question for fellow artists

[sundial]

Do you stretch your canvas? I go through cycles and I will probably start doing so again. There's something about the craftsmanship of stretcher bars and priming canvas. I get some of my best ideas doing these simple tasks.

[mimitabby]

I'd like to see what sort of art you do.
I do not stretch canvas, or tape paper. I just buy heavy paper and deal with it.

[redrhodie]

Well, I work in 3d, but I can relate. I like the slow way of doing things. Sometimes the journey is better than the destination.

[Flybye]

I stretch my watercolor paper but that isn't really canvas.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I used to stretch all my canvases between 20-30 years ago. Big 6x4 foot ones, linen. Oil paintings. I had lots of gallery shows. I liked doing it back then, but eventually got tired of doing all that large heavy stretching. It was hard on the hands, for one thing. In any case, I moved towards smaller paintings on wood and also sculptures by that time.
Stretching canvases was a sort of zen meditation preparation act for the intense activity of creating art. Nowadays i play music for my creative outlet instead (which I find more relaxing less solitary than painting), and I find my 'zen' connection in doing things like biking and roller skating and long walks.

[mimitabby]

I want to see your paintings too.

[shootingstar]

At this time in life, I'm just grateful to find a block of time..just to set up carefully in the liviing rm. (don't want to knock over dirty brush paint water onto the carpet..), paint, dream, paint and then roll up everything, to clear table for dinner...Time to stretch canvas??

When the Muse strikes, I prefer strike the canvas while it's hot, not when I'm trying to set up..

At most, you would get me to gesso the canvas/board...then there's the overall underpainting wash...alot of foreplay before the real thing. :cool:

Hey, yea I would like to see your stuff too, Lisa. Mine are pretty rudimentary..but it's stuff I've seen from my cycling trips..yes it's wonderful to fuse cycling and art passion together. My avatar is just block prints on tissue, etc. Looks more mysterious than it really is. :D

[elk]

I don't stretch canvas, but I do stretch linen for the embroidery.Sometimes I use tacks and sometimes I sew it onto stretcher bars...

All the work I do, except drawing, is verrrrry slow, but I have come to really love that. i surprise myself by how much patience I have...!!

Plus all that time takes on a rhythm and ideas simmer and develop, I agree.

My husband is a painter and he HATES it...

[shootingstar]

Mimitabby - did you paint your avatar for real?

[mudmucker]

I own canvas pliers and a magnetic tack hammer and always stretched my canvas. I like incorporating process to my work and stretching and priming canvas was always a part of that. I haven't done oils in a while, now I do watercolors and similar to Flybye I stretch my paper but that's a given.

[sundial]

I stretch my watercolor paper but that isn't really canvas.

No matter how much I stretched my watercolor paper, it always seemed to buckle a teenie bit. So then I'd have to place it under a heavy book. Then I tried the watercolor canvas and decided, what the heck, I'll just paint in oils and be done with it, lol! :D

[sundial]

I'd like to see what sort of art you do.


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y186/2dogcrew/IntercessionI.jpg
Intercession I, 36x48, oil, 2008

[mimitabby]

Mimitabby - did you paint your avatar for real?

yes, I did. I'm currently painting a series with bicycles in them.

Oh, Sundial, that's BEAUTIFUL!!! Wonderful colors!

[sundial]

Thank you, Mimitabby. :) I think you should design a jersey with one of your watercolors as the background. I really like the softness of watercolors and seems to be the most feminine media and what a better way than to advertise your art on a jersey. :D

[massbikebabe]

My daughter is the artist in my house, but I have never seen her stretch a canvas. I am the quilter and I do use a quilt stretcher, even more now because I have only the one hand to quilt with...so I quilt on the stretcher.



karen

[Flybye]

No matter how much I stretched my watercolor paper, it always seemed to buckle a teenie bit. So then I'd have to place it under a heavy book. Then I tried the watercolor canvas and decided, what the heck, I'll just paint in oils and be done with it, lol! :D

You have to WET it down. Give it a bath. Tape it with the tape that has the disgusting adhesive on it like an envelope flap does. I let it dry and don't remove it from the board until the painting is complete.

HOW in the world do you get your oils to come out looking like a wash?? Do you use an armload of white???? HOW??

Mimi - very nice!!

[mimitabby]

to keep my stuff flat, when I am done i just paint the whole back of it with water and then flatten it in towels covered by a stack of books. they come out nice and flat that way.

a jersey, eh? that would be cool.

[sundial]

You have to WET it down. Give it a bath. Tape it with the tape that has the disgusting adhesive on it like an envelope flap does. I let it dry and don't remove it from the board until the painting is complete.

HOW in the world do you get your oils to come out looking like a wash?? Do you use an armload of white???? HOW??


I used to soak my paper in the tub, smooth it and tape it down, and then grumble as it slowly buckled. I walked out of my watercolor class and never looked back. The irony is, I employ watercolor techniques to do my oils, lol. As for the oils, I rarely use white. Just this year I've used it in some of my paintings. I've updated my website.

www.cathyburge.com

Mimi and Fly, I would enjoy painting with you. :)

[sundial]

a jersey, eh? that would be cool.

Yeah, I'd like an artsy fartsy jersey. :D

[salsabike]

Mimi, I suggested that in the Danskin thread too--that we ask you to do a shirt for us. I would love to have a jersey or shirt with your work on it.

[latelatebloomer]

um, back to the canvas for a minute. DH is the painter in our house, and a very good one too. He stretches all his canvas (or has it done, sometimes his paintings are quite large and need custom hinged stretchers.) The tip I really wanted to share - he gessos with a squeegee. Nice and smooooth.:cool:

[shootingstar]

Or Mimtabby..approach teamestrogen owner...make a mousepad, waterbottle logo....:D

Am impressed many of you like watercolours. I dislike watercolours..too mercurial and chancy to work with. Watercolour painting is not good for a control freak like me. :o I'm a slow plodder..I even find acrylic paints dry too fast for my dreamin' brain.

Well maybe I should have kept my watermedia paper (250 lb) taped down when I doodling around last weekend. I used rice vermicelli wrappers, wetted down and pressed it down, wrinkly and brushed it down onto paper with coloured glossy acrylic gel. A texture effect...not representing any reality! :D

Geez....it took a LONG time to dry. And then 24 hrs. later, the paper seized up and bubbled when the pasta dried up. Another failed experiment. Next time it'll be wood board.

[sundial]

um, back to the canvas for a minute. DH is the painter in our house, and a very good one too. He stretches all his canvas (or has it done, sometimes his paintings are quite large and need custom hinged stretchers.) The tip I really wanted to share - he gessos with a squeegee. Nice and smooooth.:cool:

Hmmm, haven't tried the squeegee trick. That's an interesting idea, Aunt Latelate. :)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well maybe I should have kept my watermedia paper (250 lb) taped down when I doodling around last weekend. I used rice vermicelli wrappers, wetted down and pressed it down, wrinkly and brushed it down onto paper with coloured glossy acrylic gel. A texture effect...not representing any reality! :D

Geez....it took a LONG time to dry. And then 24 hrs. later, the paper seized up and bubbled when the pasta dried up. Another failed experiment. Next time it'll be wood board.


Maybe a little tomato sauce mixed into the gel next time....?

I did lots of that texture stuff in my paper mache sculptures long ago. Fun. :)

[mimitabby]

and if it doesn't work, you can eat it! :p :cool:

[sundial]

LOL! If I do want to watercolor, I use the watercolor blocks. I love smooooooth paper for my technique.