I am getting very frustrated with my method but can not find the best way to fix things. I use hardboard primed with Gac100 and either Gamblin oil ground/Rublev alkyd/Wiliamsburg lead. Wait 3-4 weeks and apply a light tone of raw umber and Gamsol, wait 3 days. Start painting with unaltered tube paint, make a mistake and try to wipe it, the wipe takes off the tone and the white ground underneath is now stained.
Ideally, I would like to have a very light tone or just white board and 2-3 painting layers on top, wiping as I go without damaging or staining what’s underneath. I thought the tone was under bound but putting a richer tone was not recommended. I thought the ground was too absorbent but having a more closed off ground was not recommended either.
I’m sure I’m not the only artist trying to do this but I can’t find a good example to follow. Maxwell Parrish supposedly used retouch varnish but everyone says that’s a no go. Rockwell and Brad Kunkle use shellac and Richard Schmid says his lead oil ground allows him to wipe back to white but I am not able to replicate this with unaltered manufacturer grounds I tried. Please help.
It seems to me that your imprimatura layers are a little too lean. I have encountered this as well when applying very thin layers over a ground. They can be sensitive to wiping. Make a test using the same ground and apply your colored toning layers thinned but with a touch of added oil. I have not had this problem when painting on a well formulated and sufficienly dried white ground (lead or alkyd), only with leanly bound imprimatura.
Many of Parrish’s paintings are in poor condition or are unsightly due to his overly complicated layering system. Other have darkened in tone due to his use of intermediate copal and dammar interlayers.
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