Quick Tip 194 - Painting Surfaces

[@KINGLIVE2025]

Thank you so much you're a wonderful instructor and you make it simple enough that even knucklehead like me can understand and I appreciate that thank you God bless

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Thanks for that, Mark.

[@TheVidyahosur]

You are awesome. What I loved is openly sharing your rich experience while making it economical too . Thanks again!

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Thanks, Vidya. It interest me that some of the most highly respected painters - Richard Schmid, for example - make many of their tools rather than spending mega bucks for the most impressive setup.

[@nelsonharris6947]

Always learn a ton from you ! Thank you so much !

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

My pleasure.

[@barbarataylor6808]

I want to thank you for your wonderful full length lessons. I have to say that I was totally confused by the gray scale and value with color. I bought your video on shading and It finally clicked. Thank you for explaining so well. When I watched you mix the paint and work from a Notan print it all made sense. Thank you again.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Thanks, Barbara. I'm always delighted to learn that my teaching has given clarity.

[@mariegamber]

Thank you Dianne. I was using cardstock that I primed with Gesso. Maybe I should try the linen roll you mentioned from Fredricks :). Thank you for all you do. I love your live on-line classes and recommend them to everyone!

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Thanks, Marie. Gessoed card stock is good for studies, but a more permanent support is better for the painting itself.

[@dmjune1]

Thank you. I was hoping you would explain the differences between linen vs canvas. I've been painting several years now, but have yet to hear an artist expound on it. I can Google it, but I enjoy your in depth explanations.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

The word "canvas" includes linen, cotton and other fabric materials whether stretched on a frame or adhered to a board. There's really not much to explain except the different preferences of artists. Linen is claimed to be more permanent, however artists throughout the history of painting have used all kinds of supports that have survived, so that argument is up for grabs. It's a matter of artist preference as to the surface to choose.

[@cmcasadoiro]

Thank you so much, you have so much knowledge

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

You are very welcome

[@joanistotler8804]

Wow that was so informative, Dianne - thanks so much!

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

And it only scratched the surface.

[@joanistotler8804]

Oh good one, Dianne!! Haha

[@annebrunner3649]

Great video. Thank you.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Thanks for watching.

[@kathycrocker3953]

Thank you for this valuable info.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

My pleasure.

[@rickb6029]

If you sand the primed canvas surface, does that not create small holes in the primer, leading to possible deterioration.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Not if the canvas is properly primed. If it has two or three layers of prime, especially with acrylic gesso, it will be properly sealed so that a light sanding would lessen its integrity.

[@rickb6029]

Do you mean 'would not lessen its integrity'?

[@nazaninlabafian675]

Please teach me how painting noon in summer with acrylic.I cant choose right collor😔🌹

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Again, I need to see an example of what you're referring to. Getting the right color depends upon the colors of the subjects, how the light is hitting the subject, what colors are reflecting onto the subjects, etc. It all depends upon what you are observing.

[@lavernemartin8158]

If I bought either canvas or linen in a roll, how would I go about oil priming them, and how many coats is recommended? Also, do I apply rabbit skin glue? Thanks in advance for your advise.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Rather than try to explain the process, let me refer you to a video by Ryan Demaree - kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4CkqYSOfLKmosk

[@mosiotv]

Great opportunity to be able to see your qts. 👍🏻🌷 I found that it is much easier for me to paint on those sheets rather than on a primed fabric now I see apparently I was on the wrong track!? Am I? The specific problem is paint flow/application is harder on the fabric. Anyway my paints are student grade Winton brand and I found the paints are more fragile than the cardboard surface, ie the cadmium red deep turns pale. Sorry for long comment 🙏🏻

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

The surface you use is a matter of choice. Just be sure for your serious work that the surface is archival. Cardboard would not be my choice for archival materials.

[@karl-heinzfietzek7371]

Dianne, Thank you so much. Maybe you can make some more Quick Tips about Abstraction, What does abstraction or abstract painting mean, Some good examples concerning abstract paintings, How to come from a more realistic painting style to a more abstract style, … or continue with the Serie s23_abstract to realism or give additional information. Thank you a lot!

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Karl, abstraction in painting is a broad and diverse subject. Generally when we say a painting is abstract, we refer to it's lack of recognizable imagery or it's distortion of images. Historically, the abstract movement grew out of the Impressionist movement where the two-dimensional elements became the subject matter - i.e., shape, color, line, direction, texture, movement, size, value, etc. It is either intuitive or intellectual. Abstractionists are often confused with Expressionists whose emphasis is on the expression of emotion rather than the arrangement of elements. May I recommend to you Rudolf Arnheim's "Visual Thinking" and "Art and Visual Perception" to better understand the whole concept of abstract. I will try to put together a Quick Tip or two addressing your question.

[@luigi5890]

If your first starting out in oil painting, here is what you really need to start on a budget. Go to Home Depot and buy the cheapest Masonite they have. Cut it up to the small size's you desire. After roughing up the Masonite with fine sandpaper, cover it with a couple coats of Gesso. You may also cover the Masonite with the cotton cloth of an old T shirt to give it the texture of a canvas. Cover the cloth with a couple layers of Gesso with a light sanding in between. Next buy yourself a color wheel and the three primary colors plus white, this will teach you the basic fundamentals of mixing colors. Start by picking a simple subject to paint before trying a more complicated subject, this will help to prevent from being discouraged. Just my humble opinion.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Thanks for your comment, Luigi. With all due respect, let me add that Masonite might not be archival so for those who might choose this direction, be sure that the board you buy is acid-free.

[@luigi5890]

@@IntheStudioArtInstruction Of course you do realize that rare paintings by some of the great masters were painted on wood and cardboard. It all depends on how the surface is prepared, and for a novice painter you don't want to urge them to go out and buy the most expensive linen canvas to start with, do you?

[@bobbiehafer8679]

If you are using oil primed boards of a relatively good quality would you still recommend priming them. Obviously you would have to use an oil primer, correct?

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

It depends upon the quality of the priming on the board, but always oil on top of oil or oil on top of acrylic, but never acrylic on top of oil.

[@jaimehernandelgadoquintero4539]

Gracias

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

My pleasure.

[@lunadargent5292]

One thing that confuses me is when do I use a coarse, medium or fine textured canvas and is linen better than cotton eg I hear portraiture is better on fine linen but why?

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Yeah, there are a lot of opinions out there. Modern technology has given us multiple choices for canvas surfaces. Linen is wonderful and a historically more durable than cotton, but with today's technology, I trust a professional quality cotton canvas. In the long run it's the thread thickness and count, and priming method that gives the canvas most of its strength and durability. I suggest you do unbiased research and find a surface that feels good to you. I do think avoiding cheap surfaces is wise, but reliable companies such as Fredrix make a respectable professional grade cotton canvas.

[@janskov1440]

Thank you!‍🙏

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

😊

[@janskov1440]

😊👍

[@Janne-Matias.H]

Hi! Do you have any tips or tricks for clearing your brush?

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

When we first stated doing Quick Tips, we did this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaG4qKhjgbGmkM0 .Hope that's what you're looking for.

[@alanclarke5339]

Thank you

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

😊

[@paulwhite760]

I have heard of an oil paper by Arches that you can paint on direct.Have you any experience of that.? I tend to gravitate to smooth surfaces as a more specular surface reflects the colour better.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

I have tried it, Paul, and I don't care for it. Seems to me the paint absorbs more than it should and there is a lot of brush drag.

[@paulwhite760]

thanks for that

[@celticqaidbear]

I like Belgium linen. Smooth surface

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

👍

[@gilberthoste4315]

Thank You.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

😊

[@rakhisunilkumar7114]

Thank u Dianne! Can you also please let us know how to store the paintings, especially the ones which u just showed to cut it from roll and paste it on board for painting.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Paintings done of stretched materials should be stored upright with space between them for air circulation. I use the flat sheets for studies and demos. These are not a part of my body of work, so I either discard them after I no longer need them or store them flat for later reference. I recommend that any oil painting done on sheet canvas, intended to be a part of the artist's oeuvre, be stretched then stored upright to prevent warping and to allow good ventilation.

[@tedbnnj]

I've recently been using "canvas paper" for studies, but I like your idea of sheets cut from a roll of primed canvas, there's a lot of 9x12 and 12x16 sheets in a 10yd roll of primed canvas ...even leaving a 2-inch border for later stretching. I just attach them to Luan plywood with those black binder-clips or used canvas panels for a stiff backer.

[@joseluisrojasmontiel1468]

Hi!!! Excuse my English!! I am from Spain. What about alquidic canvas? This canvas is fatter than acrylics surface that I usually paint .Can I paint with my traditional medium? (Linseed oil and terpentine). If I can not paint with my medium, how I use liquin? What about fat over lean in liquin? Please help!! Jaja.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Jose, please check the spelling of "alquidic" because I'm not sure what you are asking. As far as Liquin and the fat over lean principle go, Liquin's primary purpose is for speeding the drying of the paint. It can be used the same as any traditional painting medium with that in mind. Generally, the fat over lean principle is about the oil content as related to drying time. Because oil paint oxidizes rather than evaporates, the ratio of oil to pigment should be less on bottom layers than those on top. Here's a diagram to illustrate: gamblincolors.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/fat_over_lean_diagram.png

[@joseluisrojasmontiel1468]

@@IntheStudioArtInstruction alkid sorry. I have read about liquin of Windsor and newton and it's different to a traditional medium. Liquin Windson and Newton and galkid of gambling are the same product ( alkid resins) and is not necesary the fat over lean . I an crazy, I don't understand . jaja. Sorry can you help me. Thanks

[@joseluisrojasmontiel1468]

@@IntheStudioArtInstruction thank you for the diagram. I see that it's the same as a traditional medium ( linseed oil and turpentine) , is it true? . I think that this mediums over an alkid surface I must add a bit oil , because alkid surface is more fat than acrylic surface ,'is it true? Excuse my English and Saludos desde españa. Enhorabuena por su didáctico trabajo. Congratulations for yours didactic job

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

The term "fat" refers to oils, not solvents. Turpentine is a solvent, as is any odorless mineral spirit product such as Gamsol and Turpenoid. Linseed oil is an oil. With the introduction of modern mediums, the "fat over lean" principle may or may not apply. The alkyd products such as Liquin and Galkyd cause the "fat" to chemically dry faster. In the old days, we added such things as Copal mediums to do that. Oils do not dry by evaporation, but by oxidation. The top surface of the paint oxidizes first, but underneath the paint is still pliable. Alkyds speed up the oxidation. The reason the "fat over lean' principle became a concern is because of the drying properties of oils used in oil paint. "Lean" refers to a layer being thinned with solvent, therefore it dries faster. If a solvent-thinned paint is layered on top of a fatter layer, it might flake off or cause cracking of the paint.

[@joseluisrojasmontiel1468]

@@IntheStudioArtInstruction thanks again.

[@parisdblack1711]

I buy my canvas already on stretcher bars and I do 3 additional coats of gesso myself. Most store bought canvases say that they are already triple primed. Is that enough, do I need to do more? Thanks for this video.

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

Paris, all you need is for the surface to be sealed and to have the texture that feels right for your painting process.

[@jagodamarzec948]

🌻

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

👍

[@welterdavin5486]

tops

[@IntheStudioArtInstruction]

😇