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Super white canvas primer
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Message
Posted
Hi, I am trying to build my own frames, but I cannot find a way of priming the canvases such that they are even close to white colour of super cheap premade frames.
I have two photos here to show my attempts.
In both the top band is the cheap canvas and the bottom is canvas from a roll with various experiments. The first picture uses ordinary home paints and satin, matte, and brilliant white, respectively. The second uses Amsterdam Titanium White, first pure then following by mixtures with iridescent medium, UV medium, and finally the UV pure just to see. Not shown are experiments with Windsor Newton White Gesso because they were even worse. The photo is taken in natural light, the differences are much less noticeable under artificial light. (This observation inspired testing the mediums).
I think you’ll agree the cheap canvas puts everything else to shame, but my problem is I can’t get them in all the sizes I need. The cheap canvas is on par with printer paper. I am kind of at a loss for what to try next. Anyone have any advice?
In both the top band is the cheap canvas and the bottom is canvas from a roll with various experiments. The first picture uses ordinary home paints and satin, matte, and brilliant white, respectively. The second uses Amsterdam Titanium White, first pure then following by mixtures with iridescent medium, UV medium, and finally the UV pure just to see. Not shown are experiments with Windsor Newton White Gesso because they were even worse. The photo is taken in natural light, the differences are much less noticeable under artificial light. (This observation inspired testing the mediums).
I think you’ll agree the cheap canvas puts everything else to shame, but my problem is I can’t get them in all the sizes I need. The cheap canvas is on par with printer paper. I am kind of at a loss for what to try next. Anyone have any advice?
Posted
I’m totally confused here... so ignore this if I’ve misunderstood you - when you say ‘frames’ do you mean you’re making a stretched canvas, which is canvas over stretcher bars?
A frame fits around the finished painting!
I’m not entirely sure why you’re concerned about the white, just prime the canvas with a couple of decent coats of gesso and use that as your ground or base to paint on.
Actually, a tinted neutral ground is far better to work on anyway in most cases! I rarely paint on white.
But, you can if you wish add a coat of say titanium white acrylic or oil paint over the gesso if you’re painting in oils. Acrylic will need acrylic paint only, not oil paint as you can’t paint acrylic on top of oil paint.
Robert may be able to offer some different advice.
Edited
by Alan Bickley
Posted
Sorry for my bad terminology, by frame I meant the stretchers as Alan realised.
As for why I want such a white start, well I am trying a form of art where, beyond that initial white layer, I only use solid black. So I need the whitest possible white at the start to achieve the highest contrasts. This was working well on the cheap canvases, but on those I make myself one can clearly see the final pictures lack the same punch when viewed side-by-side.
I might also for using the term "prime" wrong, sorry if I am. I don't mean the white has to come from just primer, indeed I have tried priming the canvases with gesso and then painting titanium white on top of that, but it is still less brilliant, or vibrant, a white as found on the store-bought canvases.
Posted
Okay, I’m someway near to understanding you Amy.
I’ve seen that glaring white you speak of on cheap ready made canvases, it’s horrid, but that’s irrelevant here.
I can’t help you but I’ve no doubt Robert Jones will join in and offer some advice in due course!
Just for the record, are you painting in oil or acrylic?
Edited
by Alan Bickley
Posted
Bit more information Amy - i.e., Alan's question, acrylic or oil?
If you're looking for a good white primer, my usual one is Cryla by Daler-Rowney, the priming now marketed as Acrylic Gesso (it isn't 'gesso' at all, of course, but that's what most manufacturers call their surface priming). There are other primers, eg oil-based, for oil paintings - but I wouldn't have thought most of them were likely to be of the very bright white you're seeking. You could use artists' quality Titanium White acrylic - it's not really a primer, but it would be OK under acrylics - and it's a high white; both Winsor and Newton and Daler Rowney sell it: as do others, of course.
I've come to this question late at night, and speak from memory - but I'll have a scout around tomorrow and a further think.
Posted
The trouble with finding a very high-white primer is that to achieve bright whiteness, you invariably need to lay it on thickly - and this is not really what priming is for; its purpose is to seal the canvas (or whatever), not to form part of the painting. But a heavy duty priming, such as Cryla or W & N's acrylic primer, can also be used as a (relatively) economical white paint.
Which gives us a clue. And that, I think, is that you're likely to be better off using paint rather than "gesso" to achieve the result you're after. Which is, I know, basically what I've already said, but this is the further explanation!
I don't know anything about "culutrehustle" or their products, but will have a look. Of the brightest and cleanest white paints I know of in acrylic, I would go for Cryla Titanium White, by Daler-Rowney; W & N's Titanium White; and Chromacolour's "Chroma White" - this is available online from Chromacolour UK, and comes in pots - it has worked for me when I wanted a very opaque white, and nothing else quite did it.
You might also find it useful to look at Will Kemp's website - he knows a lot about Golden acrylic paints, which I don't use, and much else besides; and he answers questions. Perhaps also take a look at Andrew Tozer - my memory for names is shaky, but I think those are right!
Posted
Well, I had a look at Culturehustle.
There are some websites that just say to me "You're too old for this."
And this was one of them.
They don't like Anish Kapoor, which is always a plus, but beyond that a) I couldn't find this whitest white; they do seem very keen on the blackest black; and b) you have to answer three questions about the artist Stuart Semple before they'll let you sign up to their mailing list. Not hard questions, if you bother to read about him, but - I just can't be arsed! You'd have to pay me to care, and I probably wouldn't even then.
So - not for the ageing and grumpy, then. And not of much help in finding your white, either.