question for fellow artists

[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.

[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!

[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!

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]

a jersey, eh? that would be cool.

Yeah, I'd like an artsy fartsy jersey.

[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.

[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.

[shootingstar]

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

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. 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!

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.

[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!

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!

[sundial]

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