. When the image is finished and dry, an artist would normally seal the work with a layer of varnish typically made from damar gum crystals dissolved in turpentine. Contemporary artists increasingly desire that their surfaces remain varnish-free indefinitely.

About the Author:

Vijay Kanth is a seo copywriter having more than 3 years of experience in this field who is currently working for the site 1artclub.com. For further information on oil paintings and Solvents please visit http://www.1artclub.com/ or contact me through mail: 1artclubpainting@gmail.com.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Process of Oil Painting

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