Oil painting. paper, medium

#1

hi everyone, i’ve been learning oil painting for quite a while now and have some questions that i’ve been meaning to ask. I’ve done some research in this area but i’m still confused and hoping that someone can help me out.

I know a lot of people who paint with oil on a heavy paper and would like to try it, my questions is whether i need to prime the paper surface before i start the painting, all the people i know always told me to do so otherwise the paint will “self destruct” over period of time. A friend of mine pointed me out to the FAQ by Todd lockwood, a fantasy artists - when asked about the surface he painted on, he explained that he xerox his drawing onto a big sheet of watercolor paper: L’Aquarelle, 90lb hot pres and paint on that ( i include his full explanation below ). I have to say that it’s an interesting method i’ve never heard before. if anyone can give me an insight and thought regarding this matter i would really appreciate it.

Secondly, regarding oil painting medium. For some times my teacher been encouraging me to use alkyd painting medium. It does help to make the blending proccess and flow better, however my major problem is the gloss consistency of the painting. As i’m done with the painting, i can clearly see that some area of the painting are glossier than the others and it’s distracting. is varnishing the whole thing is the only the way to go?.
I love to paint by building up layers of colors and blend them smoothly together, what kind of medium suitable for me. Lynseed oil perhaps? I’ve seen people mixing lynseed oil and turpentine in the past but never tried it my self ( is it a good idea to use turpentine to thin the paint though?:rolleyes:)

i’m terribly sorry to ask so many questions at the same time, but i’m dying to know these things and able to make some painting during summer thanks:D

[size=2]FAQ QHAT SURFACE DO YOU PAINT ON ?
[size=1]BY TODD LOCKWOOD[/size]
[/size]

Tempered masonite, smooth both sides. It’s great to paint on just gessoed and sanded, but I don’t do that any more. I like masonite just because it is stable and doesn’t warp. these days I do my drawings up to size on vellum, and work out as much light/dark compositional stuff as I feel I need to before painting, keeping it pretty clean. then I take that to Kinko’s and use the document copier to xerox my drawing onto a big sheet of watercolor paper: L’Aquarelle, 90lb hot press. That’s about as heavy a paper as will go through the machine, but it works well. Then I fix the toner (which is basically black plastic melted into the paper, so very archival) with fixative, because the paper is thick enough that the toner doesn’t always adhere completely straight out of the machine. Then I slather some matte medium on my masonite. You want to cover the surface completely, but bear in mind that much of it will be rolled out shortly. Toss the watercolor paper with the drawing on it in a tub of water just long enough to let it absorb a little moisture. No more than a minute. I literally submerge it entirely and then remove it; just that quickly. Any longer and the paper begins to expand more in one direction than the other, which can distort the drawing a bit. This is really the most essential step. You have to soak it first, or it will absorb water from the matte medium, expand, and wrinkle. That’s where most folks go wrong mounting anything on board. You must give it a drink first. Then lay the drawing on the masonite, roll it out from the center outward with a rubber brayer, and let it dry. Two or three thin coats of matte medium later(the first of which can be applied when the mounting takes place) you are ready to paint.

   I picked this up from Donato. He uses Crescent 500 drawing paper (if I remember right) rather than watercolor paper, but it is very hard for me to find in Washington in a big enough size. So I use the WC paper. It tends to expand more in one direction than the other, so I only leave it in the water a minimum amount of time- as I said, in and quickly out again. 

   A friend of mine paints on a brand of masonite called (I think) Duron, because it is archival, and comes in sizes larger than 4x8. I have never used it, though- it’s expensive and hard to find. He tells me that ordinary masonite will, over time, release oils that cause anything adhering to it to let go

so paintings will generally fall off in a hundred years or so (don’t know how they determined that, since Masonite hasn’t been around that long
). But if my WC paper falls off
who cares? The paper itself is archival.

   I like to work this way because I HATE transferring drawings, and I am not willing to draw right on the board- too many changes; I erase a lot when I draw

This let’s me develop my drawing as far as I want, without losing anything in the transfer. I am almost literally painting on my drawing. Plus I have a nice drawing left over
:o)

#2

hi dreamy kid,

first off the use off unprimed paper is not only bad because it will eventually rot but the paper will suck all the oil out of the paint making it britle and chalky. i can’t see why you would want to paint on unprimed paper in oil paint as if you gesso(this also priomes the paper) the paper it will feel the same as a paper surface but wont rot. if you dont want to prime use watercolor or acrylic.

also you might find acrylic paint better for matte work as they are matte from the tube…

about the alkyd painting medium, sounds like youre using a gloss medium, because there are different ones that you can buy, i cant remember the names of any matte mediums off hand but i know they exist and i frequently use them myself. oil will only make your paintings more glossy never less- the best way to get a matte surface is to buy powdered pigment and mix it directly with the mate medium ( this isn’t strictly oil paint though but it is the best way to get a very matte surface and it works well with oils) this is a hassle though so try and get the matte medium.

about mixing turps with linseed oil- what the turps does is break down the oil, the painting wont be much less glossy than paint out of the tube (if i remember correctly ) but using alot of turps and just linseed iol make the surface like painting on paper , the paint wont have much oil in it, and will rub away from the surface when dry if it is used as a glaze. if it is used thick it will look pretty much the same as out of the tube.

another thing ive done is squeeze some paint out onto paper, this will obsorb the oil over time and the paint will become thicker- this willl again be more matte than out of the tube but be wary if there is not enough oil (or another binder such as alkyd painting medium) in the paint it will be brittle and chalky

one last note, its isnt a good idea to limit yourself to onr type of surface- variation in surface creates interest as does all variation. consider using all these methods carfully in one painting it will be more dynamic and interesting that way. you may have heard the term ‘fat over lean’ where more oil is applyed do subsiquent layers this means the areas that arent worked on as much as others are less glossy (less oil: lean , more oil:fat) this is subtle but powerful.

so ill leave you with a painting i did using these mediums last year- almost all the above techniques are used in it.

well i hope this helps
all the best
rat

#3

first of all, thats a beautiful painting Rat, and thank you so much for being patient, answering all my questions. I think i’m going to go to the local art store soon and do some research on the medium they have, i’ll get back to you soon. meanwhile, whats the best medium if i want to build up color by thin layers, see i’m not much into mixing colors on palette, i prefer to build up thin layers on the canvas slowly and i love glazing too :slight_smile:

#4

hi dreamy kid,

for glazes i’d recommend winsor and newtons original liquin- its not completly matte but its the best i can think of for glazes. certainly it is not viable to use linseed oil and turps for glazes (this mixture does not have enough binder to hold the paint on the surface after it dries and it is blotchy imo)

however it is quite expensive, but as with everything you get what you pay for. it is tough, gives a even glaze and dries quickly. a cheaper and more glossy alternative would be a damar varnish mixture, couldnt tell you off hand id have to go through my notes but - it would be made of damar, turps and stand oil (damar being the binder, and stand oil is more binding than plain linseed oil) cant remember the measurments.

i would also advise using gesso if your keen on paper- gesso is like a plaster coating on the canvas or board or paper and imho it is very like painting on paper as it is obsorbent , not very good though if you like to push the paint around once its been layed down.

all the best

rat

#5

As far as paper, you might want to look into canvas paper. It usually comes in pads of various sizes. I prefer hardwood panel such as Windberg Art Panel. It is triple primed with \acrylic gesso mixed with marble dust. The primed surface has a uniform and extremely fine toothed finish.
As far as mediums, I used linseed oil (thin to stand oil) along with Turpenoid, the less toxic and odorless substitute for Turpentine. I also used Cobalt dryer, sparingly, to speed up drying times.

If you are interested in learning more about paint mediums, you might want to look into this book: “The Artist’s Handbook of Materials and Techniques”

#6

There are oil paintings on paper that are hundred of years old and in great shape. I’ve seen many of them in person, and some of them have no priming at all. Conversely, there are oils on paper that are younger and falling apart; Picassos on carboard for example. It depends on what quality of material was used and how it was prepared.

The paper does need to be more heavily sized than the light coat of sizing already present for watercolor. Priming with acrylic gesso alone is not enough since it’s too porous. Sizing can be added with gelatin, PVA, shellac, or something similar. I’ve recently been experimenting with polyurethane varnish which works very well, but I’m not certain how well it ages. Sizing helps protect the paper surface from the acids that are released from the oil as it cures. Priming is only necessary to give the paint something else to attach itself to.

The paper itself should be of 100% rag content, cotton or linen not wood pulp. Acid free also. This will keep it from yellowing and becoming brittle all by itself. Heavy weight paper is best to keep the surface from being too flexible under the cured oil. It’s also a good idea to glue it to a more firm support like wood. If you’re wanting to prime anyway, and need to support it with wood, then you might as well skip the paper altogether, and just prime the wood; hardboard or good quality hardwood plywood.

Can’t advise you on alkyds, since I avoid them.

As for glazing, you could simply use oil paint itself. If done properly, you don’t even need to add medium; although, small amounts of linseed oil can also be used. Turpentine is well suited to mix with paint. That’s really what it’s intended for rather than cleaning. It does dilute the oil, however, so it should be used in the inital lean stages only.

#7

Hey there,
If you want to xerox your drawing onto paper and then use oil paint. You should try using acrylic Matte medium. (this is the binder that is in acrylic gesso and it dries transparent. so, you will not lose your xerox. When i paint i use liquin and alkyd. Alkyd smells better (grumbacher brand) and it dries faster than liquin. Both are essentially the same thing, and unless you want to mix your own, these are the best choices on the market. You can also purchase matte varnishes that can go over your oil paintings to give them a uniform surface. However, you want to let your paint dry for at least 6 months befor varnishing.
You may want to pick up the “Painter handbook” by Mark Gottsegen. It goes over all of the craft and chemical stuff when dealing with oil paint. It covers all mediums, pigments, supports and other associated practices when painting.
good luck.

#8

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