Tips - Preparing your canvas

Have you ever heard artists talk about the steps they go through to prepare the canvas before they even start painting? You may be surprised to learn that lots of artist have their own special process to ensure a good surface that they like to work from. Every artist has his/her own preference. Some like a rough surface, others smooth. Some like texture and others don't. Over the years I've figured out what works best for me. I like a smooth slick surface, so I use oil primer to lay down over the canvas before I start painting. I also usually mix a neutral color into a mid-tone value. This choice is important because it gives me a color and value to work with from the start. Instead of comparing everything to a white background I can compare it to a mid tone value.

My method is simple and quick. It no longer takes hours to prepare the canvas surface. Are you new to painting? Give this method a try and see how it works for you.

You will need: 
 - Canvas to prepare (I will often use cotton canvas)
 - Titanium White, Burnt Umber or Ivory Black Oil Paint (Burnt Umber - earthy brown finish, Ivory Black - cool gray finish)
 - A palette knife
 - Odorless Turpenoid or Gamblin (used to thin the oil paint and help it dry quickly)
 - Speedball Roller (you can buy these in most art stores in the printmaking section)
 - Tray to mix the paint (I use a plastic veggies packaging tray from the grocery store. I like the small size and I can throw away after a few uses)
 - Paper towels

Find a surface you don't mind getting a little painted and lay down your blank canvas or 

panels. I'll often prepare a lot of panels at one time. 

I chose to use the burnt umber since I am going to use many of these panels for plein air painting. I wanted a warm earthy base. Squeeze a ratio of 2 parts white paint to 1 part umber. Use your palette knife to mix the paint together. Make sure it is mixed well. On a scale of 1-10 you want a #5 value. Tweak your ratio until your happy with the value. When your happy with the value, pour a little odorless turpenoid in the tray and continue to mix. You want the paint to thin out, but still have a little viscosity to it. (think ketchup or mustard consistency)

Use your palette knife to scoop up some of the paint mixture and lay it in piles on the canvas. 

Use your roller to spread the paint evenly across the surface. You can push your canvas together and roll multiple canvas at once. Add more paint as needed to cover the surface of the canvas. 

Use paper towels to wipe off the roller, tray and palette knife. Let the canvas dry before using them. If you can store them in a dry warm area, they will dry quicker. Check by touch after a day. Feel free to stack until you need them, after they are dry. Still have questions? Feel free to leave comments or email me at vancannonart@gmail.com.

 Here's an example of a using prepared canvas. I can quickly block in the sky value and mountain ridge because I already have a base color.  

Because I have a base mid tone value it is easier to pick the value to block in my shadows. I can also quickly see which areas need to be lighter in value. 

 See more of my oil paintings on my website - www.vancannonart.com 

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