This work in progress is going to be a little bit different than most of those I post on this blog or on the On The Easel section of my web site.

This one begins with the preparation of the support.

I have been intrigued with painting square compositions since first working with a square in 2007’s Shadwell Estates brochure competition. That was followed in 2008 with the panel I painted for the Mural Mosaic Le Cadeau Du Cheval, which was larger, but was also square.

I also happened to have a piece of masonite left over from a 24″ x 48″ sheet. It was 22″ x 23″ or thereabouts and when I had Neal trim it, I decided to make a square out of it. So this piece of masonite is 22″ x 22″.

The first step in the preparation process is to remove the label from the back (rough side) of the panel and to sand the front side. I want to remove the ’smooth’ coating on the front of the panel, but do not need to do a lot of heavy sanding. To break up the surface, I might use a coarser grit sand paper, but most of the work is done with either 60 or0 grit sand paper.

Sanding work is done by hand. A good orbital sander would work very nicely for larger panels or for panels that have already been used. For example, I gessoed a panel that had ball point pen marks on it and the ink seeped through every layer of gesso. Neal used an orbital sander to remove the gesso and the ink and the panel looked fresh-from-the-store new.

A full sheet could also be sanded this way before being cut, but I prefer to do the sanding by hand and after panels have been cut to size. The reasons are three-fold.

First, I prefer to do the work by hand because that allows me to monitor the condition of the surface as I work. Smoothing my hand over the surface periodically tells me where the panel needs more sanding and where it has been sanded enough.

Working by hand is also slower and more deliberate. If I sand too much, it’s likely to be just a little bit too much. Getting carried away with a power sander could be destructive!

Finally, any marks made on the panel during the cutting process can be sanded off prior to any further work, thereby avoiding the problems described above.

All sanding should be done in a well ventilated area and/or while you are wearing some kind of breathing protection. I much prefer to do my sanding work outside, but know that’s not always possible, especially during the winter months.

Once sanding is complete, the panel is wiped lightly with a dry cloth to remove the dust of sanding. An old sock works great, but paper towel is adequate, as well. Dust can also be removed with a large brush such as house painter’s brush.

The next step is applying a ground. I use acrylic gesso and I use the best I can buy, usually Golden Acrylic Gesso. Colored gessos are available, but I have always used white. It can be easily tinted with acrylic paint if a color is required. Personally, there is something very nice about a pristine white surface when I begin to paint. Since I do a lot of glazing, white also works best and does not affect subsequent glazes like a colored or tinted gesso would.

Gesso is applied at least three times all the way around the panel in a very orderly fashion. One layer on the front and ends to begin with. When that is dry, I turn the panel over and put a layer on the back and on the top and bottom edges. That process continues until the entire panel (front, back and all four edges) have three layers of gesso.

If I want an ultra smooth surface on which to paint, I will sand each layer of gesso lightly to remove brush strokes. A very fine sand paper is recommended. Once again, 60 or 80 grit is what I reach for most often, but something finer would also work. Do not, repeat DO NOT, use the same piece of sand paper for this part of the preparation process that you used to sand the panel.

Another option for an ultra smooth surface would be to thin the gesso a little bit with water in the final stages. I have not used this method before, but have heard from other artists that it works very well to produce an almost toothless surface.

If I want a little bit of tooth to the surface, I may sand at the end of the gesso process or, I may leave the last layer untouched and not sand at all.

Gesso is applied horizontally in the first layer, vertically in the second layer, and diagonally in the final layer. With each layer unsanded, the result is a very nice canvas-like texture that works great on larger paintings.

Something I have often considered but have never tried is creating different kinds of texture by spreading various types of cloth over the final layer of gesso before the gesso dries.

A nice linen pressed into wet gesso and pulled up immediately and carefully, for example. Or a more coarse fabric like burlap. Anything might be used to create unique surface textures and painting surfaces.

After the last gesso has been applied, the panel is ready for drying. Gesso usually dries to the touch in an hour or less, depending on weather conditions, but I generally let panels dry at least over night and quite often for several days. It is not uncommon to prepare several panels at the same time, then store them until they are needed. One word of caution, though. If you do prepare panels ahead of time and store them, don’t store them one against the other. Larger panels should also be cradled with stretcher bars on the back or should be stored flat.

Now that the panel is ready to go, the next step in the painting process is developing the composition.

Thanks for reading and best wishes!

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.