Hi here,
traditionally when painting in layer, to adhere fat over lean rule, people usually mix oil and solvent in ratios from leaner to fatter to each layer.
i am thinking if possible we adhere to fat over lean but make it solvent free?
maybe start with a absorbent acrylic gesso ground, which is a thirsty starting layer that will draw oil from straight of tube first layer color, then in next 2nd layer, brush on a thin layer of linseed oil first then complete w/ color, repeat the process for subsequence layers, all brush on a oil layer then paint.
the only difference here beside traditional method is use oil only without solvent, and have the absorbent gesso layer to help creating fat over lean by drawing oils from layer to layer.
does anyone seeing any issues of this method? or if you have other ideas, plz share?
The aforementioned “traditionally” is a common modern practice but not universal.
Nothing wrong with painting solvent free. A good quality acrylic gesso is good but you don;t want it to be too “thirsty” Straight oil paint from tube is good for first layer, or maybe even second, depending on the paint.
Brushing on thin layers of linseed oil is generally not recommended. Just mix the linseed or other approved fatty oil mediums into the paint with MILD incrementalism for each layer. (never ever exceding medium to paint.) Otherwise with these linseed layers you risk lean layer, fat layer, lean layer, fat layer, lean layer etc. On top of this, any unmixed linseed layer can yellow quite badly.
Marc.
Hi Marc, quick question, i get your idea but i found in practice how you will add right amount oil to paint? i think it is very hard to control from adding smaller to larger quantity.
Well I only use stand oil, and with a palatte knife I place an amount on my glass plate set upon a short table. From this thick free standing pool with another palette knife I take a portion to mix with paint which are already mixed to the correct colours. The momentary free standing nature of stand oil makes it easy to judge quanity. But many other mediums will be similar in this feature.
You might do well to ask this question on other painting forums. Other artists will have solutions to this problem with their different painting styles.
Marc.
