Using Gesso To Make Your Canvas Smooth For Painting

The importance of using a smooth canvas for painting cannot be overemphasized. Gesso is the most commonly used primer for acrylic painting. Every painter knows how enjoyable it is to paint on primed canvas compared to using unprimed canvas. Gesso makes the surface more absorbent and gives the painting a fine finish, which is what every painter is after, unless you are looking to have a special kind of effect. Gesso can either be bought or prepared at home. Both options have their upsides and downsides. Buying gesso will cost you more but will save you valuable time which you can use to paint. Preparing gesso at home takes time but the good thing about it is that you can adjust it to suit your preferences.

Preparing your smooth canvas for painting: Steps to Follow

You will need gesso, a paintbrush, sandpaper and some water. Start by diluting the gesso with water; the amount of water you add depends on the effect you are looking to achieve. Use the paintbrush to apply the diluted gesso to the canvas in parallel strokes. You should then let the canvas sit for a couple of hours for the gesso to dry. The longer you let it sit, the better; so, if you can leave it to dry overnight, that would be the best option. Before applying the second layer of gesso, you need to check whether the first layer is dry. If the canvas feels cold to touch, the gesso is not completely dry. You need to give it a few more hours before doing anything to it.

Use sandpaper to sand the canvas after the first layer is dry and then apply the second layer of gesso in perpendicular strokes to the first layer. Again, you need to let it sit for a couple of hours before you do anything to it. You can apply as many layers of gesso as you want depending on the effect you want to achieve, but just remember to let the gesso dry and sand the canvas after every layer. The more the layers of gesso, the more absorbent the painting surface will be. The final coat should be applied using undiluted gesso. Only start painting after the gesso dry.

Bottom Line

Using gesso to prime your canvas is not a difficult task. Just follow the steps above and you will end up with a smooth canvas for painting. Gesso is also versatile as you can add some paint to it to tint it and end up with a wonderful effect on your smooth canvas for painting. Although you have the option of buying pre-primed canvas, preparing the canvas on your own is fun and you can play around with the gesso to create some special effects that you would not be able to achieve with a pre-primed canvas.

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What Type Of Brush Should I Use For Oil Painting

When oil painting, brushes will make or break your finished masterpiece. A good brush will help you bring your creation to life while a bad brush will just serve to frustrate and impede your painting every step of the way. Even the best painters will have trouble painting something they can be proud of with a bad brush. The best brushes for oil painting are a valuable investment and worth every penny. When deciding on the best brushes for you, you will need to consider the purpose of the brush, the feel of the brush in your hand and the end result you want to achieve.

Best Brushes for Oil Painting:

Purpose

Essentially, oil painting brushes are made from two different hair types. The bristle brush uses bristle hair from pigs while sable hair brushes use sable hair from the sable, which is similar to a weasel. Bristle brushes work exceptionally well when first starting out your painting as they cover large areas with ease. The ideal bristle brush is a half-inch or wider. Sable brushes are perfect for incorporating details and working in small areas, and should be smaller than a half-inch. If you buy a sable brush, make sure it is a sable brush specifically for oil painting as watercolor sable brushes lack the spring needed when painting with oil.

Shape

There are several different shapes and styles of brush heads for oil painting including rigger, mop, angle, fan, filbert, bright, flat and round. If you use the wrong style head for a certain aspect of your painting, you are not using a bad brush, just the wrong one. It is important to know which type of style will work best for the aesthetic you are wishing to achieve. If you are just starting out, and want to jump right into painting without experimenting with each set of style just to find the best brush for you, go with the flat and filbert brush. You can achieve nearly every look you want for your painting with those two brushes. The flat brush will create the sharp edges while the filbert provides softer, rounder strokes.

Feel

Just as each artist is different, so are their hands. Where one type of brush handle feels good and natural in one person's hand, that may not hold true for another. Visit an art supply store and notice how each brush feels in your hand, run your fingers along the tip of each bristle and watch to see if the hairs are stiff and bounce right back in place as they should. Natural bristle and sable brushes are always better for oil painting than synthetic fibers.

Determining the best brushes for oil painting is about as individualized as each painting they create. Don't be afraid to experiment with different brushes and different brands to find the best brush for you.

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What Type Of Brush Should I Use For Acrylic Painting?

For centuries, oil paints dominated the market for art materials. However, by the mid twentieth century, a new material started to find favor with artists. Now, acrylic paints are just as popular as watercolor and oil are, with artists the world over. If you enjoy creating art, one thing that you will want to know is what are the best paint brushes for acrylic painting.

If you have no experience of working with acrylics, it is often quite daunting to try to identify the best paint brushes for acrylic painting at an art store. Usually, these stores have a plethora of paint brushes laid out in front of you. Synthetic materials, like nylon, are the best paint brushes for acrylic painting. Supple and soft brushes are suitable for applying thinned paint, and stiff brushes work well for thick paint applications. Acrylics are tougher on animal hair brushes, which can expand and become less springy when placed in water.

The majority of brush makers offer synthetic brushes specially designed for painting with acrylics. These brushes are springier and more durable than those designed for watercolor. They can withstand more use and maintain their shape nicely, making them an excellent option for novices.

While you are in an art supply shop, pick up the brushes and bend their tips using your thumb. They ought to feel firm, similar to hogs hair brushes (some synthetics do feel like this). If a brush lacks sufficient resistance, thicker acrylics will be hard to maneuver on your canvas surface.

Paint brushes have varying bristle shapes that affect the marks they make. Flat bristles are rectangular and long. They have flat 'toes' and can produce flat strokes. Also, they can be used to produce controlled lines and defined edges.

Filbert brushes have curved 'toes'.  These brushes can hold a decent quantity of paint and produce a broad range of marks. For this reason, they are commonly used by acrylic and oil painters alike. Round brushes are the most useful types of brushes. They have round 'toes' and can create controlled, intricate marks along with thicker ones.

Brushes can be rather costly. To reduce the expense, you could consider purchasing a set of paint brushes. These sets come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some sets are not particularly high quality, however they are still a helpful option for novice painters. They enable you to become accustomed with the different sizes and kinds of brushes, without making a huge investment.

After you have determined the best paint brushes for acrylic painting, you can grow your collection of brushes and purchase higher priced, better quality brushes of your choosing. There's no rush, so take the time to learn and let your creative juices flow.

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How To Choose The Best Watercolor Brushes

When planning for a painting project one of the things you need to do is choose the best brush. However, the process of choosing can be challenging because of the variety of options available in the market today. With the right information, you can be able to narrow down your search for the best watercolor brushes and achieve exceptional results after your project.

Consider the bristles

There are different types of brushes with some featuring natural hairs while others are made of synthetic bristles. Professional painters prefer those made of natural hairs because of the advantages associated with them. A particular advantage is that natural hairs have ridges that work effectively in holding more watercolor. Individuals that choose synthetic brushes must compensate by picking brushes that are larger. A job that is done by a natural hair brush number 8 requires that the painter uses a synthetic brush number 10.

Shape is key

Brushes are available in a lot of shapes. However, few are designed to provide exceptional results when using watercolors. Individuals with extensive experience can attest to the efficiency of using round or flat brushes when using watercolors. A coated brass ferrule or seamless nickel ferrule ensures that no bristles are lost during use. The material used to make the ferrule also ensures that the brush does not get damaged due to rust. A ferrule is the part of the brush that joins the bristles and the handle.

The size matters

The size of the brush you choose for your watercolor painting project plays a huge role on the final outcome. If you want something that will create finer details it may be prudent to use a small brush. A large painting that does not necessarily pay attention to finer details can be done using a larger brush to ensure you cover large areas within a short time. Natural brushes hold more watercolor than synthetic colors meaning the choice of materials can also play a role in determining appropriate size. It is equally important for you to choose a size that you feel comfortable with.

The brand

Before settling on any of the best watercolor brushes it may be wise to consider the brand. Keep in mind that a lot of brushes in the market do not conform to the highest standards of quality and may start getting worn out a few days after initial use. Choose brushes that are manufactured by trustworthy brands to guarantee you enjoy the benefits of good quality products.

The cost of the best watercolor brushes

Take some time to find out the cost of the various brushes in the market. The best watercolor brushes are not necessarily expensive. Choose products that are sold at reasonable costs.

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How To Transfer Your Drawing Onto A Canvas Using Charcoal For Drawing

Before plunging into the steps of how to transfer your drawing onto a canvas using charcoal for drawing,  it is important to understand why this needs to be done. The main thing is you have just completed a work of art which in terms of size is but a replica of the final artwork that you have in mind. Without utilizing charcoal for drawing, you will have to recreate your masterpiece part by part and line by line.

No exquisite artist wants to do that. That's like repeating the creative process unnecessarily.  Besides, there is a huge chance that you might not be able to replicate the images in the drawing as faithfully as the original composition. Charcoal drawing to the rescue.

Charcoal drawing takes time, but it's the artist's first choice when enlarging his or her composition. Even Michelangelo did not start by painting his masterpieces on the incredibly large ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. There had to be a small version of the images before they could be exploited to gigantic proportions. However, it's not clear if the genius utilized charcoal for drawing at all in order to complete his monumental task.

Nevertheless, modern painters are beholden to charcoal for drawing especially when it's time to transfer their works to a piece of canvas. Chances are, you have seen street painters compose their drawings from scratch. Still, in most cases, these unsung artists use either a model or a view.

That model could be you. But let's say that you want that painting of you to be transformed into a fresco for display in your home or room? Charcoal for drawing is the modern solution. 

Depending on the size of the painting that needs to be blown up, it could take a few hours to finish a charcoal for drawing task. Skipping the all-important task can result in a haphazard piece of work that lacks the proportion as well as the perspective of the original material.

The quintessential artist's trick to transfer his or her creative vision to a large piece of canvas involves heading to the commercial copying machine, which can enlarge any image to the desired size. Of course, artists of centuries past did not have this luxury, so modern painters beat them when it comes to maintaining the aspect ratio of their creative works.

Life is unfair, but charcoal for drawing is here to stay.  This approach involves turning over the enlarged paper copy of the original artwork and practically charcoal painting the surface of the images.  But before doing this, the artist has to underline sections that do not have any images. This way, the charcoal for drawing is applied only on portions of the painting with objects.

Thus, charcoal for drawing is a preparatory period for accomplishing the task of rendering the original concept into its final and much bigger format. With ratios and proportions intact and accurate to specifications, the artist proceeds with completing the creative task with oil paints.

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How To Prepare Your Canvas For Painting With Oil Paints

Before painting on a blank painting canvas, it is necessary to properly prepare it. Artists differ in their preferred method of preparation, but there are some basic steps that need to be followed.

Canvases for painting consist of fabric, usually either cotton or linen, stretched upon a frame. In their initial state, the fabric is not primed, which would cause paint to seep through the fabric. Not only would this make it difficult to paint, but over time, the oil paint would deteriorate the fabric. As such, proper priming is necessary when starting out with a blank canvas.

If the stretched canvas consists of only the raw fabric, the first step is to size it. Sizing is necessary to protect the fabric itself, as it acts as a sealant. Sizing generally consists of a thin animal glue solution. The front surface of the canvas should be primed, as well as the corners and sides.

Once the sizing has dried, the ground coat is applied. The ground coat gives the canvas surface a uniform texture, degree of absorbency, and color. It provides a good base for the oil paints that will be applied, and also adds more protection to the canvas.

Gesso is the most common material used for the ground coat when a canvas is being prepared for oil painting. Basically, gesso is a material that combines a white pigment with oil. It can either be prepared by the artist, or purchased ready to be applied to the canvas. It comes in a variety of different consistencies so that the artist can choose the one that best suits his or her needs and painting style. Although a cream style consistency is often used, some gesso has a paste-like consistency that can be used to add more texture to the blank painting canvas. It is also possible to obtain gesso in colors other than white. Water-based gesso products are also available, but these are more commonly used for acrylic painting.

If a smooth painting surface is needed, gesso is best applied to the blank painting canvas using several thinner coats. If a rougher and more textured surface is desired, one coat may suffice. Smoother surfaces work best for paintings that involve fine detail.

The gesso should be stirred before applying it to the blank painting canvas. If a smooth painting surface is desired, brush the gesso onto the canvas in a single direction. Clean the brush used to apply the gesso so that it does not harden. After the first coat is dry, sandpaper can gently be used to smooth the surface. After sanding, thoroughly remove the dust from the canvas surface with a soft, dry cloth. Apply the second coat of gesso, brushing it on in the opposite direction of the first coat. As with the sizing, the ground coat should be applied to the corners and sides of a stretched canvas, as these areas also require protection. Once the ground coat is dry, the canvas can be used for painting.

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How To Prepare Your Canvas For Painting With Acrylic Paints

The common types of canvas used for painting are cotton and linen. Painters often buy unprimed canvases and prepare them themselves as they can play around with the primers to achieve the effect they wish. However, primed canvases are also available at the stores. If you are using acrylic paint, it is always important to prime your blank painting canvas to avoid using up too much paint as the unprimed canvas is usually very absorbent. You need to know the right type of primer to use as some are only suitable for oil paint. The most common type of primer used for acrylic paint is acrylic gesso.

The steps involved

You will need water, a sponge, acrylic gesso, a stirrer which can be either metal or plastic, some paper towels, a plastic container and stretched canvas. You will also need a flat brush with 1"-2" bristles. Start by dipping the sponge in water then use it to wet the blank painting canvas. Using the stirrer, stir the acrylic gesso in the jar then pour some of it into the plastic container.

Add some water to the acrylic gesso in the plastic container to make it thinner. This makes it more viscous and it will therefore spread with more ease and penetrate the blank painting canvas more easily. You can also add acrylic paint of any color you want if you wish to achieve a different effect from the usual white. Use the paper towel to wipe any spills and clean the stirrer.

Using the brush, apply the gesso on the fabric in parallel horizontal strokes. You should then leave the gesso to dry. You can give it an hour, but the longer you let it sit, the better. If the fabric feels cold, the gesso is still wet and you need to give it more time. Depending on the level of detail you wish to achieve, you can have more than one layer of gesso. But you should always let one layer dry before laying another and lay them perpendicular to each other.

Final Thoughts

You need to be very careful when working with acrylic gesso as it dries up very fast. Therefore, keep the jar closed when you are not using it and pour just enough gesso for the job to avoid having too much leftover gesso. You should also wipe any spills as soon as they occur because when the gesso dries, it is not water-soluble and can therefore be very difficult to wipe off. Do not pour any leftover gesso down the drain as it can cause serious blockage in your pipes.You should only start painting when you are positive that the blank painting canvas is dry.

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