Oil on Canvas again

Oils on Canvas Again...

I had a couple more questions about painting in oils on canvas…
Very few companies are making an oil based primer for linen these days. The two companies that I know that make it are Fredrix and Gamblin. These products are an alkyd based primer that uses titanium dioxide and zinc white pigments instead of the traditional lead white pigment. These newer alkyd primers actually dry faster, are less yellowing, and are at least as flexible as the traditional lead primer. Also, it has become too expensive for most companies to import lead because of high tariffs for transporting toxic materials. This is probably one reason why it is also harder to find lead white paint (“cremintz”, or “silver” white as it is sometimes called) for oil painting. This is a harder to replace though. Lead white is the fastest drying, most flexible pigment in the palette and it has a rich, buttery texture that is unmatched by any other pigment. It imparts these same qualities to any color it is mixed with. Alkyd based paints, though they make an excellent primer, do not have these same ‘painterly’ qualities when made into tube colors. The concern over using toxic materials in the studio has also discouraged many painters from using this excellent white paint. Remember though that most colors in the palette are toxic and some highly so (cadmium, phthalocyanine, etc), and they all need to be treated with the same care (check out “Toxicity” in the may 2000 issue).
Right. So, back to painting in oils on cotton. The Golden company (acrylics) has been doing some research on painting in oils on cotton canvas. A good thing since that is the common practice of most painters, and a good thing for Golden since they make acrylic products. Here is a quote from the their website:
“To date, the best system to both stiffen the canvas and block oil penetration is to apply 1-2 coats, or a front and a back coat, of GAC 400 to develop the stiffening of the fabric. Once dry, apply 2 coats of White Gesso or GAC 100 to the front to achieve the oil blocking properties, and allow to fully dry.”
Here they recommend the GAC 400 instead of the traditional “Rabbit Skin Glue” or the more modern PVA as a size for the fabric. The reason the fabric needs to be stiff is to minimize movement and flexing of the fabric. This, as we already know, is very disruptive to dried oil paint films. It is just nice to have another option for those who are interested in permanent painting in oils. Thanks for the questions.