Oils on Paper

I went to Art at a Whirl in Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago now and noticed a trend of artists painting on paper instead of canvas. And by paper I'm talking Rives BFK and also an assortment of water color papers.

I'm thinking for field painting this may be the way to go, as I can tape them to thin plywood ahead of time and and then slip them into my panel box to tote back home.

So aside from gesso what do I need to do to protect the paper from the oil paints?

Kimberly

Wow! I've never tried paper, no less watercolor paper which is so absorbent. My thoughts would be that I would use three coats of clear gesso so the grain of the paper shows through. If you don't want the grain showing then 3 coats of white of black would probably work. I would be sure to have all edges securely taped to a board before applying the gesso so the paper does not curl.

I'll have to give it a try. I'll let you know how it goes.

Judy

You don't have to use acrylic gesso but it will need to be sized. I prefer dewaxed clear shellac that I make myself. Only a couple coats is required to protect the paper from oil penetration, and no water is required that would distort the paper. Once shellac dries after a few hours it can be lightly sanded and painted on.

You can also size with either hide glue or an acrylic medium. Those involve water so you'd have to stretch the paper first, and you'd need to lay down 3-4 coats, making sure the water has completely evaporated after a couple days before painting.

There are also several brands of commercially prepared papers on the market you can try that are typically treated with an acrylic size. Test them to see if any oil penetrates. If so, add 1-2 more coats of size.

I wouldn't recommend keeping them loose for very long since the dried oil needs something to keep it flat, such as a frame or being mounted to a panel, even just taping them to foamcore for storage.

Hi Kimberly! I've used paper in the past but thicker paper and just one coat of gesso but they were only studies so I think the advice is a better idea.