A few technical oil painting questions.

[Gory]

Okay, so here's the deal... I'm primarilly an oil painter, don't use much of the photoshop or the computer with my painting. But that's aside the fact.

So up until about a month ago I really had no concerns regarding the way I prepare my canvas, I never had really thought about the alternatives to what I currently do. I currently just use cotton canvas primed with 3 layers of acrylic gesso.

I started reading up on alternatives, but found nothing quite definitive, and considering the source (random places on the internet) I didn't know what to trust, however I think there are some people on this board with quite a bit of knowledge... so this is what I'd like to know...

Rabbit Skin Glue What are the advantages? Disadvantages? Is it only for use under an oil based ground or can I use it for an acrylic ground, too? Is it really responsible for cracking in old paintings? I like the idea of having a super-taught canvas, any alternatives? Also, how do you prepare it? I've seen a lot of conflicting formulas.

Oil Based Grounds How does it differ from acrylic? Is it more permanent? Will it accept paint better?

Lead Based Grounds I know it's dangerous, but people must still use it for a reason. Same questions as the oil based grounds. I'm tempted to use it.

Linen Opposed to Cotton Canvas I probably won't be going out to buy some any time soon, $30 per yard is a bit much at the moment. Is there a serious advantage of using Linen? Or is it a waste of my money?

Anyway, that's about it. Thanks in advance to anyone who takes their time to answer these questions.

[jrr]

i use oil base grounds because the paint stays where you put it, have you ever painted on top of an old painting? that's what it feels like, where as if you painted on a acrylic gesso, the paint usually sinks alittle and is alittle sleeky in the beginging.
if done right (water not too boiling and not too cold) bunny glue is stable. but there's alot of new sizes out there. plastic based. works fine and doesn't have the problems associated with bunny glue. like explanding and contracting with the weather.
lead based gounds i've only painted on a few times but like i said above, it's good shit. there's a great tooth to it.
linen is overrated, i'm sure some old fart will chime in with how great linen is, but aside from the beautiful smell, it's way too unstable to work with. linseed oil and linen come from the same plant, the beyotch plant that kills itself. i mean a mace is a great weapon, but a gun's better right?. i'd stick to cotton or polyester if you can find that. if you like painting on that tight canvas, try gluing your canvas to board. it works great, i perfer that bounce back and give that comes with painting on canvas alone.

who's next?

[mentler]

Going through similar investigations and tests --- will try to update date you with what I find out!!!!

[Gory]

Thanks a lot, jrr. I went through a little phase where I painted on a *lot* of panels, but needless to say I went straight back to stretchers for many reasons. I do like a taught canvas, but a little give is desirable as well.

Anyway, I'm off to the art store to buy some oil based primer and give it a go.

[Red_Rook]

I just started to oil paint recently so i have no idea what im talking about, but ive heard of people painting on sheets of metal, like iron or copper,
also various polymers, but dont know much about them. :bashful:

[MadSamoan]

Rabbitskin glue's main purpose is to act as a sealer and keep the oil in the paint from reaching the canvas. Oil's acidity would eventually cause it to rot. I have read that the problem with rabbit skin glue is that it's hydroscopic meaning moisture gets in it and when temperatures change, the expanding and contracting of the moisture creates alot of the cracks that you see in a painting. There are a variety of recipes for rabbitskin glue. Ralph Mayer's book on artist materials should have a recipe and instructions on how to prepare it and the book is a fairly respected source by many artists. You can buy powdered rabbitskin glue at art stores and prepare it yourself, but there are modern glues that are considered better suited.


Oil based grounds tend to be less absorbent than acrylic grounds. They vary though. There are acrylic grounds that are very porous and chalky and super absorbent and there are acrylic grounds that are less so. Same goes for oil grounds. Some oil grounds are very nonabsorbent and you can wipe the paint completely off the surface back to the white, without leaving a stain. I haven't seen an acrylic primer that can do that. Oil primer is usually lead based although there are brands of non-toxic oil primer available. The main disadvantage with oil based primer is that it takes months to dry and you have to have the space to set aside the prepared surface while it dries, while acrylic primer can dry within hours.



Lead based grounds are an oil ground. Some are a bit absorbent, some aren't. The main attraction to lead based ground is that lead reacts with light and stays very vibrant, which in turn keeps the colors applied over it very vibrant. I've read that lead based ground paintings need exposure to light from time to time otherwise it'll darken and yellow if stored in the dark for long periods.


Linen versus canvas. The general belief is that linen is stronger than canvas and will last longer and less prone to rot. I've read an article by conservators that that's a fallacy and it's perceived that way because of the price and that archive-wise they're both about equal. One advantage with linen is that it's available in a wider variety of weaves and you can get very fine smooth weaves conducive for fine detail work like portraiture.

I hope some of this information helps. With all the different brands, recipes and methods, there are always exceptions, so feel free to correct me if anyone's experience differs from what I've found and/or read, but please do it constructively.


I would actually recommend that you go to the different paint maker's websites like Gamblin, or Winsor Newton's websites and read what they suggest. Their websites usually have pretty indepth information.