? for Luc,Clinton or any canvas painters

[Frog]

Guys I,m going to attempt my first canvas.
I have cropped a photo (one of my own) attached.
The canvas is 80cm by 65, so I am going bigger than normal for me, with an airbrush anyway.

I am preping it with a 3 or 4 coats of gesso, and I am thinking of toning the last 2 coat with some black and red to give a soft warm grey for my base.

I think I know how I am going to aproach this but any hints/tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Clinton]

There's only really two things I would tell you that might help you out. I wouldn't tint the Gesso, use it as a white base. The reasin for this is you want to use the white of your canvas for you highlites. If you make it a greay tone you've just killed your highlites. That's the whole benifit of canvas work you have a natrual highlite when you use your eraser's ect, don't use white on a canvas unless you really need to but the pic your doing does not need any white. It would look "fake" if you put white anywhere on that piece. And the only other advise is work very transparent and work in layers. This gives you a lot a of layers to erase and build and if things start going the wrong direction it's easier to correct. Hope that helps you out.

[colourshift]

I agree with Clinton... don't tint it. Try and save your whites.
Light layers are key with erasing, as he said....else you end up trying to shift too much paint.
Please see AD Cook's canvas prep tutorial for an insight as to how to prep a smooth canvas, if that's what you're going for...

http://adcookfineart.com/article-aa-canvasprep.html

[Frog]

Guys thanks for the quick replies, Glad I asked now, Being a hairstick painter as well made me think tinting was a good idea. I always wipe my canvases with a colour before starting, white canvas is so bloody scarey.....Even more so with a AB. IT LOOKS SOOOOOO BIG!

Michael

[colourshift]

I hear ya Michael...if you weren't going for grey scale, I'd say go for it. Trouble is, adding a white hi-lite is only gonna look funky, as white has so much blue in it...it'll bugger up the grey scale, and look out of place.

[colourshift]

I kinda figured out your canvas size in inches (dark ages here in the US guys)...good sized piece.
What the heck are you worried about? You're work is lovely. Hush and go paint. That's what I'm going to do...

[Whit]

No advice really,,, just some encouragement !!!
Good Luck on it !!!:partyalone:

[Frog]

I kinda figured out your canvas size in inches (dark ages here in the US guys)...good sized piece.
What the heck are you worried about? You're work is lovely. Hush and go paint. That's what I'm going to do...

Ok *shuffling off like a good boy* geeze bosey or what:devil-smiley-033:

Michael

[colourshift]

:wink2: :whip:
Lol, Michael, you have no idea....

[LucBoivin]

Sorry for late reply here Michael but it looks like you got some good answers so far. I might just add if not too late that I sand my canvas prior to first coat of Gesso. Each coat of Gesso is diluted with water to a creamy almost milk like substance. Sand between coats with 300 or smaller grain.

Hope this helps...and again, sorry for late reply, haven't been around much in the past week or so.

Luc