I have been using plywood for oil painting, and I want to continue to do so, but I want to protect my work from the effects of surface checking (which I understand is inevitable with plywood supports). I just learned about the problem of checking after painting on plywood for five years. I understand that adhering linen or cotton canvas to the support will help, but I would like a smooth surface, as similar to the wood as possible. I am wondering if attaching smoother materials which would also be sufficient. I am interested in whether paper would work–and would it need to be a heavy paper? What about mulberry paper? What about silk or muslin, or another fine fabric? I would also like to understand how exactly the added layer helps. Is it that it is removable? Does it stop the checking from deepening? I am using high quality plywood panels manufactured for artists. Any information or experience shared would be greatly welcome.
Hi Mulberry. Interesting post, I’m busy with research too so I am very interested in learning about issues and solutions.
Does the checking happen on the high-quality plywood panels too?
Do you know what type of wood they use for their plywood? Also how many layers and thickness are each layer?
If you apply paper how would that be removable?
Does the checking happen after you paint – and is it visible on the art?
Do you have any pictures?
Graham
@graham-acf I appreciate your reply. Sorry, I don’t have a lot of information, or examples —it’s something I have been reading is a problem with plywood, and I am concerned about the longevity of my work. Here is one article: https://justpaint.org/surface-checking-and-plywood-is-it-a-concern/
I’m hoping someone here might weigh in on ways I might find a suitable surface (similar smooth feel to wood) that does not have this issue.
While I know ACM is often recommended, I am also hoping to find a way to continue using wood.
Hi Mulberry – ” I might find a suitable surface (similar smooth feel to wood) that does not have this issue.”
What part of the planet are you on?
I might have something you can try…
The ‘Cape Hunting Dog'(Artist Ian Clarke) is oils directly on the product. Box Board Canvas
@graham-acf Thanks for the idea–I am in the US. I think a company nearby does sell something similar, so I may give that a try. I prefer wood over fiber boards, but I have more exploring to do with adding a fabric or paper layer over the wood.
I have successfully adhered paper to plywood using acrylic medium (not removable) and muslin to plywood using rabbit skin glue. I am sure there are other materials and adhesives that will work well. In my cases the paper and muslin act as an intermediate layer between the wood and the paint layers disallowing any checks from cracking the paint. I’d recommend testing various papers you might like to work with. I think a very thin paper would be much more difficult to adhere.
No other surface will be exactly like wood, but acrylic or traditional gesso applied over linen can be sanded extremely smooth. Good Luck!
eli
@larrylazzardo thanks for your reply. May I ask–did you seal the front and back of the wood before attaching the fabric/paper? If so, what did you use as a sealant?
Hello Eli,
Thank you for your reply. It is very helpful to hear about your experiences. Can I ask a few follow-up questions? Do you regard the paper on wood, once gessoed and painted, to be similar in durability to other surfaces that do not always need framing? I hope to display my paintings unframed. Do you know if it is important to wrap the fabric around the edges of the wood, or sufficient to leave the edge flush with the edge of the paintable surface? Finally, do you have a take on the idea of using silk as the intermediary layer?
