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 expertise. A bold statement maybe…
Category: Turpentine diaries
Grumpy review, materials, Reviews, Shop Talk, Turpentine diaries, Uncategorized
RGH vs Utrecht
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•A reader asks wether I prefer Utrecht flake white or RGH’s. To answer the question directly: I prefer Utrecht (barely). Utrecht covers better and has more body. To demonstrate this, I share a simple side-by-side comparison. (Note: I currently have some of RGH’s extra fine white. The extra-fine paint is ground in safflower oil, which…
Main Street, Paintings, Shop Talk, Studio Corner, Turpentine diaries, Vermilion, OH
Backslide
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•Main Street, materials, Paintings, Studio Corner, Tips and Studies, Turpentine diaries
Grounded
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•materials, Paintings, Studio Corner, Turpentine diaries, Uncategorized
Retouch varnish
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•When you work on an oil painting over an extended period, colors sometimes become dull. The upper paint layers merge with an earlier layers. This process is called sinking in. If the problem isn’t corrected, it gets worse as the painting progresses. A final varnish can mitigate the bad effects of sinking in, but how…
materials, Shop Talk, Studio Corner, Turpentine diaries
Glowing lights
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•I have several themes in mind for today’s post. One theme is about varnish–intermediate varnish. An intermediate varnish is used to seal the surface and prevent subsequent paint layers from sinking into the earlier layers. This “sinking in” robs the colors of their light and life. Since I paint in layers, I use intermediate varnishes…
materials, Shop Talk, Tips and Studies, Turpentine diaries
Those who live in glass houses…
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•…or use glass palettes. I get a lot of questions about my homemade palette. I’ve been using this palette for several years and by now it’s pretty beat-up. In fact, I attempted to replace it recently but the replacement’s glass cracked before I could use it. What is it? It was a glass-framed reproduction that…