Linen is a beautiful material that some artists prefer over cotton canvas for its pronounced weave and sensuous feel. Linen fibers are also stronger than cotton, resulting in a more durable, longer lasting support. While they are durable and rugged, flax fibers absorb moisture from the environment, or an applied product, more quickly than cotton, … Read more
Home>Uncategorized > Preparing Stretched Linen with Acrylic Gesso
About Greg Watson
View all posts by Greg Watson --> Archive | 
Greg Watson
(Or, how to keep your tubes from turning into tiny, paint-filled fossils) Let’s be honest—during the heat of painting, “tube maintenance” isn’t high on anyone’s list. We’re more likely to lose the cap than to carefully twist it shut. But once the flurry of creation settles, taking a few minutes to give your paints … Read more
Since their introduction in 2007, PanPastel Artist Pastels have inspired the pastel world with their pan format and sponge applicators, allowing for smooth, even applications, soft fades and gradients. They combine the visual power of pure pigments with the mixability of paint and can be used with almost any other drawing or painting material, making … Read more
The Golden Virtual Paint Mixer (MXR) has been used by color enthusiasts to learn about GOLDEN Acrylics for more than 10 years. During that time, feedback from artists has helped us to improve the tool to be more accurate and useful in the studio. With these goals in mind, we have upgraded the MXR yet … Read more
If you’ve ever sanded Gesso or other acrylic products and ended up with rubbery bits and had to throw out sheets and sheets of sandpaper and less than excellent results, then you should try WET SANDING! Wet sanding is the most effective way to sand acrylics. Adding water to the process lubricates the surface to … Read more
We have been asked many times over the years to provide oil content information for Williamsburg colors, Extender Medium and Oil Grounds. To answer that request, we have created a chart organizing these products into four categories – Low, Moderate, Medium, and High oil content by volume. We have chosen oil content by volume, because … Read more
Many acrylic artists paint on glass at some point in their career, either for fun or as a serious part of their practice. While there are commercially available bonding primers designed to prepare glass for painting, some artists want a crystal clear product that can be used as a primer or added to their paint … Read more
Neither Warm Nor Cool Positioned between red, yellow and blue, is gray. And sometimes gray is the exact color needed to compliment higher chroma pigments on the palette. Grays can be used to desaturate colors while maintaining or shifting their value, the relative degree of lightness or darkness. They can also be used to create … Read more
Introduction For some time, our recommendation for artists using oils over acrylic has been to work over harder, matte acrylic surfaces and avoid working on softer gels and gloss products. Our intention was to optimize the level of adhesion that would be achieved on a toothier surface as well as avoid the potential for future … Read more
Editor’s Note: Added April 26, 2022 For some time, our recommendation for artists using oils over acrylic has been to work over harder, matte acrylic surfaces and avoid working on softer gels and gloss products. Our intention was to optimize the level of adhesion that would be achieved on a toothier surface as well as … Read more
