What are you working on?

[snoball]

O.O, I love your mugshot wall. You could have made a mock-up Post Office around it. O.O, I love your mugshot wall. You could have made a mock-up Post Office around it. My commissions come to me, usually people or pets that have passed. I used to be really busy with portraits just before Christmas, but not so much since I took down my website. Most of them now are friends on facebook or locals. I just finished this one and posted it in its own thread.

 

[OliveOyl]

Thank you, Sno. Thank you, Sno.

Okay, this is pretty great! Congratulations. That “bridle” (never would have thought of the proper name and was going to call it a harness or rein or leather horse thing) is really well done. And so are the curls in her hair. You so good…

 

[snoball]

Thank you, Sno. Thank you, Sno.

Okay, this is pretty great! Congratulations. That “bridle” (never would have thought of the proper name and was going to call it a harness or rein or leather horse thing) is really well done. And so are the curls in her hair. You so good…

Thanks much, O.O. The double text was because it duplicated for some reason and I kept taking out double text and it kept putting them in different places and I just got tired of trying to get them all out. I should have just deleted the whole thing and started over.

 

[TK H-H]

I'm working on designing a round canvas. I've never done a circular canvas before.

It's an ugly sketch right now so won't post yet. But it includes magnolias and two spiders. The spiders will have floral patterns on their backs. Still deciding on the web they're sitting on. It'll either be silver with water droplets on a black background, or I'm considering experimenting and doing a gold leaf web with glued on pearls and each space between the web strands painted a different shade of blue. I'm going to make copies of the sketch and color them in with ink and pencils to see how each might look first.

 

[JennieJo]

Exploring and developing old styles. The process for this one, I'll do a few more like this. A photograph of a tree, printed and edited print. ReEdited. I'm in the process of turning it into oils on small canvas.

 

[TK H-H]

I decided I'll experiment with the gold leaf and pearls for my canvas painting. I got my sketch projected onto the canvas so it's all ready for painting.

Just taking a short break from that project as I'm working on a portrait of me and my fiance. Using a photo from just before we got engaged. He doesn't know I'm drawing it. So going to give it to him as a surprise. It should be finished today or tomorrow. I just have to finish my hair and then darken some values.

 

[TK H-H]

Well. Portrait is done. Gifted it to my fiance and he really liked it. Said he's going to take it in to have it framed.

I'd share it, but not sure I want my face on the internet...

So... now that's finished, it's time to focus on my canvas painting! I started painting it today. It's an acrylic. I blocked in some background colors. All blues so far. Debating glazing an interference color over top to get a color shift. I painted a swatch of the same colors on a spare sheet of canvas paper so I can test it out. It might be a little too busy given I'm going to use goldleaf for the spiderweb. But worth trying out anyways. I'll probably post a WIP once I have a little more done on it.

 

[PaintBoss]

Can’t wait to see it sounds really cool.

 

[snoball]

Working on a couple more commissioned drawings for a lady to give for Christmas. Don't have a photo yet, it has finally been raining (actually over a foot) but will put up a picture in a day or two.

 

[TK H-H]

Nothing exciting right now, but thought I'd share.

Just have some blues blocked in. I kind of like the jagged shape the painted area has created. So I'm debating modifying the colors to keep that shape. The whole outside edge was supposed to be a dark blue. Not sure if I still want to do dark blue, keep it white so the shape stands out, or continue the edges with the randomly placed blues. If I paint it, the gold leaf will still frame out that shape, so I won't entirely lose it.

 

[PaintBoss]

Looking very good so far, and I like the shapes it’s very dynamic.

 

[snoball]

This is a photo (terrible because it is a very dreary day) of the one I've been working on. I've signed it but will go back and add a bit more contrast here and there, but I've got to get on to the other one right now too.

 

[Grapes]

It might be a little too busy given I'm going to use goldleaf for the spiderweb.

TK H-H, you're using gold leaf! I bought cold leaf 10 yrs ago in Florence but I still haven't figured out how to use it. I want to start using it.

What kind of priming do you have on your canvas to be able to add cold leaf on it with glue?
They sold me the glue, too so I have all tools to start working. What is uncertain to me is the support material. Does the support need to be pure wood? How about acrylic priming as a support?

My problem - I think is - that my canvases mostly are oil primed/lead oil primed canvases so I can't really use cold lead on that, can I?

I've seen YouTube videos of the process so l shouldn't have any problem in the process itself. It's the support that is troubling me now!

--- edit: after doing more thinking: the glue they sold me in the art supply store might be water based (looks like) and in that case I might not be able to use it on oil primed canvas.
????

 

[Grapes]

Okay .. I now found in one article the following :
"In most cases, a water-based adhesive, also called size, will be the best choice. However, if you’re looking for how to apply gold leaf to canvas, you should use an oil-based solvent if it is an oil painting."

According to previous gold leaf can be added on oil prime surface or even over oil painting.
Also, it's not called glue but sizer .. I did know that, just had forgotten ..
I don't know what my adhesive is (it's white color) water or oil based

 

[TK H-H]

I've never used gold leaf before. So this is totally new for me. From my understanding, the adhesive could go on top of my dried acrylic paint. I paint in very thin layers so there's no texture to go over. But now that you mention it, I should double check in case I need to put some kind of coating on it first. I got a bottle of adhesive by the same brand that makes the gold leaf. I assume it's water based?

I have that acrylic swatch I made. I'll do a little test over that and see how it adheres.

I did watch an artist on Youtube who uses gold leaf flakes on canvas. He doesn't do anything special to the canvas. So I'm hoping I'm all set once it's all painted.

 

[Artyczar]

St. Luke uses a lot of gold leaf. He might be able to chime in. It's a great start so far.
Sno, yours looks FANTASTIC! Wow!

 

[stlukesguild]

I use gold leaf/metal leaf over acrylic without any problem... but the acrylic I use is very matte... like a crafter's acrylic... because I want that matte look to go along with the pastels I use. I actually prime the entire painting with matte acrylic... mostly a reddish/burnt Sienna hue. The old masters used a reddish clay or bole under their gold leaf and you can see it peak out from the gold leaf in many places. I use the reddish acrylic to achieve something similar. I'll often sand the gold leaf and the acrylic to lend the surface a more time-weathered appearance.

You should probably just test the gold leaf out on the side to see how it works... but looking at the paintings by Robert Kushner I doubt you'll have any problem:

 

[TK H-H]

Thanks! I'll test it out first for sure.
From what I've seen and read, it sounds like letting the glue dry and become tacky is really important. Can you let the glue dry too much? I was thinking of maybe waiting 30 minutes for a thin layer of adhesive. But not sure if that's too long? Not sure how to tell how long to wait.

Also, that's a lovely tulip painting. The blue with the gold really stands out.

 

[stlukesguild]

I usually give it around 15 minutes… and then I check with a raking light from the side to see any areas I might have missed. I usually apply a second layer of the adhesive and then wait 15 minutes again. I don’t know if you can give it too much time. In the past I have applied all the adhesive but then needed to go home and so I didn’t apply the leaf until the next day. Now I tend to apply the adhesive to a small enough area that I know I can complete in a single session.

 

[TK H-H]

Ah okay. Thanks for the advice. I'll give it a try once I have this all painted.