Sunday, January 20, 2019

Harriet Tubman - Priming the canvas


I think traditionally, when artists prime a canvas, they use gesso. This helps the colors in the painting really stand out. If the canvas is poorly primed, the oil may seep into the canvas and leave dull patches on the surface of the painting. Because I'm going all old school with this painting, I'm priming it with 3 layers of oil paint with liquin mixed in. Liquin is a drying agent that thins the paint out at a faster rate and allows it to flow smoother. Oil paints can take anywhere from a week to 3 months to dry to the touch, that's why they take so long to paint. Liquin cuts that time in half. Too much liquin added and your paint will crack. Because the canvas is porous, I will be applying one coat of toned oil paint, waiting a week, sanding it, and then applying another coat. I will do this 3 times before starting the actual painting.

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