Who here also uses Classical Mediums and techniques? I'm

File: Flower.jpg (198KB, 800x797px) Image search: [Google]

198KB, 800x797px

>>3053563
Here was one of my first experiments with oil painting around the time I started taking art seriously. Its a simple glaze over a sketch on a 3x3 canvas. So far the goal has been to become more realistic and recognizable. Now that I'm starting to get there, I'm getting stuck with how I should progress.

>>3053563
https://www.artrenewal.org/pages/ateliers.php

>>3053594
Damn. That's awesome. Thanks for the link. Back to the grind I spose.

To be successful with traditional techniques, you have to be more specific about what you want than some vague old master and pre-modernist range, or you will end up with either conflicting information or the lowest mean.

File: IMG_3800.jpg (2MB, 3264x2448px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 3264x2448px

Here's my latest work. Working from grisaille underpainting. Been painting for nine months.

>>3053563
Beautiful tonal work.

Use a smooth board for small works like you've posted. This is one of the most common rookie mistakes.

>>3054383
Not OP but, I just sand down the tooth of the canvas. Almost the same thing?

>>3054383
That is one thing that has been bothering me about my work. What is a high quality option? I don't mind putting gesso on wood panels but it gets pricey quick. I consider myself a beginner so I've been trying not to spend too much on materials that I won't be selling.

Fuck it though. I'm buying some gesso today and trying it out.

>>3054529

I'm not the guy who you're replying to or the op but masonite is a very nice surface. You will have to gesso and sand it yourself however, four layers is enough.

>>3054600

Masonite is very cheap, just get it at your local hardware store and have them cut it for you there. Pick a piece that's at least 8 mm thick, any less and the board will warp. Clean the surface with ammonia (it'll have a film of grease from the factory) and then apply a layer of acrylic gesso, not too thick. Sand when dry, then apply your next until you're at four. You can do more but I don't see the point.

>>3054640

Forgot to add, be sure so gesso both sides of your masonite, otherwise your panel will warp.

>>3054529
It wouldn't be the tooth that you would be sanding if you want a smooth finish. It would be the weave. If you sand down the weave of the canvas, you will be left with fibers which have no protective coating against the oil. Unless you mean you would have the canvas completely and thickly coated with acrylic ground and then sanded. But at that point, where there is no more weave texture showing, sanding is not actually necessary. Most store-bought canvas also do not have good enough coating. Sanding it will worsen it even more.

If you want a stretched or board-backed canvas of good quality, you will most likely have to either spend a lot of money on custom order, or make it yourself. If you would make it yourself, a board is easier to prepare.

>>3053787
Your colors are balanced well. That's good progress assuming you are a beginner. Try adding more shaddow.

>>3054640
You want to sand the surface of the masonite before the first coat of gesso, too - it needs something to cling too, masonite is too slick from the factory. Trust me, I learned this the hard way when a painting cracked and came off the board.
If I can't paint on actual wood, I prefer MDO. It's less prone to warping, and unlike masonite, won't chip on the edges, or crumble with moisture.

>>3054600
Take a look at these:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/blick-studio-wood-panels/
They're reasonably priced. I've used a few, they're well made, for the price. They take gesso really well, and won't warp.
I'm just not a fan of masonite, it can be very brittle, I've had masonite boards crumble and break at the edges/corners, and seen other people's boards shatter if dropped.