How to gesso stretched raw linen?

[Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco]

Linda, some of my tips.

-I always steam iron the canvas before stretching

-I found rabbitskin glue (I use the preprepared one, you just need to stand it in hot water) better than acrylic sizing. It leaves the canvas nice and stiff, while when I used the acrylic the surface was too rough and the previously taut canvas was loose and flappy.

- I am now trying acrylic priming. It can be used on raw canvas, but don't do the same mistake as me, diluting the first coat. It came through the other side. The first coat should be laid very gently to avoid this, while the next ones can be very well applied with the sides of your very own platinum visa (or any other credit card...), working on one direction each layer, until you have rached the desired tooth (no sanding required).Works very well also on sized canvas with no passing through.

-about the sides. When I size I run the knife between the stretchers and the canvas to prevent sticking. I try to size the sides but I don't completely prime them. A tutor once told me that it is nice if the priming looks like icing on a cake, but I do apply some masking tape 1 cm under the rim, so that the icing looks regular!

Hope I have been useful

Ilaria

[Linda Brandon]

Originally Posted by Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco

... while the next ones can be very well applied with the sides of your very own platinum visa (or any other credit card).

Ilaria, I laughed at this. All of my paintings are created with the swipe of my Visa card!

Are you sure that steaming the linen is okay archievally? I wonder about this. I have a big crumpled bundle of linen in the corner of my closet that landed there in a Bad Art Moment. It would be nice to resurrect it someday.

I'm doing a "gallery wrap" where I go around the sides with the linen. Yesterday I sized the canvas with Gamblin's PVA size (a subsitute for rabbitskin glue) and today I plan to put on a coat of Holbein's Underpainting Lead White.

Allan and Carlos, thanks for your tips. I wonder if somebody could post a photo of the back of a perfectly made gallery-wrapped (around the sides of the stretcher bar) stretched canvas?

[Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco]

Linda, I am positive about ironing, it will tighten the weave
Sorry I only have thirty seconds, after which my stupid computer monitor goes black, guess I 'll be online again next week after it is repaired
Ilaria

[Linda Brandon]

Originally Posted by Linda Brandon

I wonder if somebody could post a photo of the back of a perfectly made gallery-wrapped (around the sides of the stretcher bar) stretched canvas?

I'm reviving another old thread.
Does anybody have a good photo they can post of the back of a GREAT gallery wrapped painting? I especially want to see corners ("hospital" corners, or cut?) and where you placed your staples or tacks (on the edge that hits the wall, or all the way around the stretcher bar?). Thanks.

[Allan Rahbek]

Originally Posted by Linda Brandon

Does anybody have a good photo they can post of the back of a GREAT gallery wrapped painting? .

Linda, I don

[Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco]

Allan, this looks very neat, despite folding origami in my teens I didn't know how to fold corners that well! I'll try straight away, thank you very much for posting this
Ilaria

[Linda Brandon]

Thank you Allan! That was indeed a great corner and, like Ilaria, I will try to duplicate it.

[Marcus Lim]

[QUOTE=Allan Rahbek]Linda, I don

[Allan Rahbek]

Originally Posted by Marcus Lim

Hi Allan,
how did you manage to tack it that way?

marcus

Marcus,
I use a Staple tool that works with only one hand. If you would use a hammer and tacks you would need a magnetic hammer.
I bought a canvas pliers, but it broke, so now I use my fingers again like I used to.
To wrap the canvas all around the stretchers I place the canvas upside down on a table and use both my thumbs to add pressure from the front side of the canvas, and when it is tight I hold it with the one hand and staples, first on the edge and later on the excess.

Hope this was helpful, Allan

[Marcus Lim]

Thanks Allan for sharing.
I'm not sure what a Stable tool is, but basically what you're saying is that you use your thumbs and the Stable tool, to get a drum-tight canvas? Sounds pretty amazing to me.

marcus