Thoughts on painting surfaces.

 'Snow Light' 

14x18 - Oil and wax on canvas mounted on a cradled panel

I painted this one from a small sketch that I painted last February.  I liked the subtle, almost monochromatic quality to the color that I saw that afternoon.  The colors used to paint this one were Titanium white, Naples yellow light, ultramarine blue and Indian red. To enhance the translucency of the light effect, I used Gamblin's Cold Wax Medium, and loved it.

I'm not sure if it's a fault or if it may be benefit to me some day, but I seem to have an ongoing desire to try out new surfaces to paint on.  I'm constantly challenged, never satisfied with any one linen, canvas, paper or board.  Sometimes I tell myself that if I had been alive 200 or 300 years ago, I would have been an explorer of continents, as a result of looking for new materials to paint on.  With the limited resources available to civilization at that time, I am pretty sure I would have been the anciest person in the village, and probably one of the first to say "I'm going to see if there's some ________________ on the other side of that horizon!".

All of that is to say that lately, I've been enjoying painting on cotton (not entirely due to it's affordability, but that is a factor) versus linen.  A little secret... I spent the entire summer painting on pre-stretched cotton canvas with an acrylic emulsion primer, that I purchased at a deep discount in one of the local 'hobby' stores.  I just couldn't turn down a 2-pack of 16x20's for $7.99!  They have a good tight stretch, I LOVE the weave, and also love the way the primer on them takes the paint.  They're manufactured in Vietnam, and they do it right over there.  I burned through a truck load of these things in 11x14 and 16x20 sizes.  My method was to give them a coat of an acrylic wash of cerulean blue and burnt sienna as a tone, and then go to work painting on them.

However, I also know that to be the most archival, we are better off painting on fabric mounted to, or on a primed inflexible substrate like MDF, Gatorboard, Dibond, or other treated wood surface.  That sort of bums me out.  I like the give of the stretched canvas or linen.  I feel the sensitivity of the paint through the brush more than I do when painting on a hard surface or on linen or canvas mounted on a hard surface.  But I'm trying to adapt.

Since I enjoyed painting on those acrylic primed, pre-stretched canvases all summer, I am continuing to explore that idea and found some very nice 12 oz cotton canvas, unprimed, at my local Meininger's Art Supply store in Boulder, CO.  It has a weave that is not the normal, very uniform weave of cotton canvas.  It's a little more erratic looking, more 'linen like', a medium texture surface that looked like it would be nice to paint on.

My other favorite painting surface of late is the cradled panel, usually with a Baltic birch ply wood surface.  So here's my procedure for making a painting substrate from the raw cotton canvas and the cradled birch panel.

Materials used - Raw canvas or linen, Lamin-all adhesive, a cradled panel, a 4" medium nap roller & tray, Gamblin's PVA, an acrylic emulsion primer (aka acrylic gesso), brush to apply gesso and PVA, a hard plastic brayer (6" wide) and some sand paper.

Procedure - I cut the canvas with about 2" extra all around to help prevent it shrinking to a smaller dimension than the edge of the board when it gets wet from the PVA and primer, and to make it easier to trim to a nice, clean edge.  (seen in the photos above) Using the 4" roller, I roll on a generous coat of the Lamin-All glue, being sure to cover the edges especially well.  Lamin-All is a 'heat re-activated glue', meaning that it can be applied to the board, allowed to dry, then have the canvas laid onto it and heated in a dry mount press which will adhere the canvas to the board, because the heat activates the glue again.  Since I don't have a dry mount press, I use it as a 'wet mount' glue.  I prefer it to others ( like Lineco (an acid free book binding glue) or Miracle Muck), because it dries VERY fast.  Which means I don't have to cover and weight these panels.

While the glue is still wet (it will dry fast in open air) I lay the canvas onto the cradled panel, being sure to get the weave of the canvas square with the edge of the panel.  I use my hands to lightly work it into the glue, from the center out, then use the plastic brayer to work it down into the glue better, so that it's well adhered.  Work the edges down so that they are glued solidly.  The Lamin-All dries fast enough, and the canvas is heavy enough, so that weighting isn't even necessary.  I don't personally have the space to cover them all and weight them, so I have to do it this way.  I check on them every 10-15 minutes, run over them again with the brayer to be sure that the canvas is adhering well, and that seems to work fine.  Then let them set over night.  The Lamin-All dries fast, but I like to be sure that it's completely cured before I size and prime the canvas.

The next day I begin the priming process.  First I brush a coat of the PVA size onto the canvas, being liberal with it.  That does a couple of things.  One is that it seals the absorption of the canvas some so that when I go to apply the primer, it takes less primer.  Secondly, the PVA soaks into the threads of the cotton, offering greater protection.   Once that's dry, and it doesn't take too long, I begin to prime.  That's pretty simple, use a wide, stiff brush (the cheap hardware store hog bristle stain brushes work great), and apply a thin coat of the acrylic primer.  Once that's dry, I lightly sand it, and apply 3 more coats, sanding in-between each coat.  Easy enough...

In a few hours, when the primer is good and dry, I lay the panels with attached canvas onto a cutting board, canvas side down, and using a new blade in a mat knife or carpet knife, I trim the excess canvas off tight to the edge.  I will be framing some of these if not all, in floater frames.  That being so, I try to get a very nice, clean edge when trimming the canvas off.  I don't want tag threads or gouges into the edge of the cradled panel.  A little cautionary care here, and it works out great!

I find that this is a pretty absorbent surface, depending on the acrylic primer that I pick to use.  A little more sanding, and then a layer applied with a straight edge, like a piece of mat board, to fill in some of the dips in the canvas weave, and I'm done.

The canvas I purchased cost $8.28 a yard.  The cradled panels have to either be purchased (Cheap Joe's has some good ones for a very reasonable cost), or made.  I don't like table saws (I've known a few life long, skilled woodworkers lose appendages or be seriously injured on them), so I either have to make them with less convenient equipment (Skil saw and miter box) or purchase pre-made.  One thing that I'm about to do, is see if there's a local cabinet shop that will make them for me, or make the components for me so that I can finish them, and save some $$$.

Cost- The 14x18 cradled panel for this painting is $7.19 from Cheap Joe's. I have about $1.00 in the canvas, $1.00 in primer and PVA?  Under $10.00 is a good guesstimate.  The big picture is, I have a surface that is exactly ( for now ) how I like it!  That makes the time to make it worth that money, and more.

The Abstract of the Block In

Whenever I write about painting ideas or methods, just to let you know, I'm only speaking about my own ideas or methods, and how I proceed with them.  There are many other methods and at anytime I may be using one other than what I'm discussing in any particular post. 

The other day I was having a conversation with a friend, who had taken a look at a lot of my paintings, and noticed that I frequently employ the use of a 'lead in' to the picture in the form of a road, shoreline, fence line, or some other linear idea to add a diagonal entrance into the painting.  This is true, they are great compositional tools for doing just that.  She also noticed that I often place that entrance to the right side of the composition.  I looked at some of those and realized she was accurate.  It was a surprise to me, so I began to think about it.  

I am right eye dominant.  You can do a simple test to see which eye is your dominant eye.  Hold both hands out if front of you gripped together as if holding a pistol grip, straight armed, and point your index fingers out in front.  Aim at an object in the near distance in front of you, put the two fingers on the object.  Now close each eye, one at a time.  The object will stay lined up with your fingers when your dominant eye is open, it will move when your dominant eye is closed.  

Back to my right side roads... I don't know this for sure, there are others who have probably studied such things, but I think that because I am right handed and right eye dominant, I tend to favor that side of the composition when it comes to drawing or painting a diagonal, or near vertical, entrance into the composition.  This is all subconscious, I don't purposefully, nearly always, place these entrances on the right side.  But, it would be more awkward for me to reach my right hand across to the left to draw in the same entrance on the left side of the canvas, unless I think about it (which I can guarantee you that I will be doing now) and make that conscious choice.  Also, my mechanical paint applier, my arm and hand, are on my right side... 

This seems to be a mechanical issue because I don't have a problem with placing other dominant compositional items on the left side, it's just this placing the entrance in on the right side that is interesting to me.  

A side note that may be related... When I was younger and skied, I taught skiing and did some casual racing and was coached.  I was always told that my turns, when on my right side downhill ski, were beautiful, very well done.  But when turning onto my left side downhill ski, I was told that I was "blocked" on that side, I don't perform a right hand turn as well.  Could that also be because of a dominance favoring my right?  Don't know.

Enough on that for now, but the way our brains work without our being aware of what they are up to sometimes is fascinating.  And thank goodness for artist friends, our 'third eye' contingency, for being honest in relating what they see in our work.  It's always helpful.  

Getting back to the topic "The Abstract of the Block-In"... To me this is the second most important stage of a painting, be it in the studio or in the field.  The first most important step is forming a Concept, an idea about what you're going to paint.  Without that, you have nowhere to go, not even enough information to get to the Block-In.  Concept is a blog post all by itself.

I use the block-in as the abstract break up of the blank space, the visual reminder of my conceptual idea about where I intend this painting to go.  It can be very complicated, or very simple, very specific or very loosely defined.  Either way, it sets the stage for the next steps in paint application to come.  

This is the way that I am able to see the 'big picture' of my idea for the painting.  If these big idea shapes aren't working, not proportioned in a pleasing way, not balancing each other, not providing a color scheme (loosely stated) that I am happy with, I will never improve the painting past this point.  

This is a critical stage. 

I'm asked often about using a toned painting surface.  As you can see in the photos of block-ins here, these are all painted on an untoned surface, linen on board to be exact.  That's one way.  I also sometimes tone the surface ahead of time and paint more directly and opaquely with out this same kind of a start.  Having many methods in your technique bag is never a bad thing.  

The other thing about beginning to place your Conceptual idea on the canvas in this way, is that it's a fluid situation, it can still be changed, moulded, wiped or continued at anytime.  The paint is thin, like a water color wash, nothing is locked into place yet.  This is the time to make the decisions...

If you normally get out the small brush or charcoal and begin to draw the little pieces of the composition instead of going for the large masses, try this way out, it might fit in some cases.

Thank you... Marc

These area few examples of slightly more drawn out block-ins.  In the one directly below, I began to use the middle to dark values that made up the road, weeds, treeline and buildings, to paint the negative shapes of the snow on the ground.  

Demos from my last Taylors Falls Workshop

I've just finished a great workshop, my last at my Minnesota studio, the 6th Annual.  Below are the full demos that I did for the class and a group shot of some wonderful people who came to study painting with me from 7 different states.  It was a great week, I'll miss holding classes at this location.  

"Tree-O" - pastel - 9x12 ©2012 Marc R. Hanson

I neglected to add this piece which was done as the last demo on Friday afternoon for about 7 of my students who wanted to see me do a pastel.  I hadn't had time, until we were finally done with the critique early.  Everyone was spent, including me, but we found some shade, they got some chairs, and I painted the trees up the hill behind me in the yard.  I enjoyed using the pastels after a long week of oil painting.

'Crex Sun' - oil - 16x20 ©2012 Marc R. Hanson

'A Brief Respite' - oil - 14x18 ©2012 Marc R. Hanson

'Croix Tones' - oil - 11x14 ©2012 Marc R. Hanson

The last class at my Minnesota studio in Taylors Falls.  Artists from 7 states, some who've been with me a number of times, some who I've just had the pleasure of meeting and painting with.  One and all, a wonderful bunch of people and artists.  Thank you all for the time you gave to learn and enjoy this love we share.  

September 15 Nocturnes... Here's the 'Method and Materials' scoop!

I'm sitting here wishing I felt well enough to go out to paint tonight... just kidding... severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, lightening and hail, tornado warnings near by! Never mind!

So while I'm sitting here, and instead of wasting time, I thought that I'd post some info about what I use to paint, and what my approach to painting nocturnes is in order to answer a number of questions that I'm getting about this.

The Methods and Materials are really just about the same as I use during the day. Painting is painting and painting a nocturne calls for the same sensibilities to Drawing, Value, Color, Composition... Edges, Temperature and most important... Concept!

Observation is key, and painting what you see... not what you know... is essential. This is certainly true during the daylight situations also. But at night you really don't have a choice because much of what you 'think' you know about an object or situation is no longer valid. The darkness obliterates details, artificial lights can obliterate form, and the combination will leave you wondering just what it is that you're looking at. Don't worry about it, you don't need to know, if you're paying attention to putting down the correct relationships of the shapes, values and colors (with the accompanying attention to edges and the qualities of the colors... hue, intensity, value and temperature) that are before you. If you do that with a Concept in mind, you'll have a great time at this.

There is something freeing about painting at night. I suppose that in part it's because you can't see everything that is happening in the subject, or on your painting. The lights I use are great, but they're still limited and this is not like painting in good studio or north light! Even with the 'better' illumination with the LED lights, they're not perfectly color balanced. Your color mixtures will look pretty good, but they will still surprise you a little when you take the paintings inside and view them under good studio light. Painting a nocturne is always an adventure into the unknown.

All of these obstacles make painting nocturnes both a challenge and a thrill to do. And once it's dark, the light doesn't change unless the neighbor, whose house you may be painting, turns off the lights and goes to bed!

I prefer smoother surfaced panels at night so that the glare from the darker colors isn't as bad. That glare makes them hard to photograph for one, but also hard to see the painting once it's varnished.

Usually I tone the panel first with either a warm tone or a dark neutral like some black with blue and a little red mixed in. It's best to let that dry a day or so before painting on it. More and more I prefer the gray vs the warm tone.

I don't switch up my palette, though I may not use as much of the lighter value colors as I would in daylight. I tend to use more of the darker value colors like Transparent Oxide Brown or Red, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue Deep and Viridian. I do add a few colors for catching the intensity of lights at night, like red, blue and green neon. I add some Pthalo colors... blue, green, turqouise. I also like a Quinacridone red or rose for the glowing pinks of some lights.

Here's the palette-
Titanium White
Cad Lemon Yellow
Cad Yellow Deep
Yellow Ochre light
Cad Orange
Cad Scarlet
Cad Red
Quinacridone Red or Rose
Alizarin Crimson
Transparent Oxide Brown or Red
Viridian
Ultramarine Blue
_______________
Night add ons-
Pthalo Blue, Green, Turquoise

I use the 10x12 EasyL box.

This is the Mighty Bright LED Book light.

That's the scoop! Thanks.