Hi Brian, thank you for your response. Very astute of you to ask about storage. My panels were stored for several months in vellum envelopes in the mostly dark storage racks of my studio. I always thought only lead based materials would yellow. So I was surprised when I saw the extent of yellowing on these paintings.
I used a fair amount of medium on the Titanium white paint for the backgrounds. The paint I use is this luscious, rich, Italian paint, but quite stiff out of the tube.
Why RSG? I smile as I write this- I’m old school! I was trained in the 80’s and 90’s art schools, and that’s what we were taught. I haven’t had problems before, but of course, I am open to updating my methods.
Thanks! Maryam
Thank you so much for your response Brian. My apologies again for incorrect posting. The article you recommend is terrific and reassuring regarding the nature of our materials. Exactly what I have been grappling with.
I am so glad to hear your personal take on RSG! Great advice on the gesso. Thank you so much for taking the time to educate us on the craft. Maryam
Sorry for the belated reply on this, I missed that this was an addition question with the same title and mistakenly assumed that you double posted.
It is true that lead white in oil yellows considerably in the dark. However, all oil paints will become more yellow when stored in the dark (even films of unpigmented drying oil will do the same). This is a completely reversable change in color/value.
Here is a great read on the subject by one of our moderators.
https://justpaint.org/what-is-dark-yellowing/
As to RSG under acrylic dispersion paints. Even though I am a paintings conservator, I also love the results of animal glue sizes used on stretched linen. It does have serious drawbacks in terms of storage (the work absolutely requires a stable RH). As far as best practices, an acrylic dispersion size or even just multiple layers of acrylic dispersion ground is a better choice for the longevity of the piece. However, if you, like me, greatly prefer the result of animal glue skin sizes, stick with oil or alkyd grounds.
