Applying an oil ground

I am preparing a bunch of canvases just now–six size 40″ x 50″, and six size 36″ x 48.”  Typically, I apply 2-3 coats of acrylic gesso over 2 coats of GAC 100. I might drop the GAC. Although it’s easy enough to screw up a canvas early on (canvas quality can be poor and tear, stretchers can be out of square or warped, and gesso can be crap quality too), the important step is the next step: the ground.

Ground refers to the last layer put on a canvas before painting starts. Grounds can be created and applied in a variety of ways. Some artists–like me–are particular about their grounds, while others are indifferent about theirs. If you are a new oil painter, the takeaway is that your ground can have a profound effect on the way the paint handles. Try different things.

I am using a toned ground for these new paintings, as you can see in the photo. I’ve covered about two-thirds of the 40″ x 50″ canvas in the photo.  These days I prefer a neutral gray tone made from white, black, and raw umber. Lots of artists use toned grounds, although perhaps not as many today as previously. The tone can be applied over the last layer of gesso, or it can be incorporated into the final gesso layer, as I’ve done here.

Traditional gesso is made with chalk and hide glue. Traditional gesso creates a magnificent surface but a brittle one. Because of its brittleness, it’s normally restricted to firm surfaces, such as wood panels, and isn’t used on canvas. The traditional ground for oils is oil paint with an addition of the same chalk. This too creates a great surface. By the way, this oil-chalk mixture can be used in the painting itself. Its body and covering power are tremendous.

Putting an oil ground on a new canvas. The scrapper is on the palette.

With this canvas I am using a commercially-prepared oil ground. For the tone, I’ve mixed some black and raw umber oil paint into the white ground. You can see it on the palette It’s a little tricky figuring out how much tone to mix. Once I ran out before the canvas was covered and the new mixture varied from the original; not a lot but enough to bug me. Now I make sure I have plenty of mixed tone beforehand.

Grounds can be applied with a brush or a scraper. I prefer the scraper method. If you brush it on, the thinner makes the surface sensitive to the layer beneath it. If the gesso layer beneath is rough, the ground will be rough too. Of course, that might be what you want.

I apply the ground much as a laborer would apply plaster to a wall. I apply as thin a layer as possible, working it into the canvas in all directions. Although the layer is thin, it’s much thicker than a brushed-on layer. The extra thickness hides all irregularities in the canvas. It is more labor intensive than brushing it on; it takes practice not to leave scraper marks or ridges. But the effort is worth it. The resulting surface is smooth yet slightly absorbent–perfect for painting. The finished surface doesn’t require sanding.

You can see my scraper on the palette; it’s about 4 inches long. I have bigger scrapers but the bigger ones are prone to create ridges.

The point is efficiency. The smooth surface makes the painting go faster with less reworking, especially in the details. The neutral tone provides a mid-tone that speeds tone balancing. The time saved can be significant in large paintings.