The absolutely necessary step between streching the canvas and applying the primer oil=based gesso. The Artist's Handbook by Ralph Mayer www.amazon.com...
I always used acrylic gesso but lately I started to prepare my own traditional gesso, and I now size my canvases (i glue the canvas onto mdf panel because i like the canvas texture but also the rigidity of a panel) with rabbit skin glue. I'm an oil painter but i want to learn tempera painting, and in tempera painting one must - or should - use traditional gesso anyway
Tempera painting requires a rigid ground, and the best gesso for it is homemade from melted rabbitskin glue mixed with marble dust and/or chalk. For oil painting on canvas I use W&N's Oil Painting Primer right out of the can, though it can be thinned with linseed oil, sparingly. Thanks for your comments!
I always used acrylic gesso but lately I started to prepare my own traditional gesso, and I now size my canvases (i glue the canvas onto mdf panel because i like the canvas texture but also the rigidity of a panel) with rabbit skin glue. I'm an oil painter but i want to learn tempera painting, and in tempera painting one must - or should - use traditional gesso anyway
Tempera painting requires a rigid ground, and the best gesso for it is homemade from melted rabbitskin glue mixed with marble dust and/or chalk. For oil painting on canvas I use W&N's Oil Painting Primer right out of the can, though it can be thinned with linseed oil, sparingly. Thanks for your comments!