Frequently Asked Questions
See also Dictionary Terms
Here are questions that have been asked by our visitors or from talking to other artists, students and people interested in knowing more about oil painting.
We welcome your questions. Please ask as many as you like. We will answer all questions by email as soon as we can, usually in the same week. Those questions that are asked often will be posted here. The question submission and comment form can be reached by clicking here.
Canvas is a very fragile fabric, no matter what fabric it is made from. If you paint directly on it with oil paint, the oil will eventually destroy the fibres of the fabric and the whole painting will deteriorate. We size the canvas with some sort of protection, hide glue, acrylic gesso, etc. so we will isolate the fabric from the paint. You do not really have to make the canvas white, that is only to make it reflect as much light as possible, but it must be protected from the oils and resins in the paint.
Quite simply, because it takes a lot of work to make it and the materials are very costly. Linen, in general, is more long-lasting than any other fabric for painting. The Belgian linen is very famous for its quality control. Use it and your paintings will last for centuries.
The term "fat over lean", is an old and very good rule of how to apply paint. The more oil there is in oil paint, the slower it will dry. It may feel dry to the touch, but it is still drying under the surface. If you put paint with very little oil (lean paint), over paint with a lot of oil in it (fat paint), the upper layers will dry faster than the lower and this will cause shrinking and cracking at a later date. Always keep the lower or under layers of paint low in oil content. This is done by using very little medium or other additives.
More to come soon! Sincerely Paula Baldocchi ... Ciao !
Created by Baldocchi Art Studios, forPaula
Baldocch.
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Revised: 09.21.2000.