Monday, April 12, 2010

Glass with Strawberries and Grapes I

This is my fifth painting on panel (masonite). I really enjoy the amount of detail you can paint with on masonite. It has been fun but challenging. If it wasn't for M. Collier and Jelaine Faunce, I would still be cussing my way through the painting process. M Collier gave me some great advice on how to prepare the surface and Jelaine gave me some tips on where to get prepared panels (M also provided some locations as well).

I have another still life that is almost ready. I sort of started two paintings at the same time. This way I can leave one panel dry while working on the other.

If you want to contact me email me at viciniart@hotmail.com


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely piece

great blog

Jason
fellow artist

Vic said...

Thanks Jason - I appreciate you stopping by.

Carol H. said...

Hey Vic, care to share those tips about preparing the masonite surface? And where you get them?

Vic said...

Hi Carol.

I would love to share with you my knowledge on how I prepare my panels.

There are several ways which I've found work best for me. The issue I had in the past is that surface sometimes is too smooth making it almost impossible to paint on.

First, I purchase my masonite panels from Home Depot and have them cut it down to size. Second, I lightly apply several light layers of gesso on the surface. I should mention that I make sure that the sides are sanded. Sometimes some people apply a layer of Rabbit skin glue to the bare surface to give it texture.
After about 3 coats I apply the final coat with a foam roller. This was the suggestion of M Collier would said that this would eliminate the smooth surface and give you a slight texture for the paint to catch. He was correct. It works great!

If you are not in the mood to do all that work, M Collier and Jelaine Faunce suggest to go to www.dickblick.com and order STUDIO FLAT PANEL 8" x 8" or 6" x 6" or larger. The panels are very nice quality. They are 3/8" thick with a notch on the back for hanging. The panels have an almost canvas texture to them.

I hope this helps Carol. BTW - your work looks fantastic!

Vic

Carol H. said...

Thanks, Vic! I pretty much do it that way, too. I have used the foam roller, but lately I've actually been sanding mine with a rotary sander to get it as smooth as possible. I like to have as little texture as possible. I always like to hear how others prepare theirs.

Thanks for sharing, and you know I love your work, of course ;-)

Vic said...

Thanks Carol.