{"id":186,"date":"2012-10-26T15:17:12","date_gmt":"2012-10-26T19:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/?p=186"},"modified":"2013-11-27T07:55:10","modified_gmt":"2013-11-27T12:55:10","slug":"smooth-move-smooth-painting-surfaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2012\/10\/smooth-move-smooth-painting-surfaces\/","title":{"rendered":"Smooth Move\u2014Smooth Painting Surfaces"},"content":{"rendered":"

All artists are self-taught today. It doesn’t matter if you have a masters\u00a0degree or never set foot in an art school–everyone is on their own.<\/p>\n

The most important piece of painting gear my last professor had was a pair of fishing boots. His technique was to cover the studio floor with huge canvases, and pour rivers of acrylic house paint over the entire surface. Then, before the rivers were dry, he’d don his fishing boots and wade manfully into the lake of paint, creating patterns as he stalked across the the floor. \u00a0He was\u00a0absolutely\u00a0convinced that he was a genius.<\/p>\n

As you might guess, he had no interest in traditional practices, such as drawing. If you wanted to actually know how to draw and paint, you were on your own. I’m sure it’s still the same for today’s art students.<\/p>\n

In these ‘Shop Talk’ posts we’ll share tips and techniques with one another.<\/p>\n

Which brings me to canvas boards.\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

You know what canvas boards are: the cheap, canvas-covered cardboard surface generally used by students as an alternative for the more expensive stretched canvas. \u00a0By themselves, they are not\u00a0recommended\u2014surface quality is poor and they warp badly beyond a certain size.<\/p>\n

But cheap doesn’t mean bad.<\/p>\n

A good painting surface is hugely important. By good I simply mean one that is\u00a0suited to your technique or aims. These days I like a smooth, hard surface. Wood\u00a0is the traditional solution, but wooden panels, for any\u00a0but the smallest sizes, are outrageously expensive.<\/p>\n

Here’s what I do to convert a so-so surface into a first-rate one:<\/p>\n

1. Sand an acrylic-primed canvas board with medium sandpaper.
\n2. Apply a coat of traditional gesso over the sanded surface.
\n3. After the gesso is dry, sand with medium sandpaper then sand again with fine or extra-fine sandpaper.
\n4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 once or twice more, depending on how smooth you want the final surface.<\/p>\n

Simple. The key here is the traditional gesso, not\u2014repeat, not!\u2014the\u00a0ubiquitous\u00a0acrylic gesso. Traditional gesso is made with chalk (or\u00a0whiting\u00a0or marble dust) mixed with hide glue (and sometime white pigment).<\/p>\n

The dry gesso is mixed with water and heated until the glue melts, then applied with a brush. A surface prepared with traditional gesso is absolutely wonderful, like a big, juicy litho stone–you can’t help but make a\u00a0successful\u00a0work on it!<\/p>\n

But there’s a catch. Traditional gesso is not very flexible, so it is not\u00a0recommended\u00a0for stretched canvas beyond a certain size. \u00a0But for firm surfaces like wood and\u2014voila!\u2014canvas board, it’s perfect. In another post we can talk about grounds for stretched canvas.<\/p>\n

Here are links to two suppliers from whom I’ve\u00a0purchased\u00a0traditional gesso. The mix comes with instructions and the materials are non toxic. Expect to spend $20 for 2 lbs. of dry gesso mix.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.naturalpigments.com<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.gamblincolors.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All artists are self-taught today. It doesn’t matter if you have a masters\u00a0degree or never set foot in an art school–everyone is on their own. The most important piece of painting gear my last professor had was a pair of fishing boots. His technique was to cover the studio floor with huge canvases, and pour […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[24,113],"tags":[52,51,50,49],"class_list":["post-186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shop_talk","category-tips_tricks","tag-gamblincolors","tag-naturalpigments","tag-painting-material","tag-traditional-gesso"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3337,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2014\/03\/rant\/","url_meta":{"origin":186,"position":0},"title":"Rant","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"March 27, 2014","format":"status","excerpt":"I was taught nothing of practical use about painting when I was a student. Worse than the daily dose of esoteric BS was the relentless, sneering attack on the subjects of technique and history, which were held in utter contempt. Pollack, so I was lectured, allowed his brushes to dry\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bio"","block_context":{"text":"Bio","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/bio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4945,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/03\/in-the-studio-32915\/","url_meta":{"origin":186,"position":1},"title":"In the studio 3\/29\/15","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"March 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The under-painting for\u00a0Woman in Purple Boots is finished. This means that everything has a layer of paint--darks, lights, and local colors. The last time I showed this in a 'Studio Corner' post it was still pretty raw. Woman in Purple Boots is an example of how I prefer to prepare\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Paintings"","block_context":{"text":"Paintings","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/paintings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/studio-2015-3-29.jpg?fit=500%2C343&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4674,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/02\/in-the-studio-2815\/","url_meta":{"origin":186,"position":2},"title":"In the studio 2\/8\/15","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"February 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I worked on these paintings this morning. I painted-out some foliage in the upper-right\u00a0of Three Girls.\u00a0The tone in the photo of that area is more yellow--by far--than the actual tone. The under-painting is done (has been for a bit) and I'm driving toward finishing it. It's a lot of fun\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Paintings"","block_context":{"text":"Paintings","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/paintings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/studio-2015-2-8.jpg?fit=444%2C613&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8812,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2020\/06\/how-to-grounds\/","url_meta":{"origin":186,"position":3},"title":"How to–grounds","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"June 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Most artists do not know how to prepare grounds for oil painting. I know this is true because none of my teachers were able to prepare acceptable grounds, and none of the commercially-prepared canvases that I've used have been acceptable. This is even true for vendors who claim the highest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "How to"","block_context":{"text":"How to","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/how-to\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/oil-grounds-compare2.png?fit=800%2C651&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/oil-grounds-compare2.png?fit=800%2C651&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/oil-grounds-compare2.png?fit=800%2C651&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/oil-grounds-compare2.png?fit=800%2C651&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5464,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/09\/in-the-studio-92815\/","url_meta":{"origin":186,"position":4},"title":"In the studio 9\/28\/15","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"September 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Girl in the Purple Boots is 40\" x 50.\" I\u00a0enjoy the size so much, I prepared 6 additional canvases of the same size. One is in the drawing stage and another is in the early painting stage. The Girl in the Purple Boots is composed from\u00a0three photos taken in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/studio-2015-9-28.jpg?fit=600%2C697&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/studio-2015-9-28.jpg?fit=600%2C697&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/studio-2015-9-28.jpg?fit=600%2C697&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7516,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2017\/11\/turpentine-diaries-11-26-17\/","url_meta":{"origin":186,"position":5},"title":"Turpentine diaries 11\/26\/17","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"November 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"After flavoring my medium with additions for several days, today I used my normal medium.\u00a0 I worked on this painting during both of today's sessions.\u00a0 When the painting surface is right, as with this painting, my normal medium is unbeatable.\u00a0 What is a good surface?\u00a0 I like smooth surfaces.\u00a0 'Smooth'\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/studio-2017-11-26.png?fit=800%2C682&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/studio-2017-11-26.png?fit=800%2C682&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/studio-2017-11-26.png?fit=800%2C682&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/studio-2017-11-26.png?fit=800%2C682&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Gw6F-30","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}