Welcome

My name is Yong En

Physical structures and surfaces for paintings

Painting surfaces hardwood plywood

Veneer/Plywood hardwood board Rigid Support Today, choose those glued using Waterproof acid free adhesives: - PVA (poly vinyl acetate) - EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) - PU (polyurethane) glues. Layers are glued at right angles to each other to reduce warping
Formaldehyde based glues are commonly used, but try to stay away from these (carcinogenic!!!).

Painting surfaces hardwood

Properly treated Maple, birch, oak Teak etc.

Rigid support
Ideally: seasoned, air dried, quarter sawn e.g. Mona Lisa -> oil on poplar wood

Painting surfaces hardboard

Made from wood fibres Sometimes also called Masonite (brand). Strong board Ideally non-tempered type (no oil applied to the board during production) Choose formaldehyde free types

Painting surfaces DO NOT USE

Softwood Particleboard MDF - Medium Density Fibreboard HDF High Density Fibreboard

They will swell and/or warp a lot more than hardwood type boards

Painting surfaces - wood

Important things to note: Is the wood low acid? Is it sufficiently seasoned (to reduce moisture content to minimise warping)? Before painting all sides and surfaces of the wood have to be sealed with a waterproof coating -> prevent chemicals in the wood from affecting the paint when they leach out

Painting surfaces metal and glass

Surface typically roughened for better adherence of paints. Artists use it because of their smoothness. Typically stainless steel, aluminium or copper are used. Must take note of any possible chemical reactions though
Ian Davenport Colorfall: Cobalt, Vermillion, Cobalt, 2013 acrylic on stainless steel mounted on aluminum panel

Painting surface paper

Not suitable for oils -> cause paper to deteriorate quickly. Used more often for acrylic, watercolour, dry mediums, ink painting.

Main component: alpha cellulose (plant fibres) 1. 100% Cotton rag flexible and long fibres 2. 100% Linen rag from flax plant, stronger but less flexible than cotton 3. Wood pulp / woodfree / wood sulfite most common kind, extracted from wood chips, leaves residual lignin 4. Rag paper tricky labelling: might be even as little as 20% cotton cellulose

Cellulose fibres

Lignin
Plants glue in their cell walls in paper (wood pulp paper): Becomes acidic and turns yellow/brown over time cotton and linen cellulose are lignin free)

in wood boards: Leaches out and causes structure of wood to break down, and increases acidity which might damage paint

OBAs
Super high whiteness Normally, cellulose has a natural off white colour. So, manufacturers add Optical Brightening Agents (OBAs)

Absorb UV range EM waves -> re-emit at blue visible light range -> increase brightness (fluorescent effect)

BUT. They break down over time -> cause patchy yellowing and increased acidity

Archival paper: tricky labels

1. 2. 100% Cotton rag, 100% Linen rag -> ok Acid Free ->100% Cotton rag, 100% Linen rag
No bleaching, no rosim or alum for sizing

3.

Buffered - additional base added to cause paper to have alkaline pH. Good in addition to Acid free. OBA free / No OBAs No Optical Brightening Agents -> good. pH neutral -> wood pulp papers that undergo chemical pulping to break down lignin, then pH neutralised by adding a base (e.g. calcium carbonate)

4. 5.

6.

Rag paper tricky labelling: might be even as little as 20% cotton cellulose. Try to avoid.
alpha cellulose tricky labelling: usually woodfree paper, might have high cellulose content at times. Try to avoid.

7.

Chinese Xuan Paper

Wingceltis tree fibre from the trunk

Rice Straw 1 year natural bleaching process: Cooked in soda ash (sodium carbonate), And bleached for months in sunlight

Japanese Washi Paper

Mulberry (Kozo) Bamboo Hemp Mitsumata Gampi

Gampi

Chinese/Jap papers
Key properties: Very thin, pretty strong, very smooth, resistance to creases, suitable for calligraphy and chinese ink painting.

Silk

From silkworm cocoon Very smooth with satin lustre Used in chinese ink paintings Yellows over time

Canvas
1. Cotton Duck (dutch: doek linen canvas) So cotton doek differentiates itself from doek

Flexible, but does become brittle over time, esp in acidic pollutants Was never used as painting support before 19th century

Canvas
2. Linen (from flax)

Retting (controlled rotting of plant stalk, to detach fibres from woody core) -> braking (smash up the central woody core) -> scotching (sep long and short fibres, remove wood) -> spinning/weaving

Strong and resists rotting, draws less moisture from air, compared to other fibres -> less warping

Canvas
3. Hemp (much like linen) - Cannabis Sativa plant

Strong and resists rotting, draws less moisture from air, compared to other fibres -> less warping
Van Gogh and Rembrandt used hemp

Canvas
4. Synthetic fibres? polyester (polyethylene terephthalate (PET))? Not affected by moisture (doesnt expand or shrink)

Stretcher
A common type: Full mitered Beveled to 45degrees Mortise (groove) bridle joint and tenon (tongue) with keys

*there are many more kinds of joints used, its all about woodworking techniques
(http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/PSG_Stretchers_and_Strainers_-_III._Materials_and_Equipment)

Stretcher keys

Slot in to tighten the stretcher (where necessary)

Cross bars

Simple Lap Joint -groove cut out in the middle of both wooden bars (not the strongest of joints)

Sizing and Priming

Sizing for oil paints

Coating the substrate (paper/canvas) with a substance (usually to make it impermeable)
Traditionally: Rabbit Skin Glue But it is hygroscopic can absorb water after drying -> (whats the danger?)

Sizing for oil paints

Today: recommended use Acrylic polymer emulsions (e.g. PVA, but many chemical makeups are kind of industrial secrets) Main purpose: prevent the paints from coming into contact with the substrate (canvas / wood) -> why?

Sizing in paper production

Yes, sizing is also done to commercial paper, via surface coatings -> coated paper, or
E.g. Most printer papers to reduce ink being absorbed into paper Many different type of coatings are used (industrial secrets)

mixed into pulp during processing

E.g. making Shu Xuan Paper that is less absorbent to water (alum added)

Priming (preparing the ground)

Gesso previously, a combination of chalk or gypsum, animal glue and (white) pigment. Not recommended for use today. Acrylic emulsion gesso today, its some kind of acrylic resin, with marble dust or silica added (for tooth/grip), and also titanium white Dries to a tough, flexible film -> dont use the too flexible ones for large oil paintings -> why?

Priming (for oil paintings)

1. Acrylic emulsion gessoes more rigid kind 2. Oil based grounds: titanium white with safflower oil (applied over the size) 3. Alkyd resin based grounds: titanium white with alkyd resin (applied over size), preferred over oils as alkyds resist yellowing quite well Such grounds are stiffer to reduce movement in future

Brushes ang moh type

With a few kinds of animals

Thin Paints : Kolinsky / Red Sable (real ones) Has long tapered point and thick belly, soft but with very excellent spring. Has micro-scales -> hold large amount of water Reliable brands: colorpro, escoda, raphael
* today, the word kolinsky has been abused by manufacturers with lots of mis-labelling and, kolinsky is not sable

Marten -> Sable hair

Kolinsky (Siberian Mountain Weasel)

Washes, some signwriting: Squirrel Hair Very soft and dense, almost no spring, can hold lots of water

Various wash or texture effects: Mongoose Hair Stiff body, with very soft tips. Holds large amount of water.
*but under various controls now due to illegal trade

Heavier / Thicker paints : Boar/ Hog Bristles The surface of a hog bristle is flagged, or forked, at the tip. (A Chungking hog bristle often has seven to nine flags, making it the best choice for a brush.)

General wash: Ox ear hair Fibres are cylindrical -> will not form a fine tip. Strong and springy, suitable for rougher brush techniques

Synthetic brushes A general category for all sorts of synthetic hair -> polyester, polyamide (nylon / taklon) etc. Many innovations today. Suggested to be used for acrylics Some good ones can be pretty good.

Round brush: can hold quite a lot of paint, can make bold strokes and thin lines; versatile Bright brush: Shorter than flats, allow for better control in details Flat brush: can hold medium amount of paint, can make broad strokes or thin lines (using edge)

Filbert brush: Halfway between round and flat, can be used to soften edges Fan brush: Used to soften / blend, or create rough textures (with more dry paint)

Angle Shader

Approaches to painting Glazing

Under-drawing The drawing before the paint

Under-drawing The drawing before the paint

Under-painting
Working out the chiaroscuro: shadows and highlights

Under-painting
Working out the chiaroscuro: shadows and highlights Usually black,white + earth tones

Under-painting
Working out the chiaroscuro: shadows and highlights Usually black,white + earth tones

Glazing
Painting over using transparent colours -> rich depth of colour

Glazing effects
Subtle shifts of colour, e.g. light purple base + yellow (complementart colours)

Glazing effects

Subtle shifts of colour

Chinese / Japanese brushes

Softer hairs: Goat hairs

Inner Core and Outer hairs

Reservoir hairs: shorter hairs Unique structure hold ink in a reservoir (the solid black area inside the brush in the diagram at left) between layers of animal hairs, which are wrapped successively around a long, central core of bristles.

Reservoir: Space to hold dink

Goat hair Soft hairs that are wavy, coarse, expressive Tip and sides of brushes, in all positions, are used for painting

Types of marks chinese ink

 mountain and water boneless ink and wash light wash / green / gold wash humans technical drawing sketch expressive light colour wash flower and bird technical drawing sketch expressive boneless