Cherry Blossom painting - 36x35 - drawn on canvas

Cherry Blossom painting - 36x36 - drawn on canvas. The light gray color of the tinted Gesso isn't as blue as this photo would have you believe.  The dark edges are a result of me not aligning the camera to the canvas and sloppy cropping in Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3.  My fault, not the software! :-)

I created sketches on a few sheets of newsprint paper to indicate the location important  (to me) elements of the painting then used Saral brand white transfer paper from Dick Blick . The Saral transfer paper is available in other colors, but I like the white. These lines aren't absolute locatons, I'll change some things as I make the painting.  

 March 31, 2010 - day 1 of painting -  putting in shapes, colors and etc.

 April 5, 2010 - day 2 of painting - did many things! Played with the water and the area beyond the water, began detailed blossoms and "suggested" blossoms. Drew in "tree parts" - tree trunks, branches and limbs. I want to "fill in" the grasses at the bottom of the painting.

Canvas and new frames

I've given my 36"x36" canvas another coat of tinted gesso. This coat has a thicker consistency than the first two coats. But it needs another coat or two before I'll be ready to apply paint. If you look at the photo below  you can see where the gesso application needs the gesso! :-)

I am also working four frames for the art show. I'd be working on more but I used up all of the "frames wood" that I had on hand. I need to go to the lumber store and get some more wood. Yesterday I applied two coats of Rabbit Skin Glue to "seal" the raw wood hoping that the paint would go farther. Apparently it helped.  After lunch I applied one coat of acrylic enamel (is that an oxymoron or what?) to each frame.  Tomorrow I'll sand the frames then apply another coat of paint. I usually need to put of four or five coats for the frames to look OK.

I don't paint the inside. I don't know that anybody will care. 

These frames are built for specific paintings.  Although I try very hard to make accurate cuts when I build my canvas panels, the stated dimensions are "suggestions" :-)   In reality one of my 9x12 canvas panels might be 9.25"x11 7/8".  A ready-made frame wouldn't work. Again, does it matter? Not to me.  If anybody ever buys one of my paintings and wants a "bettrer" frame there are frame shops everywhere that can make a custom frame.

Cherry Blossom Canvas

This morning I mixed RED and BLUE acrylic paints (no measuring) in a can then added new white Gesso to make a light violet or purple color.  I very gently sanded the previous coat of Gesso then applied the second coat of tinted Gesso to the canvas top, sides and bottom edges.  After this coat of Gesso dries I'll sand the surface and apply the third coat of Gesso. 

I apply the Gesso by pouring it from the mixing container onto the canvas then pushing it all over the canvas with my 2 inch bristle brush. I try to work the Gesso into the weave of the canvas with the brush.  I use the foam roller to smooth out the brush marks after the painting surface is covered with Gesso.

I talked about the foam rollers lasting a long time. This morning my roller lost two chunks of foam and I had to "retire" it to the trash can.  The lost chunks created a pattern of dots as I rolled the Gesso "smooth".  The "retired" roller was used to prepare MANY of my painting surfaces. The largest chunk (most bothersome in terms of leaving "dots") is shown in the photo below.

I'd like at least four nice coats of Gesso. The consistency (watery or thick) of the Gesso and the absorbency of the cotton canvas dictate how many coats I'll lay down.  I determine how the canvas painting surface feels to my fingertips and if it looks "right" rather than counting how many coats of Gesso.  This is where touch and feel come into play and counting goes out the window.

I have to tell you that the last of a bucket of Gesso that I used was at least a couple of months old. It hadn't clumped AT ALL thanks to an idea from a blogger friend, Carolina Alzamora in Lima, Peru. I had been fighting Gesso "glumps" where the surface area of Gesso stored in a closed container would be exposed to trapped internal air and begin to form these "glumps" that were almost impossible to avoid.  Carolina suggested putting plastic food film (e.g. Glad Wrap) on the surface. And it worked beyond my wildest expectations!  Thanks Carolina!

Making the canvas for our 36"x36" Cherry Blossom painting

I'm making the canvas for our 36"x36+ Cherry Blossom painting.  Yesterday I applied two coats of hot - not boiling -  Rabbit Skin Glue from Gamblin (other companies sell it also) to the bare canvas to seal it and to shrink the cotton fabric.

Here I have begun applying the first coat of tinted Gesso. It's tinted with several colors of acrylic paint (whatever I had at the time) so that I can easily see what's covered and what isn't. This Gesso is white in the bucket. I'll probably apply four coats of Gesso lightly sanding between each coat.

The roller is a "cabinet roller" made of foam rubber available in most stores that sell paint.  It is about 6 inches across and 1 inch in diameter.  The rollers last a long time if I give it a thorough washing. After MANY uses the rollers will start coming apart

Showing the (gallon) bucket of Gesso, the paint roller and the 2 inch bristle brush. I usually don't apply the Gesso out of the bucket because it tends to dry and form clumps. But this bucket is virtually empty with JUST enough left to give this canvas one good coat. The Gesso is also thin for the first coat. Each successive coat of Gesso is thicker.

Another view of the canvas and my studio work bench.  Finished paintings behind and "good stuff" beneath.

I apply Gesso to the sides of the canvas and to the back side (bottom?)  The 11x14 study of this painting is behind the canvas.

This is the little heater I use to blow warm air on the canvas to help dry the Gesso.  It's on the lowest heat setting. It's raining and cool = humid and without this "boost" the Gesso takes a very long time (overnight) to dry enough for a light sanding and the next coat of Gesso. The next coat of Gesso will be tinted a different color - easier to see and correct the areas that I have missed or didn't cover well.

Making a 36" x 36" Canvas with home-made stretchers

I'm preparing a canvas to paint a picture for my daughter of Cherry trees in full bloom. I ripped a 2x4 length wise at an angle. The angle was set at whatever angle would split the 2x4 in half lengthwise.  No precision here!  Don't need no stinkin' rulers!  :-)

The  bottom dimension is 1 1/2 inches (the thickness of the 2x4). 

The left vertical dimension is (approx.) 1 3/4 inches

The right vertical dimension is (approx.) 7/8 inch

The "lip" at the top is MAYBE 1/8 inch - the width of my table saw blade kerf.

I used corner clamps to hold the corners square while I put two (2) three (3) inch screws in each side of each corner. Sorry I didn't think of making photos until I had the canvas stapled to the stretchers. My bad!

I have wrapped the canvas over the stretchers and stapled on the inside surface of the stretchers. Gallery wrapped?

My Boxer, Simon, inspecting my progress. Being a dog of the male persuasion I had a fleeting concern that he might want to "mark" it. But he's a really smart guy and only sniffed it really well!

Casey (our other boxer) and Bella (our miniature schnauzer) were NOT interested at all!

The canvas in my studio. The first "study" painting (11x14) is behind the top middle of the top edge of the canvas.

Home-made painting supports

I had to use Google for the proper term for painting panel, painting canvas and etc. I found this definition at http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/prepsupp.php "The term "support" refers to any material onto which paint is applied. Canvas, wood, and paper are common painting supports, but the types of supports used for artwork are very extensive". . . . .

So, OK, I make my own supports and have for as long as I've been painting. Oh, I do buy the prepared supports but there is only one (1) source within thrty miles of where I live.  The prepared supports (in my opinion are overpriced for the poor quality) PLUS, I enjoy the diversion of doing it myself.  Most of the time I just cut Masonite into the size of support(s) that I want. Then I tried gluing fabric to the Masonite. Just gluing the fabric to the raw support doesn't work well because the fabric shrinks and leaves funky edges. I have glued fabric to plywood, but GOOD plywood is much more expensive than Masonite. I'm a really CHEAP so-and-so. Ask my daughters! :-)

This is how I do it now. I will probably make changes to this process to improve the "product" - or make it easier. I wear disposable vinyl gloves whenever I use Rabbit Skin Glue, apply Gesso to my supports and/or I paint my home-made picture frames.

• With my power table saw I cut square strips from the pine lumber. (The same pine lumber that I use to make my picture frames)
  
• I cut my masonite about an eighth of an inch larger than necessary - a 16x20 finished support will be cut to about 16 1/8 x 20 1/8.  If I'm feeling good, I cut it to the correct size.
  
• I cut wood pieces to make a frame upon which I nail and glue the masonite.  After all is dry, I sand all of the edges of the new panel - top and edges.
• I use my table saw again to trim the support to the accurate measurements - as accurate as I get.  Sometimes my accuracy is only in my mind.
• I cut cotton duck canvas (from the fabric store) about 2 - 3 inches larger than the Masonite panel support.  
• I stretch (with my fingers) and staple the canvas to the  back edges of the wood frame. 
• I use RABBIT SKIN GLUE (RSG) to glue the canvas to the panel top and sides.. The RSG shrinks the cotton duck canvas very tight. (I think any warm wet will shrink the cotton.) You can google "make your own supports" and see that many types of glue are used.  For whatever reasons (unknown to me) I like to use RSG.
• When the RSG is dry I sand all of the surfaces and give the support one more coat of RSG.
• When this is dry I give it another light sanding just to knock off any bumps.
  
• I paint the support with three (3) coats of gesso, lightly sanding between coats.  I like to tint my gesso - white supports inhibit me for some reason.
  

A finished support showing the back. The canvas is stapled on the back and the staples do not show if you paint the edges. The back edges have been trimmed flush to the wood frame with a razor knife.

One of the drawbacks that I haven't resolved. The canvas "curls" away from the wood frame. Maybe more staples?  Does it matter?   I don't know.

The staples are barely visible under the tinted (gray) gesso.

The finished support with three (3) coats of tinted acrylic gesso, sanded between coats.