The article below was posted on the Oil Painters of America site. To visit their site, you can click on the additional article to the right of this page!
Artists are always trying to save money and preparing your own canvas panels may be easier than you think. After the Kim Casebeer workshop and 'round table' discussions on supplies, I thought it may be of interest to post an article on how to prepare your own panels. Joshua Been also gave details on this subject during his workshop last summer in Salida, CO. Miracle Muck product was mentioned in both classes. Now is the time to order since it ships with 'weather sensitive' schedules. SourceTek is one resource for purchasing Miracle Muck. After a little research on Gatorboard, there are several sources to purchase it. I have not tried to cut it, so I can not give advice or information on that process. You can order it pre-cut from Art Supply (8 x 10 white for $1.48 each) or Foam Board Source for approximately $1.49 each. If you venture to cut your own you can get the cost down to $1.09 at Artgrafix and a 30 x 40 sheet which will produce 12 panels of 8 x 10 and 4 of 6 x 10.
The following article is in part from Oil Painters of America:
Commercially made linen or cotton canvas panels are available, and they are very nice. However, making them yourself will save you money and they really don’t take very long to make. I will suggest pre-gessoed canvas.
There are various surfaces to mount linen or cotton canvas to, depending on how light you want them to be. For this discussion we will 'think' Gator Board. Gator Board is similar to Foamcore, however the outer substrate of Gator Board is a harder material and will not bend, Foamcore will bend so it should never be used to mount canvas. Don't be confused and buy foam core, as it easy to buy at Hobby Lobby and Michaels. Gator Board comes in various widths and in white, natural (tan) or black. If you are traveling and want a thinner panel you can use 1/8thinch Birch plywood, Masonite or Hardwood boards. I have seen regular hollow core door panels used successfully as well. Another extremely light and thin option is Media Board sometimes called Non Buckle board. It is very thin and you can stack numerous paintings if you are going on an extended painting trip. When you get these panels back to the studio you can then support the Media board with a heavier backing or Foamcore when it’s time to frame the painting.
Note:
I recommend that you start making small sizes at first 6x8 to 16x20 until you get the technique and drying time down, then you can better handle larger panels 18x24 and larger.
Materials you will need:
I prefer linen but you can use cotton canvas if linen is too expensive.
To find Gator Board or Media Board/Non Buckle Board try an art supply store or on line.
For Masonite, Hard Board or Birch Plywood try your local lumber yard.
Miracle Muck is water soluble (cleans up easily with water and it is also “heat re-activating”, which means that the low to medium heat of an iron or hair dryer, will allow you to peel up the canvas even after it has dried, if you need to remove the canvas from the board.
(be careful that the iron is not too hot or you can scorch your painting). Get a gallon of it from SourceTek. They will only ship when the outside temperature is safely above freezing. If they have a problem sending it, you can try your local art supply stores and see if they can get it.
These rolls may be sold separately. They give you a nice even smooth application of glue which is very important! Any paint store, or Hardware store should have it.
(I use the kind that has segmented blades that I can snap off when they are dull).
The kind that they sell for pressing down Formica to counter surfaces. Hardware stores carry them.
The Procedure:
With a pencil, mark the Gator Board a bit larger than you want the finished panel to be. Example:
- For an 8x10 inch panel cut it to 9x11 inches.
- For small canvases an additional 1/2 inch all the way around is fine.
- For larger sizes I recommend 1 inch all the way around. After the canvas is glued down and dried, this makes a nice, clean edge once the excess is trimmed off. However, if you have pre-cut boards to the exact size and don’t have any excess trim, it is not a problem.
Using the pencil lines for a guide, cut out a piece of Gator Board with the utility knife and metal straight edge. Make several passes of the blade until it cuts all the way through. If you are cutting Masonite or plywood, you may need a table saw to cut the material.
Cut a piece of Canvas to the same size as the Gator Board in Step #1 and lay them side by side.
Note: If you cut the canvas from a roll, you might have to tape down the corners so it doesn’t curl up when you apply the glue.
Pour some Miracle Muck out onto the raw side of the canvas and work it evenly into the canvas with the foam roller to get a thin and even coat with no puddles or dry spots.
You want a thin, even coat of glue rolled out from edge to edge.
Pour a small amount of the Miracle Muck from the bottle onto the Gator Board.
Using the foam roller, roll out the glue evenly over the entire surface of the Gator Board. You won’t need to pour out as much glue because the board is not as absorbent as the canvas. (Make sure that there are no puddles or dry areas on the surface).
You want a thin, even coat of glue from edge to edge.
Take the glued Gator Board and flip it over onto the glued canvas surface adhering glue side to glue side. You must do this while the glue is still wet. You will still be able to slide it around or lift up the board to adjust it if necessary.
Line up all the edges as best you can, so when mounted, the weave of the canvas is not crooked. Press lightly over the Gator Board with your hands so that both glued surfaces make good contact.
Then, turn the panel over to the canvas side (removing the tape from the corners of the canvas).
Gently pressing down with your hand again, (this time on the canvas side) starting at the center and moving toward the outer edges, smooth out any air bubbles that might still be between the canvas and board.
Take the heavy roller and bray down the canvas to the board (roll from the center out to the edges again).
When the mounted canvas is flat and smooth, turn it face down and put some books or other heavy flat object on top to keep the panel flat over night. Be sure to weight the whole surface.
The next day you can trim off the excess ½ inch of material from the panel with the utility knife. Trim them to the finished size you want. It may take several passes to cut through but you will get a nice clean edge.
 Once you do it a few times and get the feel of how much glue to use it should be a breeze to make a bunch at a time with no problem.
| 
A Roll of Pre primed Linen or Cotton Canvas
No comments:
Post a Comment