Dorothy Gauvin
by Dorothy Gauvin
Art Gallery Gauvin
To contact Dorothy, click on her photo, which will take you to her web site and e-mail
©Dorothy Gauvin, 2003
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Dorothy Gauvin |
Articles of Interest for Artists by Dorothy Gauvin Art Gallery Gauvin To contact Dorothy, click on her photo, which will take you to her web site and e-mail |
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The Good Earth Choosing A Ground For Your Painting
Farmers and gardeners know that the ground they work determines the success of the crops they plant. No matter the quality of the seed they sow,
no matter their skill and dedication in raising those plants, the crop will not reach its full potential unless the ground is properly prepared.
So, it's a great pity that many artists neglect the preparation of the ground for their paintings. That's the subject I'd ask you to think about today.
First, some definitions:
If you're just starting out on your own as an artist, not yet ready to exhibit your work, you won't want to outlay the kind of money needed for
expertly prepared canvases. A popular alternative at this stage is to use panels of compact wallboard. Most beginners choose the one called
Masonite. It is important to buy the Standard type rather than the Tempered, which is impregnated with an oil that interferes badly with the
adhesion of your ground.These panels need very careful preparation for even student works. They should never be used for paintings you intend
to outlast you. To my mind, they're more trouble than they're worth. But many beginners will be more concerned with cost-savings, as I was myself
at the early stages. So, here's how to make them as safe as
possible.
After cutting the board to your desired size/s, rub the smooth surface with fine sandpaper, which will give it a "tooth" to your primer and paint
layers to adhere properly. You might also bevel the edges and round off the corners with coarse sandpaper to help prevent splitting and chipping of the ground. Then clean down with a cloth dipped in white spirits. When this had dried off, you can apply your ground in a layer not less than 1/16 inch thick This can be either true gesso (a glue-chalk mixture) or an acrylic polymer primer (often labelled as "Gesso" although it is nothing of the kind.) I recommend using it on Masonite, however, as cooking up your own gesso can lead to uneven results even in experienced hands. It also demands a high degree of workmanship and attention to detail. All this when you just want to get painting! (If you do want to learn the processes of making and applying gesso, you'll find detailed instructions in any of the books I've listed at the end of this article.)
TIP. Usually, the ground is smoothed with fine sandpape when perfectly dry but some artists dislike this finish. A fellow student once gave me an
attractive alternative: Prime two panels at the same time, stick the wet faces together and immediately pull them apart. You're left with a nicely
random textured surface, which seems to have your painting started before you even pick up a brush.
NOTE. The above tip applies only to experimental studies. When you've found your own style and are down to serious work, you won't want any
such distracting gimmicks.
Standard Masonite sheets are 1/4 inch thick. Cut sizes larger than 24 inches will bend or warp of their own weight and should be braced at the back.
Do this by using a resin or vinyl glue to attach a frame of well-seasoned wooden strips to the outer edge. Large panels should also include crossbars to
help prevent warping. Use strong clamps - not just weights - to keep the strips under pressure until the glue dries. A good coat of primer on the back
will also help prevent warping.
TIP. Please don't be tempted to use the back side of the panel as your painting surface. Its texture is unpleasantly mechanical and does not compare
with the "living" weave of a good canvas. It gives your work an amateur look. And there's something even worse, which I'll illustrate with a true story.
Many years ago, I bought a painting by a very successful artist who used Masonite panels. He later became a friend and invited me to his studio.
There, I learned that he primed only one side - the back - and that this primer was household undercoat. So I understood immediately when, just a
few years later, his lovely work became distorted by a change of colour in all its white areas, to a brownish pink. He'd left the then-white undercoat
unpainted in those areas, exposing them to the inevitable attack by acid in the untreated board.
A surprising number of artists persist with these panels even after their careers are established. The reason I've often been given is that they dislike
the "bounce" of stretched canvas. But what a price to pay for the lack of a little patience: the destruction, sooner or later, of your work, and of the trust
of your collectors.
At some point, a fellow artist or, more usually, your framer will suggest you "upgrade" to canvas glued to your wallboard panels. This, they'll tell you,
will make your work look more professional and attract higher prices, while still keeping that rigidity you've learned to love. I fell for this at one stage
and I can tell you it's not a good move. Here's why. A canvas glued to board or even a classic wooden panel is subject to blisters, warping or cracking.
(This is why injured or decayed paintings are better off being lined with new linen canvas.) Unless properly treated, the panel beneath your canvas will
cause the same acid-based problems I mentioned earlier. Lastly, should restoration ever be needed, the conservator will have the Devil's own job
getting any work done from the back of the painting.
I hope I've managed to put you off using wallboard, but if not, good luck. Of course, you may become so outrageously fashionable in those circles with
unlimited funds for restoration that your deteriorating work will be looked after anyway. One painter, celebrated as a hermit living on an island off the
Queensland coast but now deceased, - who is represented in many publicly funded galleries, and whose Abstract designs were carried out on all
manner of materials including old newspapers and brown paper - is a case in point.
So what's the alternative, while you wait to earn the kind of prices that will justify buying top quality canvases? One idea is to haunt the second hand
shops and stalls, buying up "worthless" old paintings that you can strip from their stretchers, re-cover with new canvas and re-use the frames if in
reasonable condition. Good luck in finding enough of these to fill your needs!
TIP. Never be tempted to paint over an old canvas. No matter how arduously you scrape it down, the stresses caused by those old paint layers will
distort your new work and cause more problems than it's worth risking.
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A more viable approach is to buy ready-made stretcher pieces (in bulk, at discount, if you have the readies) and a roll of heavy, close-weave cotton duck. The really cheap varieties are simply not worth using as they soon begin to rot after the application of oil paints. Cotton canvases usually last longer under acrylic paints and if you're comfortable with this medium, there shouldn't be much problem in your lifetime. Long-term survival of the paintings is another question, but here we're only talking of student work. Another, and most valuable, benefit of this approach is the experience you'll gain in l earning to prepare canvas and stretchers in the same way you'll later handle high quality linen. Like linen, good cotton duck can be bought ready primed and this has two advantages to you. First, it is the product of skilled professionals who will turn out a better surface than you could produce at home. Second, it saves you all that tedious labour and frees more time for making your art. (If you do want to learn the processes of making and applying gesso, you'll find detailed instructions in any of the books I've listed at the end of this article.) Huge savings can be made by learning to stretch your own canvases rather than paying a framer to do it. Like so many things, "it's simple, when you know how." You'll need only a few, easy-to-use tools, but you must get the know-how. Everything you need to know is in any of the books listed below, with illustrations that show you exactly how to go about it. You'll want to have at least one of these books on your studio shelves, but if you can't own one right now, you'll find them in your local library. In the meantime, here's a tip or two on stretching canvases. For any size larger than 18 inches on the long side, I recommend that you use heavy-duty stretcher bars. Keys - those little wooden wedges designed to be inserted in slots at the corners of the finished stretcher - are best not used at all. You can tack them, in a small plastic lunch bag, to the back of the stretcher; this way, they're handy if you do feel a need to tighten the canvas later. Use stainless steel staples only; ordinary steel will rust and may rot the canvas. Invest in a good, heavy-duty staple gun; your hands will really appreciate it. Always cut your piece of canvas from the roll 4 inches longer each side than the stretcher. Don't trim it off at the sides. It won't look so neat, but if ever the painting needs to be de-mounted or re-stretched, the framer or conservator will bless you. The day will come when nothing else but linen will satisfy you, and you'll be glad you're already familiar with the techniques for stretching and painting on canvas. As an organic fabric, any canvas absorbs moisture, swelling as it does so, and stretches or sags with the pressure you apply while working on it. Not a worry; that's just natural. When the work is finished and the paint layers begin to dry out, the canvas will return to its original state. There's no need for you to tighten the keys at the stretcher's corners; it's far better that you leave them alone. TIP. Sometimes, collectors are tempted to tighten the keys when they notice a painting getting "floppy" during a spell of wet weather. The risk of physical damage from that busy little hammer on the keys, and possible compromise of the paint layers from the stressing of the canvas, are thoughts that haunt me. So I've developed a way of deterring them. Over each mitre at the back of the stretcher I apply a galvanised steel bracket, held with galvanised screws - not nails. And I briefly explain why they should not be interfered with. Clients appreciate the extra care and trust the artist to know what's best for the painting. Finally, why paint on linen? The immediate answer lies in the gorgeous, "live" look of linen and its substantial "feel" as you work on it. Most artists who work in a finely detailed, realistic style prefer the smooth and tightly-woven version called "Portrait." I happen to enjoy a heavier, rougher grade. It does mean some wastage hen cutting the roll, to avoid any areas where defects are too obvious. Also, it requires thought when choosing which side is "up" so as to avoid having a troublesome slub just where a face or some other delicate element is to appear. But I think it's worth it to gain that subtle "richness" that only a heavy grade of good linen can impart. The long-term benefit is simply that: Longevity of your work. Now, none of us can predict what verdict History will make on what we produce. But after all, why not proceed as if our paintings, or some of them, may one day be as treasured as the work of the Old Masters? They were trained to have respect for craftsmanship in every aspect of making a work of art. As a result, many of their paintings survive to delight us, five hundred years later. We might as well follow their lead, don't you think?
Some recommended reading: The "How To" books on painting are legion. No doubt, like me, you've helped enrich the authors of many. Frankly, the years have taught me that is their main purpose in being; nearly all are too personal to the author/artist's style to be of much help to the artist trying to find her/his own Way. Of far greater help to you is a good, clear, and comprehensive book on materials and techniques - something that will give you the tools of craft to make your own kind of art. Here are three I recommend unreservedly: The Painter's Craft - An Introduction to Artists' Methods and Materials by Ralph Mayer 226 pages limp cover illustrated in black and white. First published in 1948 by D Van Nostrand Company Inc, New York, the book has no ISBN since the International Standard Book Number system was adopted only in 1969. I have a treasured copy of the 1966 edition published by Viking Press of New York, from whom I believe the title is still obtainable. If you're a painter, and can have only one book on techniques and materials - this is the one! The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques - Ralph Mayer 761 pages limp cover b/w illustrations. First published in 1951 by Faber and Faber of London, ISBN 0 571 14331 8. My copy of the Fifth Edition is a monster, but one I wouldn't be without. It covers every aspect of painting in every medium from oils and acrylics, to tempera, watercolour and gouache, pastel, encaustic and murals. Included is information on the conservation of paintings and more than you'll ever need to know about the chemistry of pigments and processes. The Artist's Manual - Equipment, Materials, Techniques Stan Smith & Prof. H.F. Ten Holt (Eds.) 319 pages Hardcover. ISBN 0 948872 78 0 . Published 1987 by Quarto Publishing plc of London. A fascinating and valuable resource, organised into sections on Painting and Drawing, Graphic Design, and Sculpture (in all materials from stone through to lasers.) Lavishly illustrated, often in full colour. |