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The worst advice on the internet?
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Posted
Rigid - can be canvas, but glued to board. MDF. Hardboard. Ampersand panels. These are all better than stretched canvas in terms of longevity - their drawbacks are perhaps that they're heavier than canvas; but then, it's the fragility and lightness of canvas that makes it prone to damage; and its flexibility that gives the longer term problems with cracking. I'm not convinced there's an ideal surface for oil paintings, and a lot will depend on what you find pleasant to work on; linen canvas glued to rigid board might be a good solution. For much more on this, if you can bear Facebook, go to Traditional Oil Painting, or Painting Best Practice, pages on that platform. And get a copy of Virgil Elliott's book Traditional Oil Painting (expensive perhaps, but vital; available from Echo Point Books in the USA).
There's a lot of debate around this subject, and a constant search for better surfaces - at the moment, I've been using birchwood panels from Grantham's Art Discount (other suppliers doubtless available!), but they do take quite a bit of priming. If you like the weave of canvas, they may not appeal; and I don't know that I'm going to be using them forever. But they're worth a try. Look for the name Seabright.
Posted
Thanks Robert - yes I have that book (wonderful). I'm not keen on the weave of some canvases as they can give me real grief when painting detail. I thought I might try Daler's oil painting paper which Fen recommended as apparently it has a finer grain but I guess this has to then be mounted? Will look at Seabright, thank you.
Posted
Apart from gessoed 3mm MDF which I love to paint on, my main go-to support for some time now has been Jackson’s Belle Arti 3.2mm canvas or linen panels which are backed with MDF. A bit pricey perhaps for the larger sizes but worth it!
You have a choice of different grades, I’m loving working on them.
I’ve gone completely off the W&N and similar boards which have a cardboard backing, I don’t even like the canvas texture on them any more!
Edited
by Alan Bickley
Posted
I've tried the Belle Arti boards - are they not a bit inclined to warp, or am I thinking of a different product? Not that warping can't be corrected, when fitted to a frame. I'm not too keen on a strong canvas weave - I think that for preference I'd go with the Ampersand oil painting boards; they're not cheap either, but worked very well for me in oils. NOT so well with acrylics - they didn't seem to want to play at all...
I'll give the Belle Arti boards another try, when I need to order again. Cardboard backed boards - well, cardboard isn't immortal, as we all know; I have a (probably stupid!) nostalgic liking for them, though, because years ago all we had was canvas, home-made boards, and a strangely odorous oil painting paper, sold in rolls, with brown paper backing. Wonder if Alan remembers it? Then we had Daler Board, which was rather good to paint on, but fantastically easy to damage (and it warped). Then we got the canvas boards, from Rowney, and Winsor and Newton. I think (though it was a long time ago) that I preferred the Rowney boards; and they're still pretty good, for smaller paintings.
I wonder if anyone's tried the Aluminium core boards that are now available? Light in weight, but not on the wallet.
Posted
They absolutely don’t warp Robert, the very reason, or one of the reasons I’ve switched over to them.
I buy them in packs of 10 which works out cheaper and I’ve bought 5 packs so far, so I’ve given them a fair testing - I get through around 15 panels a month on average, so it’s pointless me buying singles!
My preferred sizes are 40x50cm and 50x70cm which I’m currently using for this years TAPC competition. The smaller size is £46 a pack, so great value for the quality.
They feel sturdy and I love both the canvas and linen surfaces - I believe Gudrun uses the linen ones when I asked her a while back.
Yes, that stuff with brown paper backing does ring a bell with me, I’ve tried just about everything that’s been out there at one time or another.
Posted
I find Youtube quite a pleasure to watch in awe at what people can do, for example I'm a huge fan of Caravaggio's work, there's some stunning examples of how to emulate that look with impressive results, but it does irk me a bit when they say "tutorial" and it's nothing more than a timelapse of someone painting (albeit with great skill and results).
More than anything I just find it a peaceful way to relax but agree it's not particularly useful for beginners wanting to learn (like myself!).
Out of interest what do you guys recommend for a good resource for new oil painters? I have lots of books but always personally find watching/hearing things being done a better way for me to learn (or copy!). Before lockdown I was attending some classes at a local art shop but obviously they are no more! Are there go-to resources you've found more useful than Youtube for this sort of content?
Edited
by James Joyce
Posted
One of the best books on oil painting is Vibrant Oils, by Haidee-Jo-Summers.
Many of us on here have bought it, both experienced artists as well as newcomers to oils.
You’ll find everything that you need to know, from materials to techniques, with some great illustrations and examples throughout.
You can buy it on this website, navigate into ‘Store’ and you’ll see it.
Edited
by Alan Bickley
Posted
Plus - I have an e-book on the Amazon Kindle Store, entitled Oil Paint Basics, and under my name of course. It's a bit wordy, and light on pictures, but I wrote it because it's what I'd have wanted when starting out years ago. And it's (annoyingly) cheap.
I have Haidee-Jo's book, and can recommend it. I have some differences with her approach, but she's the legitimately published author and member of the professional body (the ROI, I think) so you won't go wrong there. There are other books for when you've developed more experience, eg Traditional Oil Painting, by the US painter/writer Virgil Elliott: but some of them might be a bit daunting to try taking in at an early stage in your career.
One of my favourite books is currently out of print - it's How To Draw And Paint What You See, by Ray Smith. Grab it if you see a second-hand copy anywhere.