I think making your own sketchbook is a wonderful idea Judy! I have been thinking the same way. Would love to make one using arches oil paper---I also prime it with Gamblin's oil ground as it makes the paper less absorbent. Let me know it you give it a try---would be a fun project! xx
Awesome post, Debbie - I learned so much! Your cloud studies are absolutely glorious, and I was really interested to hear about the shellack! I don't use oils, but I'm best friends with white acrylic gesso which is just wonderful for my explorations in mixed media (shhhhh, but it means I can wipe anything and everything off the top of it and start again!). It's brilliant when I'm layering things up. 😊
Warm Thanks Rebecca! I also love reading how other artists tackle a medium I don't use. Fun to gain a whole new perspective! Yay for your acrylic gesso! (And I promise mom's the word.) lol
I love that you can manipulate the surface and readjust when needed. I use a product that offers similar advantages. I'm a big fan of Gamblin's oil ground---use it on both my wooden and canvas panels. I can wipe back to the white surface if needed by lifting the paint, which really comes in handy when painting flowers or light areas in a painting. Plus it doesn't have a sinking in affect with oils that gesso has. Isn't it amazing how much we continue to learn as artists? A life long journey for sure. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and very kind words! xx
It's so handy having something there that means you can alter what's already down, isn't it? I'd never even heard of gesso until I started messing around with mixed media - and I couldn't do without it now.
I love how you've expressed this: '...manipulate the surface and readjust when needed'. In my workspace it's generally a case of 'right, this is a job for my damp rag!'
And yes - art is the absolute definition of learning. I flipping love it! 🙌
So happy you found the magic sauce in gesso Rebecca! It's great when you know you're not locked into every brush stroke. I love that we are making an artful connection here. Three cheers to future projects and discoveries! xx
Thanks so much Deborah! It's been so wonderful working with oils in these beautiful sketchbooks. Mind you, I sometimes need a bit of medium to make the paint flow better over large areas I need to cover. But, I was pretty excited to finally be able to work in oils in my sketchbook without the laborious task of adding several layers of gesso! Thanks so much for reading! xx
Lovely!
Thanks so much Jillian! xx
I like the idea of acrylic gesso for sketchbook pages in oil. I have also used 'canva paper," and now thinking about making a sketchbook out of that.
I think making your own sketchbook is a wonderful idea Judy! I have been thinking the same way. Would love to make one using arches oil paper---I also prime it with Gamblin's oil ground as it makes the paper less absorbent. Let me know it you give it a try---would be a fun project! xx
Awesome post, Debbie - I learned so much! Your cloud studies are absolutely glorious, and I was really interested to hear about the shellack! I don't use oils, but I'm best friends with white acrylic gesso which is just wonderful for my explorations in mixed media (shhhhh, but it means I can wipe anything and everything off the top of it and start again!). It's brilliant when I'm layering things up. 😊
Warm Thanks Rebecca! I also love reading how other artists tackle a medium I don't use. Fun to gain a whole new perspective! Yay for your acrylic gesso! (And I promise mom's the word.) lol
I love that you can manipulate the surface and readjust when needed. I use a product that offers similar advantages. I'm a big fan of Gamblin's oil ground---use it on both my wooden and canvas panels. I can wipe back to the white surface if needed by lifting the paint, which really comes in handy when painting flowers or light areas in a painting. Plus it doesn't have a sinking in affect with oils that gesso has. Isn't it amazing how much we continue to learn as artists? A life long journey for sure. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and very kind words! xx
It's so handy having something there that means you can alter what's already down, isn't it? I'd never even heard of gesso until I started messing around with mixed media - and I couldn't do without it now.
I love how you've expressed this: '...manipulate the surface and readjust when needed'. In my workspace it's generally a case of 'right, this is a job for my damp rag!'
And yes - art is the absolute definition of learning. I flipping love it! 🙌
So happy you found the magic sauce in gesso Rebecca! It's great when you know you're not locked into every brush stroke. I love that we are making an artful connection here. Three cheers to future projects and discoveries! xx
Three cheers back! YES! 😊
Such beautiful studies. I would never have considered using oil in a sketchbook, though I know these are brilliant sketchbooks. Such a lovely read.
Thanks so much Deborah! It's been so wonderful working with oils in these beautiful sketchbooks. Mind you, I sometimes need a bit of medium to make the paint flow better over large areas I need to cover. But, I was pretty excited to finally be able to work in oils in my sketchbook without the laborious task of adding several layers of gesso! Thanks so much for reading! xx