6 years of art school and such basic stuff ive been looking for everywhere is here. thank you so much. you have no idea how your videos have impacted me. ill paint again!
That's absolutely fantastic! I wish I'd come across this knowledge when I was younger. But when I was young we didn't have the internet and it was impossible to find teachers who knew anything about working from life. All the Art schools here in the UK just taught modern art. I didn't start painting properly until I was almost 30. So keep painting, and when your older you'll be an amazing Artist.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting aww thank you very much! It's also a bit difficult because I just started the other day so here I am watching tips on your videos to also give me an idea of how to start, I'm also a bit lacking in equipment so I sometimes do not imitate like you do when painting. and I will also run out of my acrylic paints so it will take me a few days to save up to buy new ones lol so I will watch your other tips first until I can save the right money. Thank you so much for the tips you share with our people who want to be artists and be good at painting, we are grateful to appreciate your videos so keep on teaching, our teacher! From Phillippines 🇵🇭❤
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thats good to know you started at nearly 30, i am 30 and started at about 30 also. Random thought- would love to see some more of your interviews, loved those.
Don’t ever think I’m bluffing. Seriously. Like seriously. Your videos are the most informative and the most learnable i have come across ever. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I found that almost every ready made surface works better with additional layer of primer/gesso/whatever-you-like, even if producer claims hundreds of layers of whatever-they-think-it-is and ready to use. I love Jackson's Art Supplies smooth cradled panels. They're literally raw wood, so I prime them with Michael Harding acrylic primer. So far works great for me. Great video and very clear lesson.
😀😀 Found your videos very helpful. The still life Oranges with that very calm grey just looks majestic. Still life’s is what I’m fond of, the one you’ve painted have a glow to it. Loved it. Keep more Still life’s coming.
Great use of material for a final product! I’ve been using a mixture of 1:1 acid free pva glue and white acrylic wall paint tinted with a couple drops of wall paint dyes, to tone it down a little, on thick paper and sketchbooks for oil painting studies. It really helps to stay on a budget and still have a good surface to practice on. Although, I don’t know if it’s a good surface preparation for a finished painting panel/canvas. Yours seems more reliable.
I know people who use Alkyd based house paint as a primer i.e. the more glossy stuff you use for wood, like wood silk. As alkyds are basically the same stuff most artists oil primers are made of, tho some makes of oil primer are made with titanium white. The thing is with house paint, is that it will contain more chemical impurities that artists grade primer. House doesn't need to last longer than a decade or so because houses get redecorated. One hopes that expensive artists oil primer will last a little longer? So surfaces primed with house paint will be fine for practicing and studies, but you shouldn't use it for stuff you want to sell. Same with the polyurethane varnish I use in this video.
Gesso is basically pva + a white (for white gesso obv) acrylic paint and is much cheaper when you make your own. I've not used decorator's paint but have used pound shop whites, which is probably the same thing come to think of it. I do love adding a bit of yellow ochre and/or burnt umber to it for my prime too. If it's in my gesso I make sure they're acrylics though.
I remember reading in Harold Speed's book that really absorbent canvases will pull the oil out of really thick impasto paint and prevent the oil from yellowing the whites and lighter tones over time. Supposedly that's why Monet chose absorbent canvases for his paintings where he painted very impasto.
I didn't know that about Monet. Do you know what ground he used, as I didn't think they had acrylic gesso back then? Did he mix chalk into his lead ground? Also, I've heard of artists using a thicker weave on their linen , so that it would hold more paint?
I don't want to be contradictory but I am pretty sure you can not use an acrylic based gesso over an oil painting. It is best to use an oil based primer to re purpose an oil painting. You can paint oils over Acrylic but not Acrylic over oil
Supposedly not. It isn't archival, but I've been doing it ever since I was a student for studies and it has always worked fine. Like Jean Luc says below, I think it depends on how dry the oil is when you apply the gesso.
Some good stuff here, though there's also a major no-no. If you put acrylic gesso over an oil painting, the resulting painting will have problems -- such as peeling and/or cracking. If you use oil ground, the problem can be avoided.
Thanks Alex! Your uploads are treasure! I need a cheap surface for practicing in the most non-toxic way, so the vellum suggestion was quite intriguing. Since vellum is coming in different weights, I guess the thicker is the better, right? Is 90gsm sheets good enough or should I go for more?
Thank you Dimitris! I would definitely go for thicker vellum, 160gsm or above. 90gsm will tend to crinkle when you paint on it, even without any medium.
I am intrigued by your use of urethane varnish for a ground, as I have known that urethane varnish (especially oil based) hardens and becomes brittle over time, leading to cracking on cheaper cardboard panels in usually less than a decade, and will certainly yellow badly, so I have only used it for sealing the back side of wooden panels I have made. But I guess it's fine for quick cheap learning material...
I find it makes a really nice non absorbent surface for painting on cardboard, but your right it definitely should only be used for studies as it isn't archival. I learned this method from Susan Lyon in one of her videos many years ago, and I haven't experienced any yellowing or cracking yet. Fortunately, I've never sold anything I've done on cardboard.
I think I may have caused some controversy with the archival quality of some of this methods. These are supposed to be cheap and easy surfaces for practicing and not necessarily meant to last 100's of years. But tbh I think some artists worry too much about the archival quality of their work, when really we should be worrying more about getting better at painting.
Alex. Thank you for sharing. Priceless. Question. Was the (portrait) painting that you covered with acrylic gesso an oil painting? I always though that you cannot use water based paint (acrylic) on top of oil paint (?)
Yes it was an oil. I may have caused a bit of controversy here as you are right, you are not supposed to use Acrylic gesso over oil. It supposedly doesn't adhere to the surface, which I think may have something to do with the much slower drying time of the oil. But I've been doing it ever since I was a student. as its the quickest way to recycle old canvases. I usually leave it many months before I do it, so the oil is completely dry. And so far I've never had any problems with cracking or peeling. But I've only ever use these recycled canvases for studies and such, which I'm too bothered about keeping. All of the methods shown in this video are meant to be cheap, quick and easy and may not be the best surfaces in terms of their archival properties, though they're a lot nicer to use than ready made canvases and panels. In my next video I'll be showing you how to prepare high quality surfaces.
I've not heard of Shellac being used as a size on canvas, but it can be used as a ground on paper or wooden panels. I've used it before on Museum board the same way I use polyurethane varnish in this video. Polyurethane is cheaper and much easier to find. The archival quality of Shellac is probably better, but then it still yellows with time.
Hello Alex. Thanks for the info, great channel and videos. I'm currently painting with acrylics, using the slow drying OPEN Acrylics, that dries much slower then regular acrylics, and i love them. My question is, do you know if the same principle of smooth non-absorbent surface can be applied with slow drying acrylics? I'm used to paint acrylics over gesso, but it's very absorbant, and i'm curious to experiment with painting over MATTE Medium or even GLOSS Medium, to check the results. I dont mind the absobency in tight spots on the painting, but it's a pain to paint large areas and get some smoothnes, like skies for example. Btw, I eventually will try oils, but at the moment, I dont have a studio just for that, so acrylics is the way for me. Thanks
Thanks Renato, Glad you like my videos. I don't know if there is anything you can do to make acrylic surfaces less absorbent? You could try adding gloss medium to the gesso you use to prime for painting surfaces, maybe will make it less absorbent? Or you could try painting straight onto a less absorbent surface, like some sort of plastic panel?
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Great idea, ill do that. My feeling is that the coverage wont be that different in glossy surface, using softer brushes and not messing around too much on the same area. And the gain would be in flow. I dislike so much that feeling of absobency when i'm trying to block in a big sky area, when trying to achieve a little more blended look, and the remedy for that in my work has been using much more paint, and I feel i'm just wasting materials. Anyway, my question was only to know if my painting would be in risk of peeling or cracking when painting over glossy acrylic paint, but my general knowledge is that it shouldn't, because my paint IS glossy and they say i can layer idefinetly with it, so, it must be OK. Thank you again
I have a similar question. It should adhere because gesso has glue in it. My concern would be cracking. Typically you should not paint acrylic over oil because oil dries slower. But if the oil has cured for over 6 six months and if the recycled painting is for practice or a study then it should be fine. I wouldn’t recommend doing this for a painting you plan to sell. But it’s fine for practice. Was that helpful?
I'd concur with Gallery Try. It probably isn't the best practice archivally, but as long as the painting you are gessoing over has been dry for at least a few months it should adhere fine. I've been doing it ever since I was a student etc. as it's so quick. So far, none of the painting I've done on recycled gesso have peeled off or cracked.
Tbh I think a lot of artists spend too much time worrying about stuff being archival, when we should be spending time worrying about getting better at painting.
Gesso is a little expensive in our country, can you use white acrylic as an alternative instead? Can you oil paint over it? Thank you so much for sharing your painting techniques and knowledge! 🙏🙏
I'm actually running online classes on zoom at the moment. I considered starting physical classes again, but what with Lockdowns and changing restrictions etc. it's hard to predict if I'll be allowed to remain open. Next course starts in January. You can find the details here: www.dulwichartgroup.co.uk/portraiture-with-alex-tzavaras/
Yes anything on paper should be framed like a drawing or water colour, under glass. This is also how I have framed anything I have done on the water colour paper primed with rabbit skin two and boards primed with polyurethane varnish. However, the methods in this video do not have the best archival quality, they are cheap ways of preparing surfaces that can be used for studies. You may wish to frame them to show them but I would be wary about selling them?
That would definitely work. Though I've never used PVA size, I have done 1 coat of rabbit skin glue and one coat of oil primer on paper before and it's a really nice surface. However, oil primer is expensive, so I don't use it on paper much. I'll be talking about oil primer in my next video.
I do one or two coats of GAC100 on (watercolour) paper and paint with oils straight on the size without any gesso. It's nice and slippery. And as far as I can tell archival as well.
I tried many surfaces and I find Acrylic gesso absorbing too much oil. Now I paint on mdf boards coated with Oil gesso primer. One coat takes around 6h to dry enough that I can apply second layer, and about 24h before I can paint on it. Still, best surface to paint on.
I've been applying a few gesso layers over pvc transparent plastic and I'm trying to make it a really smooth surface. After it is dried, I start painting directely on it. (I know it sounds weird but I'm using plastic because it's part of the idea I'm working on)... My question is do you think my paintings can have any issues over time? Like cracking or something... Should I prepare it with something else? Or even drop the idea of the plastic as a surface? Anyways, thank you! Big fan from Brasil!
Thank you Kiko. I don't really know I'm afraid. Acrylic gesso will probably be ok adhering to plastic? But if the plastic is really smooth it might scrape off quite easily. Also, you might be ably to paint directly onto the plastic with oils? Tho it will probably be quite a slick surface to work on?
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Yes. I'm not sure too... I already finished a few paintings and it worked well, they look just fine. Even with the slick surface. My main concern is about the longevity of them. Well, I guess I'll have to wait and see. Maybe I should make different tests. But thank you a lot anyways! I'm always learning w/ your videos.
You can't, as it will soak the paper in crinkle it. When using smoother surfaces like this, you just use the paint as it comes out of the tube. You'll find it spreads quite easily over the surface without needing to thin it.
Good afternoon, it is very interesting to know your opinion. In which cases do you write on the Mineral spirit and not on turpentine with oil? When in what cases it is possible to write on mineral spirit without adding anything more, some write with pure oil a little mineral spirit. Will the same portrait turn out or will it be different in some way, tell me, be so kind! I WATCHED YOUR VIDEO ABOUT DILUENTS, BUT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT A BIT.
The only time you should use mineral spirits to thin the paint is in the earlier stages of the painting. To place a coloured ground at the start and you can get away with a few drops mixed into the paint for the block in. But after that you definitely shouldn't use any. After that if you want to create more flow, you may use a medium, either linseed oil or a mixture of oil and turpentine. But you need to be careful not to use too much, particularly if you are painting in several layers as the medium will cause the layers to dry at different times which may cause your colours to appear flat and dull (sinking in) or cracking. This is the fat over lean rule, which states the top layers of paint need to contain more oil than the layers underneath. I would personally recommend not using any medium for the first day or until the initial layer of paint has dried. Only use the paint straight out of the tube. If you need the paint to flow more, just mix more paint. Then, if you come back to a painting after it has dried, you can add a little oil for the top layers. Does that make sense?
I normally use Satin. You might be ok with Matt but it could be a bit too absorbent? Also remember that this isn’t archival so these should only be used for studies.
I'm not 100% sure about the archival of vellum, or of any of the methods in this video. They're all cheap surfaces meant for studies. But saying that, how certain are we about the archival quality of anything? And I've still got painting I did on vellum from over a decade ago. If you frame them properly like other works on paper, mounted behind glass, I think they will probably last a long time.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thank you. I also learned relatively recently that one should varnish acrylic paintings as the dust may get embedded in the surface over time. I have acrylic paintings completed over 20 years ago and they seem to be fine...
@@ewaMCC yes. I would varnish them. Large dust particles can be dusted off, but it’s the small microscopic particles in the environment that can dull a painting over time. Perhaps we wouldn’t see it in our lifetime, but if you want your paintings to last, varnish will protect them. And removable is best because it can be taken off and reapplied to restore a painting to its original appearance. :) Did that help?
Alex have you ever tried using "hardboard" I bought some a month ago and haven't yet had time to experiment with it. Have you any advice ? Kind regards - Chris in Thailand
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Yes I can imagine it would bend a bit, but if it's put into a rigid frame before it's presented to the client then it should be OK. The problem I have with the usual cotton canvas that I buy is that oil paint and acrylic both refuse to leave my brush and actually flow into the canvas and the tiny dimples in the canvas seem to repel the paint. I then have to thin the paint with "liquin" or linseed oil or odorless spirit I'm thinking the paint would flow better if I had a perfectly smooth surface, just like the hardboard I mentioned Anyway I've nearly finished my metre wide "Hotel California" It has movie stars and a few glamorous "devils" in it, so it should sell OK. I hope so, I've been on it about a month. Thanks again for your advice Kind regards - Chris in Thailand go2ssff@gmail.com
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting thank you so much. I might have a go at your rabbitskin glue canvases but a bit daunted by the whole procedure. But the surface really does make all the difference doesn’t it? I hate the feeling of painting on acrylic gesso.
@@lucystillwell5294 Have you ever used pre-primed linen? If you don't want the hassle of rabbit skin glue and all that, you could try some and see what it's like to work on. Though it's twice the price as raw linen. Here is the stuff I use: www.russellandchapple.co.uk/index.php/belgian-fine-oil-primed-linen.html?
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thanks so much Alex. I was aware of these but, as you say, the price is a bit eye watering! I actually recently bought some oil primed linen from Green and Stone in Fulham but I still find the paint seems to get absorbed if you know what. I mean? I really like the oil primed linen boards that Jackson’s do which are really very affordable but limited in terms of size, also, maybe slight too slick a surface!? I feel like Goldilocks around this surface issue!!
The surfaces in this video are meant to be cheap quick and easy to make and used for studies. Apart from the gesso straight onto wood, non of them have particularly great archival quality. Though saying that, I have still have paintings that I did on Gesso over older paintings that I did 20 years ago and they're still fine.
Yes definitely! Shellac has been used as a ground for many years. Really the polyurethane varnish I used is an alternative to shellac. It's easier to come by, also it apparently yellows less than shellac. Tho I'm not sure it is very archival. It's interior varnish, so I suppose it isn't meant to last forever , it's meant to be re applied every few years.
Just have to ask, when you out acrylic gesso over the old painting, was that an oil painting or an acrylic? I thought you couldn't out acrylic gesso over oil, because of the fat over lean rule?
It was over an old oil painting. If the painting is completely dry i.e. at least a couple of months, then the acrylic will adhere fine. However, I can't say if it will still be fine in 50 years time, but it's the quickest to recycle old canvases you're not happy, with to be used for studies and practicing. Where I trained, back when I was a student everyone used to do it. I've still got paintings from 15 years ago done on recycled gesso and they still appear to be fine.
Its traditionally used as a size when stretching linen or canvas before priming. I'll be showing you all that in my next video. But you can also use it to size paper or wood and paint directly on to it.
I started doing it before I knew you supposedly couldn't, on the advise of my then art teacher. As did my fellow students. If the oil paint has had several month to dry, I find the gesso adheres fine. What happens in 100 years is another matter? But if you're not to bothered about that, it's the quickest way to recycle old failures, to be used for studies and practice.
As far as I'm aware it is archival. Its is normally used for sketching and as long as it as acid free then it should be archival? I'd frame a painting I did on vellum like any other work on paper, mounted behind glass.
Yes it does supposedly. But I've been doing it since my student days, because it's the quickest way to recycle old canvases. Though the archival quality is definitely questionable. I wouldn't do it for any work I wished to keep or sell, only for studies and practice. As long as the oil is completely dry i.e. at least after a few months, it appears to be ok. I have paintings from 15 years ago, that I've done on canvases prepared in this way and they haven't started peeling yet. Maybe they'll be giving some conservator somewhere a nightmare sometime in the future, you never know? But I'd be surprised if anyone is still interested in my work by then? And if they are, then I've done plenty of other paintings on surfaces that I am much more confident in their archival quality.
Wait... you're using acrylic gesso over oil paint @2:18? Those mediums are incompatible in that order. They'll separate in a few years (if not sooner). No water based mediums will ever work over oil based. It works the other way just fine. Oil over water is fine. If you are using the "reclaimed" canvases as studies or as images not intended to last, this is okay advice, otherwise a correction is needed.
The suggestions in this video are for cheap supports to use for studies, archival quality isn't my main concern here. You can't use water based medium on top of oil because oil paint takes longer to dry. But if the oil is completely dry then I find it's usually ok. I've been gessoing over old paintings for years because its quickest way to reuse old canvases. So far I haven't had any problems. According to Ralph Mayer's artist's handbook of materials & techniques, the bible when it comes to materials, it's inadvisable to re-prime old paintings full stop, even with an oil based ground. But as I said, I'm not concerned about the archival quality of these particular canvases. Tbh I generally don't get too hung up on archival quality. I'm more interested in getting better at painting. I think it's very unlikely anyone will be interested in my paintings in 100 years time. If there's the slightest chance than any of my paintings do turn out to be valuable in that time, then a conservator will have to worry about their archival quality.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting I realize, in reading, this is your stock response. But that doesn't absolve you of promoting bad, long term, advice. I have a first printing of Mayer, and got my BFA under Mark Gottsegen ( author of the new painter's bible). We can name drop all day. That doesn't help other people get proper information. If, in your video, you had offered the caveats given in your responses, or pinned proper information under the video, I wouldn't have bothered to write. But, deserved or not, people trust media creators as authorities. And often, as in this instance, that trust is misplaced. Whether people take your lesson or not, sharing bad or incomplete information makes you responsible for the outcome. You don't want people to get better at making art. That's a contained process involving the understanding and use of the materials in question; including the types of surfaces they choose. You withheld a sustainable choice from them. A person who wanted others to get better at making art, would give them a lesson involving those things. Or, at the very least, a mention of possible outcomes. What you want ( based on the logic of your argument) is for people to improve their image making skills using a specific material- oil paint. And, according to you, surface is unimportant, So why not have them paint on unprimed paper? Or raw cardboard? Or styrofoam? Or a piece of drywall? Or a sidewalk block? Since, as you argue, surface is unimportant. When you answer that question honestly, the flaw in your construct becomes apparent. Stop rationalising failure. And stop acting as a teacher if you aren't willing to be one. While this may be an ego exercise for you ( notice you are only concerned with the fate of your own work and not that of people taking your flawed lessons), the people watching aren't taking lessons for another person's advancement, they're taking lessons for their own. Your name is now on every mis-constructed work produced out of this video. 15 years from now: This painting is falling apart. Who taught you to paint? Simplify Drawing &Painting. Looks like he simplified a bit too much then.
@@KarenParkerArtist I didn't say surfaces aren't important, In fact I say how important they are in the first sentence of this video. I also say that the surfaces in this video are cheap quick and easy to make. I apologise if my response to your original comment comes across as a sign of my massive ego, which I don't deny. It's just that I feel there is a very common tendency for artists to get hung up on materials when they should be focusing on getting batter at painting. Particularly when it comes to realism, as the solutions to achieving a lifelike representation of what we see really do not lie in the materials but rather in how we see. The surfaces I suggest in this video are for students to practice on. I used them all the time when I was student and so did my colleagues. I gessoed over my canvas many times and reused them. I still have some of them, they are over 15 years old and they're still fine. Though I am by no means suggesting that this is the be all and end all of painting surfaces. You say I offer incomplete information, unfortunately I can only speak about the surfaces I have experience of. I did however make another video about the better quality surfaces I normally use for my own work. I hope you approve of that one: ua-cam.com/video/2bgKUTmnvG4/v-deo.html
6 years of art school and such basic stuff ive been looking for everywhere is here. thank you so much. you have no idea how your videos have impacted me. ill paint again!
Thank you very much Paula! I'm glad you've found my videos helpful.
I'm just 12 year's old who exactly learned to paint because of you ❤ im so thankful and admiring you sir
That's absolutely fantastic! I wish I'd come across this knowledge when I was younger. But when I was young we didn't have the internet and it was impossible to find teachers who knew anything about working from life. All the Art schools here in the UK just taught modern art. I didn't start painting properly until I was almost 30. So keep painting, and when your older you'll be an amazing Artist.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting
aww thank you very much! It's also a bit difficult because I just started the other day so here I am watching tips on your videos to also give me an idea of how to start, I'm also a bit lacking in equipment so I sometimes do not imitate like you do when painting. and I will also run out of my acrylic paints so it will take me a few days to save up to buy new ones lol so I will watch your other tips first until I can save the right money. Thank you so much for the tips you share with our people who want to be artists and be good at painting, we are grateful to appreciate your videos so keep on teaching, our teacher!
From Phillippines 🇵🇭❤
Wish I had started sooner like that xD
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thats good to know you started at nearly 30, i am 30 and started at about 30 also. Random thought- would love to see some more of your interviews, loved those.
Don’t ever think I’m bluffing. Seriously. Like seriously. Your videos are the most informative and the most learnable i have come across ever. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you very much Muhammad!
I agree
I found that almost every ready made surface works better with additional layer of primer/gesso/whatever-you-like, even if producer claims hundreds of layers of whatever-they-think-it-is and ready to use. I love Jackson's Art Supplies smooth cradled panels. They're literally raw wood, so I prime them with Michael Harding acrylic primer. So far works great for me. Great video and very clear lesson.
Holy crap, love that moiré pattern your shirt gives! That is an artist's statement right there!
Thank you. Very helpful. It's winter time, when you can go down to the garage and start drawing.
thanks, thanks a lot for this channel I was painting and studying for years and your technique is actually the most useful and enjoyable
Thank you!
I coudnt agree more. I bought some of the pincel as I always wonder what thouse "long" bristles were
Your a master if simplicity and deception to the eye. Couldn't think of a better way to spend my luch break.
Thank you Mark
always a pleasure watching your videos, thank you..
Thanks again for sharing knowledge and expertise with all of us. Greetings!
Thanks for everything Alex. Greetings from Chile!
Thank you so very much. You cover all bases.
😀😀 Found your videos very helpful. The still life Oranges with that very calm grey just looks majestic. Still life’s is what I’m fond of, the one you’ve painted have a glow to it. Loved it. Keep more Still life’s coming.
Thank you very much Siddarth!
So glad I came across your videos! You really explain things well and the painting demos are amazing.
Thank you very much! Glad you like them.
Finally I found this !!❤️
another great video from Alex.
Thanks Chris!
Great use of material for a final product! I’ve been using a mixture of 1:1 acid free pva glue and white acrylic wall paint tinted with a couple drops of wall paint dyes, to tone it down a little, on thick paper and sketchbooks for oil painting studies. It really helps to stay on a budget and still have a good surface to practice on. Although, I don’t know if it’s a good surface preparation for a finished painting panel/canvas. Yours seems more reliable.
I know people who use Alkyd based house paint as a primer i.e. the more glossy stuff you use for wood, like wood silk. As alkyds are basically the same stuff most artists oil primers are made of, tho some makes of oil primer are made with titanium white. The thing is with house paint, is that it will contain more chemical impurities that artists grade primer. House doesn't need to last longer than a decade or so because houses get redecorated. One hopes that expensive artists oil primer will last a little longer? So surfaces primed with house paint will be fine for practicing and studies, but you shouldn't use it for stuff you want to sell. Same with the polyurethane varnish I use in this video.
Gesso is basically pva + a white (for white gesso obv) acrylic paint and is much cheaper when you make your own. I've not used decorator's paint but have used pound shop whites, which is probably the same thing come to think of it. I do love adding a bit of yellow ochre and/or burnt umber to it for my prime too. If it's in my gesso I make sure they're acrylics though.
I remember reading in Harold Speed's book that really absorbent canvases will pull the oil out of really thick impasto paint and prevent the oil from yellowing the whites and lighter tones over time. Supposedly that's why Monet chose absorbent canvases for his paintings where he painted very impasto.
I didn't know that about Monet. Do you know what ground he used, as I didn't think they had acrylic gesso back then? Did he mix chalk into his lead ground? Also, I've heard of artists using a thicker weave on their linen , so that it would hold more paint?
I don't want to be contradictory but I am pretty sure you can not use an acrylic based gesso over an oil painting. It is best to use an oil based primer to re purpose an oil painting. You can paint oils over Acrylic but not Acrylic over oil
I think it depends if the oil layer is totally dry, not only to the touch. If it s totally dry it shouldn t affect the layers upon.
Supposedly not. It isn't archival, but I've been doing it ever since I was a student for studies and it has always worked fine. Like Jean Luc says below, I think it depends on how dry the oil is when you apply the gesso.
Some good stuff here, though there's also a major no-no. If you put acrylic gesso over an oil painting, the resulting painting will have problems -- such as peeling and/or cracking. If you use oil ground, the problem can be avoided.
Absolutely. Think of acrylic as a surface, it's plastic after all. Oil over acrylic works great, acrylic over oil doesn't work.
Thanks Alex :)
Thanks Alex! Your uploads are treasure! I need a cheap surface for practicing in the most non-toxic way, so the vellum suggestion was quite intriguing. Since vellum is coming in different weights, I guess the thicker is the better, right? Is 90gsm sheets good enough or should I go for more?
Thank you Dimitris! I would definitely go for thicker vellum, 160gsm or above. 90gsm will tend to crinkle when you paint on it, even without any medium.
Many thanks!
I am intrigued by your use of urethane varnish for a ground, as I have known that urethane varnish (especially oil based) hardens and becomes brittle over time, leading to cracking on cheaper cardboard panels in usually less than a decade, and will certainly yellow badly, so I have only used it for sealing the back side of wooden panels I have made. But I guess it's fine for quick cheap learning material...
I find it makes a really nice non absorbent surface for painting on cardboard, but your right it definitely should only be used for studies as it isn't archival. I learned this method from Susan Lyon in one of her videos many years ago, and I haven't experienced any yellowing or cracking yet. Fortunately, I've never sold anything I've done on cardboard.
Great video thanks for posting 🙂
Thank you Tim
Vary helpfull brother 👍👍
Why on earth would anyone dislike this? So wierd. Thanks for the info, Hope ya had a good xmas.
I think I may have caused some controversy with the archival quality of some of this methods. These are supposed to be cheap and easy surfaces for practicing and not necessarily meant to last 100's of years. But tbh I think some artists worry too much about the archival quality of their work, when really we should be worrying more about getting better at painting.
Alex. Thank you for sharing. Priceless.
Question. Was the (portrait) painting that you covered with acrylic gesso an oil painting? I always though that you cannot use water based paint (acrylic) on top of oil paint (?)
Yes it was an oil. I may have caused a bit of controversy here as you are right, you are not supposed to use Acrylic gesso over oil. It supposedly doesn't adhere to the surface, which I think may have something to do with the much slower drying time of the oil. But I've been doing it ever since I was a student. as its the quickest way to recycle old canvases. I usually leave it many months before I do it, so the oil is completely dry. And so far I've never had any problems with cracking or peeling. But I've only ever use these recycled canvases for studies and such, which I'm too bothered about keeping. All of the methods shown in this video are meant to be cheap, quick and easy and may not be the best surfaces in terms of their archival properties, though they're a lot nicer to use than ready made canvases and panels. In my next video I'll be showing you how to prepare high quality surfaces.
SIMPLIFY Drawing & Painting Understood ;) Thank you Alex for time and effort to answer.
1000th like was mine... 999 looks bad according to the content❤❤
Hello Alex, thank you for share this content ❤ I have a question, can I use shellac instead rabbit glue? It will work on canvas and paper?
I've not heard of Shellac being used as a size on canvas, but it can be used as a ground on paper or wooden panels. I've used it before on Museum board the same way I use polyurethane varnish in this video. Polyurethane is cheaper and much easier to find. The archival quality of Shellac is probably better, but then it still yellows with time.
Hello Alex. Thanks for the info, great channel and videos. I'm currently painting with acrylics, using the slow drying OPEN Acrylics, that dries much slower then regular acrylics, and i love them. My question is, do you know if the same principle of smooth non-absorbent surface can be applied with slow drying acrylics? I'm used to paint acrylics over gesso, but it's very absorbant, and i'm curious to experiment with painting over MATTE Medium or even GLOSS Medium, to check the results. I dont mind the absobency in tight spots on the painting, but it's a pain to paint large areas and get some smoothnes, like skies for example. Btw, I eventually will try oils, but at the moment, I dont have a studio just for that, so acrylics is the way for me. Thanks
Thanks Renato, Glad you like my videos. I don't know if there is anything you can do to make acrylic surfaces less absorbent? You could try adding gloss medium to the gesso you use to prime for painting surfaces, maybe will make it less absorbent? Or you could try painting straight onto a less absorbent surface, like some sort of plastic panel?
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Great idea, ill do that. My feeling is that the coverage wont be that different in glossy surface, using softer brushes and not messing around too much on the same area. And the gain would be in flow. I dislike so much that feeling of absobency when i'm trying to block in a big sky area, when trying to achieve a little more blended look, and the remedy for that in my work has been using much more paint, and I feel i'm just wasting materials. Anyway, my question was only to know if my painting would be in risk of peeling or cracking when painting over glossy acrylic paint, but my general knowledge is that it shouldn't, because my paint IS glossy and they say i can layer idefinetly with it, so, it must be OK. Thank you again
Alex sorry I could be wrong but if your putting gesso(water based) over an old oil painting? Will it adhere properly?
I have a similar question. It should adhere because gesso has glue in it. My concern would be cracking. Typically you should not paint acrylic over oil because oil dries slower. But if the oil has cured for over 6 six months and if the recycled painting is for practice or a study then it should be fine. I wouldn’t recommend doing this for a painting you plan to sell. But it’s fine for practice. Was that helpful?
I'd concur with Gallery Try. It probably isn't the best practice archivally, but as long as the painting you are gessoing over has been dry for at least a few months it should adhere fine. I've been doing it ever since I was a student etc. as it's so quick. So far, none of the painting I've done on recycled gesso have peeled off or cracked.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Brilliant thank you very much 👍
Tbh I think a lot of artists spend too much time worrying about stuff being archival, when we should be spending time worrying about getting better at painting.
merry christmas alex
Thank you, merry Christmas to you too!
Gesso is a little expensive in our country, can you use white acrylic as an alternative instead? Can you oil paint over it? Thank you so much for sharing your painting techniques and knowledge! 🙏🙏
I know mixed media artists use oils on top of acrylic paint. So it should be ok, but I've never tried it. Also the gesso I use is made of Acrylic.
I must come down to London sometime to attend your workshops. .... are you still running any classes at the moment?
I'm actually running online classes on zoom at the moment. I considered starting physical classes again, but what with Lockdowns and changing restrictions etc. it's hard to predict if I'll be allowed to remain open. Next course starts in January. You can find the details here:
www.dulwichartgroup.co.uk/portraiture-with-alex-tzavaras/
I find getting used to gesso-ed boards kinda difficult. I need 3 coats for backgrounds that used to need 1 on the unprimed canvas.
Thank you for this. How would you frame or mount vellum? Would you matt it like a watercolour?
Yes anything on paper should be framed like a drawing or water colour, under glass. This is also how I have framed anything I have done on the water colour paper primed with rabbit skin two and boards primed with polyurethane varnish. However, the methods in this video do not have the best archival quality, they are cheap ways of preparing surfaces that can be used for studies. You may wish to frame them to show them but I would be wary about selling them?
How about using GAC100 PVA size instead of rabbit skin when using watercolor paper? And then applying Oil based primer rather than acrylic?
That would definitely work. Though I've never used PVA size, I have done 1 coat of rabbit skin glue and one coat of oil primer on paper before and it's a really nice surface. However, oil primer is expensive, so I don't use it on paper much. I'll be talking about oil primer in my next video.
I do one or two coats of GAC100 on (watercolour) paper and paint with oils straight on the size without any gesso. It's nice and slippery. And as far as I can tell archival as well.
I tried many surfaces and I find Acrylic gesso absorbing too much oil. Now I paint on mdf boards coated with Oil gesso primer. One coat takes around 6h to dry enough that I can apply second layer, and about 24h before I can paint on it. Still, best surface to paint on.
This video is cheaper surfaces. My next video will be on how I prepare the oil primed linen surfaces I normally like to work on.
I've been applying a few gesso layers over pvc transparent plastic and I'm trying to make it a really smooth surface. After it is dried, I start painting directely on it. (I know it sounds weird but I'm using plastic because it's part of the idea I'm working on)... My question is do you think my paintings can have any issues over time? Like cracking or something... Should I prepare it with something else? Or even drop the idea of the plastic as a surface?
Anyways, thank you! Big fan from Brasil!
Thank you Kiko. I don't really know I'm afraid. Acrylic gesso will probably be ok adhering to plastic? But if the plastic is really smooth it might scrape off quite easily. Also, you might be ably to paint directly onto the plastic with oils? Tho it will probably be quite a slick surface to work on?
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Yes. I'm not sure too... I already finished a few paintings and it worked well, they look just fine. Even with the slick surface. My main concern is about the longevity of them. Well, I guess I'll have to wait and see. Maybe I should make different tests.
But thank you a lot anyways! I'm always learning w/ your videos.
When painting on Vellum .... how do you thin down Oils without using solvents?
You can't, as it will soak the paper in crinkle it. When using smoother surfaces like this, you just use the paint as it comes out of the tube. You'll find it spreads quite easily over the surface without needing to thin it.
Good afternoon, it is very interesting to know your opinion. In which cases do you write on the Mineral spirit and not on turpentine with oil? When in what cases it is possible to write on mineral spirit without adding anything more, some write with pure oil a little mineral spirit. Will the same portrait turn out or will it be different in some way, tell me, be so kind! I WATCHED YOUR VIDEO ABOUT DILUENTS, BUT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT A BIT.
The only time you should use mineral spirits to thin the paint is in the earlier stages of the painting. To place a coloured ground at the start and you can get away with a few drops mixed into the paint for the block in. But after that you definitely shouldn't use any. After that if you want to create more flow, you may use a medium, either linseed oil or a mixture of oil and turpentine. But you need to be careful not to use too much, particularly if you are painting in several layers as the medium will cause the layers to dry at different times which may cause your colours to appear flat and dull (sinking in) or cracking. This is the fat over lean rule, which states the top layers of paint need to contain more oil than the layers underneath. I would personally recommend not using any medium for the first day or until the initial layer of paint has dried. Only use the paint straight out of the tube. If you need the paint to flow more, just mix more paint. Then, if you come back to a painting after it has dried, you can add a little oil for the top layers. Does that make sense?
Hi, thinking of using the varnish ground for some oil studies. Just wondering if it matters if the varnish is satin or matt finish .Many thanks !
I normally use Satin. You might be ok with Matt but it could be a bit too absorbent? Also remember that this isn’t archival so these should only be used for studies.
many thanks !
I would never think of painting oils on vellum. Do you know if the oil from paints will break the vellum over time?
I'm not 100% sure about the archival of vellum, or of any of the methods in this video. They're all cheap surfaces meant for studies. But saying that, how certain are we about the archival quality of anything? And I've still got painting I did on vellum from over a decade ago. If you frame them properly like other works on paper, mounted behind glass, I think they will probably last a long time.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thank you. I also learned relatively recently that one should varnish acrylic paintings as the dust may get embedded in the surface over time. I have acrylic paintings completed over 20 years ago and they seem to be fine...
@@ewaMCC yes. I would varnish them. Large dust particles can be dusted off, but it’s the small microscopic particles in the environment that can dull a painting over time. Perhaps we wouldn’t see it in our lifetime, but if you want your paintings to last, varnish will protect them. And removable is best because it can be taken off and reapplied to restore a painting to its original appearance. :) Did that help?
@@GalleryBry Thank you very much.
@@ewaMCC most welcome. :)
Hi, What I can see in the first sequence when you laid a ground on old oil painting you use Liquitex medium not gesso is’t that right?
I look little closer and see that you use gesso! Sorry!
Alex have you ever tried using "hardboard" I bought some a month ago and haven't yet had time to experiment with it. Have you any advice ?
Kind regards - Chris in Thailand
Yes, I've used it with Acrylic gesso before. Hardboard works well, but because it's quite thin, it can bend a little with larger panels.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Yes I can imagine it would bend a bit, but if it's put into a rigid frame before it's presented to the client then it should be OK. The problem I have with the usual cotton canvas that I buy is that oil paint and acrylic both refuse to leave my brush and actually flow into the canvas and the tiny dimples in the canvas seem to repel the paint. I then have to thin the paint with "liquin" or linseed oil or odorless spirit
I'm thinking the paint would flow better if I had a perfectly smooth surface, just like the hardboard I mentioned Anyway I've nearly finished my metre wide "Hotel California" It has movie stars and a few glamorous "devils" in it, so it should sell OK. I hope so, I've been on it about a month.
Thanks again for your advice
Kind regards - Chris in Thailand go2ssff@gmail.com
I like more of your tip wooden plane?
Can the polyurethane varnish be used on any surface ie wood or paper or even duck cloth? Many thanks. Really useful video btw
I'd only use the varnish on boards. It isn't a glue size, so you can't use it on linen.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting thank you so much. I might have a go at your rabbitskin glue canvases but a bit daunted by the whole procedure. But the surface really does make all the difference doesn’t it? I hate the feeling of painting on acrylic gesso.
@@lucystillwell5294 Have you ever used pre-primed linen? If you don't want the hassle of rabbit skin glue and all that, you could try some and see what it's like to work on. Though it's twice the price as raw linen. Here is the stuff I use:
www.russellandchapple.co.uk/index.php/belgian-fine-oil-primed-linen.html?
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thanks so much Alex. I was aware of these but, as you say, the price is a bit eye watering! I actually recently bought some oil primed linen from Green and Stone in Fulham but I still find the paint seems to get absorbed if you know what. I mean? I really like the oil primed linen boards that Jackson’s do which are really very affordable but limited in terms of size, also, maybe slight too slick a surface!? I feel like Goldilocks around this surface issue!!
Vellum is a finer parchment? Sometimes I saw that term parchment is used also for chalk paper (for copy making)... Are they different or the same?
It depends on what the parchment is made of. Vellum and tracing paper is made of cotton, where as other paper is made of wood pulp.
can I use gesso on plywoods? for cheaper alternatives?
Yes,you can. Make sure to apply a few coats and then sand it down.
Yes you can. Make sure you size it with a sizing agent like GAC 100 before you gesso it to protect the wood from oil and water from the gesso.
💐
Can the Ronseal varnish be applied to mdf board instead of Gesso?
Yes, I think so. But I've never tried it.
I'm a bit concerned about 2:30ish, where you put acrylic gesso over oil. Is it ok when the oil paint you're gessoing over is totally cured?
The surfaces in this video are meant to be cheap quick and easy to make and used for studies. Apart from the gesso straight onto wood, non of them have particularly great archival quality. Though saying that, I have still have paintings that I did on Gesso over older paintings that I did 20 years ago and they're still fine.
Do you think I could use shellac instead of quick dry varnish ?
Yes definitely! Shellac has been used as a ground for many years. Really the polyurethane varnish I used is an alternative to shellac. It's easier to come by, also it apparently yellows less than shellac. Tho I'm not sure it is very archival. It's interior varnish, so I suppose it isn't meant to last forever , it's meant to be re applied every few years.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thank you.
Just have to ask, when you out acrylic gesso over the old painting, was that an oil painting or an acrylic? I thought you couldn't out acrylic gesso over oil, because of the fat over lean rule?
It was over an old oil painting. If the painting is completely dry i.e. at least a couple of months, then the acrylic will adhere fine. However, I can't say if it will still be fine in 50 years time, but it's the quickest to recycle old canvases you're not happy, with to be used for studies and practicing. Where I trained, back when I was a student everyone used to do it. I've still got paintings from 15 years ago done on recycled gesso and they still appear to be fine.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting oh excellent, that's really handy to know, thank you!
I never hear of this rabbet skin glue before.
Its traditionally used as a size when stretching linen or canvas before priming. I'll be showing you all that in my next video. But you can also use it to size paper or wood and paint directly on to it.
👍👍👍
You can use acrylic gesso on top of any old oil painting? I thought using acrylic on top of oil was a no no?
I started doing it before I knew you supposedly couldn't, on the advise of my then art teacher. As did my fellow students. If the oil paint has had several month to dry, I find the gesso adheres fine. What happens in 100 years is another matter? But if you're not to bothered about that, it's the quickest way to recycle old failures, to be used for studies and practice.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Thanks for the explanation. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. Cheers.
Does anyone know if vellum is archival and if it can be mounted?
As far as I'm aware it is archival. Its is normally used for sketching and as long as it as acid free then it should be archival? I'd frame a painting I did on vellum like any other work on paper, mounted behind glass.
Thanks Alex, long period between videos...
Didn't you put Acrylic Gesso over Oil Paint? I heard it flakes away (the gesso)
Yes it does supposedly. But I've been doing it since my student days, because it's the quickest way to recycle old canvases. Though the archival quality is definitely questionable. I wouldn't do it for any work I wished to keep or sell, only for studies and practice. As long as the oil is completely dry i.e. at least after a few months, it appears to be ok. I have paintings from 15 years ago, that I've done on canvases prepared in this way and they haven't started peeling yet. Maybe they'll be giving some conservator somewhere a nightmare sometime in the future, you never know? But I'd be surprised if anyone is still interested in my work by then? And if they are, then I've done plenty of other paintings on surfaces that I am much more confident in their archival quality.
Wait... you're using acrylic gesso over oil paint @2:18? Those mediums are incompatible in that order. They'll separate in a few years (if not sooner). No water based mediums will ever work over oil based. It works the other way just fine. Oil over water is fine.
If you are using the "reclaimed" canvases as studies or as images not intended to last, this is okay advice, otherwise a correction is needed.
The suggestions in this video are for cheap supports to use for studies, archival quality isn't my main concern here. You can't use water based medium on top of oil because oil paint takes longer to dry. But if the oil is completely dry then I find it's usually ok. I've been gessoing over old paintings for years because its quickest way to reuse old canvases. So far I haven't had any problems. According to Ralph Mayer's artist's handbook of materials & techniques, the bible when it comes to materials, it's inadvisable to re-prime old paintings full stop, even with an oil based ground. But as I said, I'm not concerned about the archival quality of these particular canvases. Tbh I generally don't get too hung up on archival quality. I'm more interested in getting better at painting. I think it's very unlikely anyone will be interested in my paintings in 100 years time. If there's the slightest chance than any of my paintings do turn out to be valuable in that time, then a conservator will have to worry about their archival quality.
@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting I realize, in reading, this is your stock response. But that doesn't absolve you of promoting bad, long term, advice.
I have a first printing of Mayer, and got my BFA under Mark Gottsegen ( author of the new painter's bible). We can name drop all day. That doesn't help other people get proper information.
If, in your video, you had offered the caveats given in your responses, or pinned proper information under the video, I wouldn't have bothered to write. But, deserved or not, people trust media creators as authorities. And often, as in this instance, that trust is misplaced. Whether people take your lesson or not, sharing bad or incomplete information makes you responsible for the outcome.
You don't want people to get better at making art. That's a contained process involving the understanding and use of the materials in question; including the types of surfaces they choose. You withheld a sustainable choice from them. A person who wanted others to get better at making art, would give them a lesson involving those things. Or, at the very least, a mention of possible outcomes.
What you want ( based on the logic of your argument) is for people to improve their image making skills using a specific material- oil paint. And, according to you, surface is unimportant, So why not have them paint on unprimed paper? Or raw cardboard? Or styrofoam? Or a piece of drywall? Or a sidewalk block? Since, as you argue, surface is unimportant.
When you answer that question honestly, the flaw in your construct becomes apparent.
Stop rationalising failure. And stop acting as a teacher if you aren't willing to be one. While this may be an ego exercise for you ( notice you are only concerned with the fate of your own work and not that of people taking your flawed lessons), the people watching aren't taking lessons for another person's advancement, they're taking lessons for their own.
Your name is now on every mis-constructed work produced out of this video. 15 years from now:
This painting is falling apart. Who taught you to paint?
Simplify Drawing &Painting.
Looks like he simplified a bit too much then.
@@KarenParkerArtist I didn't say surfaces aren't important, In fact I say how important they are in the first sentence of this video. I also say that the surfaces in this video are cheap quick and easy to make. I apologise if my response to your original comment comes across as a sign of my massive ego, which I don't deny. It's just that I feel there is a very common tendency for artists to get hung up on materials when they should be focusing on getting batter at painting. Particularly when it comes to realism, as the solutions to achieving a lifelike representation of what we see really do not lie in the materials but rather in how we see. The surfaces I suggest in this video are for students to practice on. I used them all the time when I was student and so did my colleagues. I gessoed over my canvas many times and reused them. I still have some of them, they are over 15 years old and they're still fine. Though I am by no means suggesting that this is the be all and end all of painting surfaces. You say I offer incomplete information, unfortunately I can only speak about the surfaces I have experience of. I did however make another video about the better quality surfaces I normally use for my own work. I hope you approve of that one:
ua-cam.com/video/2bgKUTmnvG4/v-deo.html
Brilliant demo