Hello,
I found this video the other day, and was interested to try this method, if it can acquire your seal of approval.
This appears to be two layers of just linseed oil and “chalk” calcium carbonate, with a dollop of color-of-one’s-choice for toning. Two layers of this, applied five days apart, and you are ready-to-go in ten days’ time. Allegedly.
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(18) How to prepare a canvas like the Old Masters | Demonstration by Jan-Ove Tuv – YouTube
00:12:08 – :00:12:16: “The canvas, which of course is pre-glued, by all means.”
Additional comments: Though some in this “school” use RSG, this particular canvas in the video “is a “pre-glued” Claessens 066GL.” (So, PVA?).
“At least two [layers], but you can do three (as I mention towards the end: the ground will then suck [absorb] much more, but that can also be exploited to your advantage – depending on the technique you prefer)”
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In this second video, this Nerdrum-school painter uses the same method of priming, but adds an “alkyd resin,” and relays how this prevented his painting cracking while being rolled.
(18) Learn to Paint like the Old Masters from Odd Nerdrum’s Prominent Pupil Sebastian Salvo | Part I – YouTube
Discussion of his priming and preparation method from 00:05:30 until 00:11:00. I am also assuming this is pre-glued, though there is no verbal mention.
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This first one, without the alkyd medium, interests me, but is it really enough to do:
layer 1) RSG or hide glue (or PVA, I imagine)
layer 2) linseed oil – calcium carbonate – dollop of paint. five days to dry
layer 3) linseed oil – calcium carbonate – dollop of paint. five days to dry
Any thoughts? The non-toxic nature, and quick drying time (I do not have access, in my region, to some oil grounds I see advertised by painters on YouTube, that dry in two weeks or so).
Thank you
Hello there,
I think the old masters relied a little more on lead carbonate than calcium carbonate to ground their paintings.
Five days for a linseed oil without driers to dry is optimistic at best. And depending on the filler loading, it will crack badly later on. The alkyd would insure it some flexibility once dry and probably replaces the lead in that purpose.
Remember also the fat over lean general rule. Meaning be dead sure it’s fully dry before use and if you’re using “just oil” in your ground, 5 days and 5 days drying time sound overly optimistic to me personally. Without driers I’d give it a month between each layer at least.
Good priming to you,
Lussh
It’s not too far from an early ”old masters” ground, but not one of the better ones. The highly transparent nature of the calcium carbonate can be prone to darkening agents. Such as relining glues. Even the binding oil itself will display it’s full dark yellowing.
The National gallery of London released a technical bulletin revealing that Titian used grounds like these and they darkened, resulting in the belief for centuries that he used dark brown grounds. When actually he used a layer of either calcium carbonate or gypsum bound in linseed scraped across the weave to mostly flatten the surface. Followed by a thin layer of warm pale grey made of mostly lead white, with red lead and carbon black.
Later old masters replaced the calcium carbonate with an ochre sometimes with a small addition of lead white as a first scraped layer. Perhaps for this reason, or because it was less prone to cracking, they then followed this with a similar lead white warm grey layer. When the displayed weave became more accepted later on, the ochre layer was foregone. Using a transparent or pale light brown as a first scraped layer made sense as if lead lead white is used instead, the raised weave points can be obvious as darkish dots requiring further layers of lead white. More layers than just using one over the flattened ochre layer, where the ochre and weave high points ghosts through more evenly to better visual effect.
Marc.
Hi Lussh.
Thanks for the response.
Do you then believe the second approach, with the alkyd resin, would be stable enough, if I waited 6 weeks between coats? Do the substantial cracking issues apply to both versions, or just the one sans alkyd?
If yes, what alkyd resin do you believe would be most stable for this use?
(Also: I know this isn’t any real imitation of old masters’ techniques — my interest here is just in the increased drying time and decreased toxicity.)
Thank you!
