Preparing A Painting Ground

By Al Young and Elspeth Young

Al and Elspeth's favorite support for their paintings is 3/16-inch tempered hardboard also known as Masonite. Sturdy, light, and easy to prepare, it is an archival, durable, and economic choice of support for oil paintings.

At the outset of any painting project, we plan a composition and determine the finished dimensions of the painting-to-be. We then purchase and cut the desired piece of Masonite from a 4 ft. x 8 ft. sheet obtained from a home improvement store.

The panel is then lightly sanded, on one side, to create a rough texture to which the gesso can more readily bond. Sanding is done by hand with a sanding block. (Belts from the workshop's belt sander tear in two with enough frequency that we always have enough partially used belts--just the right size in which to wrap a small piece of a 2x4.) We also lightly bevel the edges of the panel to minimize angular edges easily chipped in working with a painting. The panel is vacuumed, and then cleaned with a damp cloth.

Next, undiluted Utrecht Professional Acrylic Gesso is applied with a 3-inch bristle brush using a figure-eight motion. Our objective for the Gesso layers is to provide a reasonably thick barrier between the oil paint and the panel, achieve a thoroughly white ground and a texture analogous to that of a smoothed sand painting.

We usually apply three to five layers of gesso. During application of the final layers, Al likes to work primarily with the toe of the bristles instead of their belly. Still using the figure-eight pattern, he applies a slight amount with the brush, stroking until the marks of the bristles disappear and only the stippled surface of the drying gesso on the panel remains.

Applying gesso to the edges of a panel is a safeguard against damage resulting from chipping along the edge of a painting whether during its creation or framing.

After application and drying of each gesso layer (an hour or two for the early layers, less time for subsequent layers), he uses a wooden handle painting knife (with a bent or "cranked" handle) to remove dried flecks of gesso that seem to find their way into the gesso no matter how carefully applied. The edges of the painting knife are quite sharp.

An important precaution against dried flecks of gesso, in applying multiple layers of gesso to a panel, is taking time to thoroughly rinse the brush between layer applications, and keeping the lid and sides of the gesso container as free as possible from the build-up of dried gesso.

After a gesso layer is dry, a medium-coarse piece of sandpaper is used to smooth the panel before another layer of gesso is applied. After the last layer of gesso is sanded, close your eyes and run your hand slowly over the prepared ground, or shine a bright lamp so that its light rakes across the surface of the panel, to check for any remaining imperfections in the surface texture.

Sand the edges of the panel as well as the surface to prevent the building up of ridges that invite chip damage later on.

The panel is allowed to dry overnight. Painting can begin the next day, or, if desired, a layer of raw umber can be applied using a rag or old sock by which the umber is applied in a circular motion. Wearing a pair of latex gloves during the umber application saves clean-up time and precludes irritation to sensitive skin. Using a cloth instead of a brush also simplifies clean-up and minimizes the unwanted texture of brushstrokes beneath subsequent layers of paint.

The close-up image, here, of a section of a prepared panel is an attempt to show the kind of visual texture and color resulting from the process described. The layer of raw umber is thick enough to tone the panel without the texture of impasto; unless, of course, such a texture is desired. This layer dries for about two days during the summer in our dry desert climate. Allow for more time in humid and cold conditions.

Q&A : A Response

In response to Part I, a friend asked--Why begin a painting with a raw umber layer? This is an excellent question, which we will endeavor to answer here.

Without an initial layer that at least tones the ground, the application of paint can be frustrating as individual bristles in one's brushstrokes scrape all the way to the gesso layer, resulting in undesired white streaks. Toned gesso is, of course, available or can be made, but we prefer to apply the tone as a separate step; when we apply a tone at all.

A toned ground also generally reduces drying time required for subsequent layers.

Whether the under-layer is raw umber, another earth-tone constituting a mid-tone within the image, or a tonal block-in of elements in the composition is of little moment. For example, Al sometimes skips the raw umber under-layer in paintings where a sky constitutes a large portion of the composition because his technique for painting skies creates an "under-layer" in and of itself, making an additional under-layer unnecessary.

For many subjects, however, an earth-tone under-layer can speed the drying time of each subsequent painting layer. Particularly in the case of canvas, such an under-layer can save an artist grief by filling in small cervices in the canvas texture that can be difficult to fill in once detailed work on the image commences.

Our approach to painting involves the application of paint in layers commonly known as indirect painting. This isn't the only way to paint, but it is an approach that enables an artist to literally build up the actual textures, the colors, and the illusion of textures by means of layers; as opposed to a use of alla prima, or direct painting, that seeks to achieve all of these things in one application of paint.

These layers are typically referred to as glazes. Some layers are opaque and other layers are translucent. Some layers cover large areas of the painting and other layers do not. Some layers are evenly applied to achieve a uniform tone and other layers are ragged or brushed in ways that provide the illusion of texture as well as tonal variation to enhance the play of light within the image. Layering provides almost infinite possibilities for the rendering of objects in a painting.

To paint anything in layers requires that the image be decomposed or stratified, mentally, into plains. In our experience, it isn't possible to know at the outset of a painting how many plains will be required to complete the work, nor, yet, what each of those plains will consist of. Thus, painting in this manner is literally a expedition into the unknown. Experience, of course, does much to help the artist feel comfortable in the midst of such ambiguity and uncertainty.

One of the possibilities provided by the application of an initial umber layer is that it can be used as the basis for all of the negative spaces in an image. The application of paint can then focus on developing the highlights of the positive space while shadows are built-up in the voids (i.e., the areas remaining exposed of the initial umber layer). This, however, can present quite a "adventure" in the creation of an image; perhaps because it not only stratifies the image into horizontal layers, but requires a kind of vertical segmentation of the image as well.

Shadows or negative spaces in an image are as wonderfully complex and important as the positive spaces. Starting with an umber tone and building actual and perceived depth into the shadows adds a richness to the finished work that can hardly be otherwise achieved.

A toned ground also tends to unify the development of the hues in the image (hence the desirability of a unifying, basic earth-tone like raw umber).

An important part of any expedition into the unknown, is not just the discovery of what's "out there," but the artist's discovery of what works best for him or her. Over time, an artist can become more and more familiar with the nature of his or her own abilities so that out of the infinity of ways-of-doing-things, an approach as well as a set of skills emerge.

A major part of painting involves the discovery of abilities and techniques. Without knowing something of the background against which the simple answers are set, the reality of possibilities to which any particular technique is associated is obscured. Hence the longer answer. And even in this longer answer, we have at best only remarked some of the promontories in the landscape of the broader questions.