Preparing Gessoed surfaces for WS Oils

Hi Dayle! You are answering so many of my posts!! Thank you!!!!

I actually did cave and buy 1 tube of Artisan.....

I have not used it yet as would need 2 things first: 1, to decide which few other tubes I'll buy to compare them side by side on the canvas, and compare workability. 2, I'm not totally sure how to prepare my canvas so oils will stick.....

I have some canvases but I paint a lot on wood as well, and Judy suggested Gesso with walnut over it. But...I am still not sure how many coats of gesso, for canvas, and for wood, what kind of gesso to buy, and how many coats of walnut to apply, and with what type brush? I am so new to this....

And how long will the walnut layer take to thoroughly dry enough to apply the paint over?

Sorry for the many questions.......

Many canvases have already been gessoed when you buy them. Personally, I like Dick Blick's Master Gesso, but if you have an art store nearby, you might ask them which gesso is a good brand. You might want to use Fredrix Canvas Pads to practise painting, since they are cheaper than framed canvas, and already primed. Not everyone uses the walnut oil, but I assume the Judy means to apply 1 coat of walnut oil over the canvas, wipe the excess off and paint on the left over walnut oil in order to get a smoother surface to paint on. If you don't want to use walnut oil throughout the painting, you would be better off using the Artisan thinner, mixed with oil paint as a thin basecoat. And if you're painting a single layer with a knife, you may not want to use any medium at all. Like I said before, every artist is different, so you may want to try it each way. And if you're experimenting a lot, those Canvas pads could save you a lot of money. Happy painting!
Dayle

Hi!!

Thanks Dayle! I just wanted to make sure that the oil won't fall off after a few months....since I apply them so thick, I was scared of pieces of paint falling off over time because of not so great adhesion, if I didn't prime properly. I've heard this can happen so I wanted to make sure I prime with something that will last....

But, if you think that any good, reputable, primer will do, that's good.

I actually have a local dollar store that sells overstock of art stores, they regularly carry triple primed, back stapled, canvases in various sizes for $2 each. Which (where I live), actually turns out to be cheaper than the canvas pads. (I'm very fortunate to have that)

But thanks for the great tip!!!!

As far as the thin film of walnut oil over the gesso, it could be any oil you use. It is strictly there to help adhesion of the first layer of ws oil or regular oil paints to the gesso. Most of it is wiped off so that there is only a slight sheen and no puddling of oil. It also helps make the first layers apply more smoothly and fluidly. The film is very thin, so that it does not thin the applied paint layer.

I didn't always do that, but once I learned that it is recommended, I couldn't believe the difference in how easily the first layer went on. Bob Ross always used liguid clear or liquid white before applying his first layer. Jerry Yarnell uses other thin oils to go over his acrylic paintings before applying ws oils to complete the mixed media painting. I just always stick with walnut oil because I tolerate it the best.
Judy

Thanks for explaining that Judy. I have had 3 different oil painting teachers now, and each one of them does it differently. Your explanation makes sense, so I think I'll try that on future paintings.
Dayle

I have never tried this with thick layers of paint, which is what Sharon usually does, but because the film of oil is so minimal, I would think that it would only improve the bond as opposed to making it slide off.

If you use so much paint that there is a chance of the weight making it slide off, I would think that you would want to have the painting lying flat in between work sessions. That is just a guess. With acrylics it probably isn't so necessary since the dry so quickly, but oils hang around for a few days.

Hi Judy and Dayle!!!!

Judy, I agree with Dayle, your explanation really makes sense. But with your second point of it sliding off I don't know....

I'm about to buy a bottle of walnut oil anyway, so I'll test it out and let you know the results.

So, do you apply the oil, and then right after blot off any excess and paint right away? Or do you let it dry a little? How does it go?

Judy,
I'm not sure what that would do to the "fat over lean" rule. Perhaps after wiping there is not enough walnut oil to make a difference. Gesso is absorbent and causes the first few layers of paint to sink in, so I could understand why you would want to do something to prevent that dulling of color.

Have you ever used oil primed linen? It is a very slick surface and the paint stays vibrant and does not sink in, since it is not gesso. I just started doing this, and I love it. I have been buying the Centurion oil primed pads from Jerry's or ASW, and it is very economical. Normally the oil primed linen is very expensive, but when they have a sale, the pads are way cheaper than even cotton canvas panels. If one of my studies turns out well, I mount the canvas on a masonite panel.

Hi MistyIslanddd,

Do you know if you can get those in ready canvases? And what sizes do those pads come in?

Do you think if I just prepped linen with 1 coat oil, and back-stapled in to wood, (I paint a lot on wood) it would work?

And I can't wait to hear your answer too, Judy!!

Prepping the linen would work--a lot of artists do their own priming. Here is the link to asw for the pads and sizes:

http://search.aswexpress.com/search?keywords=centurion%20pads

Re: oiling the canvas--I would imagine that toning the canvas with a thin coat of oil paint would work as well.

First, let me explain that I moved this discussion into it's own toipic since it no longer relate to Golden Opens.

When I paint on wood surfaces, I do a minimum of two layers of gesso over the wood, but usually 3 or 4 if the wood is very porous. I use clear gesso when I want the have to wood color show through. Otherwise, I use white, black or tinted gesso depending on what I am trying to accomplish.

With the walnut oil, I apply a very light coat over the gesso and then immediately wipe most of it off with a soft paper towel. I tilt the canvas to be sure I don't see any puddles of oil. You want an even, thin "FILM" of oil, not anything more. You are then ready to start painting on the surface. You do not wait several days for it to dry.

I hope that clarifies it. As Dayle mentioned, different people have different approaches so what works for you is the one to use. This is only a suggestion I have found works for me and I have seen other professional artists recommend it.
Judy

Thank you so much Judy for the explanation!

Now I know how to try this. I will try it on both wood, and gessoed canvas, as well as prepping my own linen support. I'll compare and see what I like. At least I know this will be a sound method that the oil won't fall off from. I'll try to make it to the store as soon as I can, and get some gesso and walnut oil!