Tesia Blackburn Artist's Blog

Varnish and care of paintings

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:12:22 PDT

From the email bag Michellene asks: I wanted to ask you about clear tar gel...I remember seeing your video on it and how it gives the painting a candylike finish, why is it that after I use clear tar gel when its all dried and ready to put on the rack I have to make sure that the surface of the painting isn't leaning against or touching anything because if it is, it will stick to it and will peel off some of the paint when you try to take them apart. SHould I use something else, after I use clear tar gel?

Thanks for your question!
Tar Gel!! yeah, you have to either varnish it when you're finished or make sure you only put HDPE plastic on top of it. Polymeres will remain pliable and if they get warm will adhere to other acrylics. So, NEVER store acrylic paintings face to face. Always put them in an HDPE bag or be sure they are varnished.

For varnish application tips, visit the Golden website herehttp://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/archvarn.php

Paper for color studies

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:19:37 PDT

From the email bag, Kris asks:
Hi, Tesia,
A friend and I are going to experiment with Acrylic color mixing, using some of the exercises in the Golden Color Mixing Guide. We would like to bind the experiments into a book, so we want to do it on paper. What paper would you recommend for this? Thanks!

Hi Kris

Thanks for your note. I would suggest you use canvas paper from canvas pads. These are inexpensive and give you the same surface as a regular stretched canvas. You could also use watercolor paper. This will give you a very absorbent surface that is less like a real canvas. When you are finished with your samples, let them dry really well and then coat them with a very thin coat of Matte Medium. This will prevent them from sticking together inside the book.

Have fun and send me a picture of the completed book!

Cheers!

Tesia

How to make a fabulous green!

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:22:29 PDT

From the email bag Jane asks: I would really appreciate hearing any of your suggestions of how to combine some colors together to produce "earthy" greens. It's been a challenge for me to
understand how to create leaf-looking greens.

Hi Jane:

Thanks for your note.

For earthy greens, my advice is to look to the mineral pigments. Look at combining Yellow Ochre with Ultramarine Blue or Cobalt Blue. Maybe try Titanate Green with a tiny bit of Cobalt Blue. One of my favorite deep greens is made with Hansa Yellow Medium and Carbon Black (just a smidge). The key to mixing really good color is to mix in tiny, tiny increments. Shift the Yellow Ochre ever so slightly with a teeny weensy bit of Ultramarine. Don't just plop the colors together. If you make these tiny adjustments and move the colors "incrementaly" it will give you much more control.

Scribbles

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:55:46 PDT

I received Adria Arch's newsletter today and it made me think about scribbles or doodles. These un-selfconscious pieces of art that we all make or used to make, before the digital age took the pencils out of our hands and installed a keyboard.

Adria does great scribbles... makes me want to pickup a pencil... hmmmmm

Gluing Canvas to Panel

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 11:10:53 PST

From the email bag Michael asks:
I attended your recent Golden demo at 1890 Bryant a few weeks ago. I hoped you could answer a quick question for me.

I have created a painting on an unstretched piece of canvas. As I don't want to sacrifice the perimeter of the painting by stretching the canvas now I was inclined to laminate it instead onto a cradled panel. I recall during your demo you mentioned a particular GAC medium as being the best means to seal a wood panel before painting on it so as to avoid gassing off or harm to the painting from the substrait. Could you remind me which Golden product this was? I assume I could seal the panel and then use something like YES glue to affix my canvas to the panel. Any thoughts?

Hi Michael
Thanks for your note. Yes, the GAC 100 is the ideal "primer" for a wood panel to seal it for any possible SID (Support Induced Discoloration). After you seal it (2 coats, letting each coat dry before applying the next) then use Soft Gel Gloss to adhere the canvas to the wood panel. See this entry on my blog about gluing paper to panel. You'll get the idea. While Yes paste is good, I would highly recommend using a high grade polymer like Soft Gel Gloss or Heavy Gel Gloss that will not yellow or crack over time. You can also get some info at the Golden website here

Hope that helps!

Varnish safety

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:14:19 PST

Finished Paintings for BYU

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:13:33 PST

Clear Tar Gel for that Hard Candy Look!

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:11:55 PST

Monoprint with Golden OPEN

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 23:23:29 PST

Update on Brigham Young University Commission

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:29:28 PST

I was recently asked to do several large paintings for the Idaho Campus of Brigham Young University. Here's a link to my Facebook page that has all the information. Some good stuff!

Airbrush and Golden

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 09:51:22 PDT

From the email bag Alison asks: I took your weekend acrylic paints workshop several months ago. I was trying to get a flawless surface and you had mentioned getting an airbrush. I am wondering if you know what kind of an airbrush would work best with acrylic paint.

You showed me your industrial strength airbrush sprayer and I can't remember if it was a commercial painting sprayer or a regular airbrush and what brand it was.

Also, can you use regular fluid acrylics with an airbrush or do you need to add medium or use some special paint?

Thanks for your note Alison. There are several types of airbrush out on the market. Iwata, Paasche and Badger are the top three on the market. Golden makes Airbrush paint which is specifically formulated to work in an airbrush. You can experiment with the colors and add Airbrush Extender if you want the Airbrush Paint to be more transparent. You can use the regular Golden Fluid Acrylics with an airbrush, just add plenty of Airbrush Medium (not extender).

Here's the link to the Golden page for airbrush Golden's air brush page This will give you tips and technical information.

Hope that helps!

Tribal Mid Century

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:30:25 PDT

A very cool Video by my design student, David Leroy. Who said homework can't be fun!!
Tribal Mid Century

Repost - Digital Imagery and Acrylic Paint

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:37:53 PDT

This is a repost of my original blog entry from 2009. Thought you'd like to see it again!

Recently I gave a free online webinar on Digital Imagery and Acrylic Paint. Golden Artist Colors has made some fabulous new products to allow you to print on acrylic paint skins. Sound crazy? Yeah, watch the video and get back to me. Way cool fun! By the way, this video is nearly 30 minutes long so get a cup of coffee and sit back. It's like a free art lesson!

Slowing down the drying time of glazes in acrylic

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:20:57 PDT

A question from the email bag - Mario asks: I'm interested in glazing, and I've been experimenting with this technique. But I'm running into some problems. I remember that at the workshop you mentioned that if we have any questions, we could e-mail you. For that reason, I'm taking the liberty of coming to you for help. Perhaps you will have the answers to my questions, but if not, maybe you can recommend a website with information or forward my questions to someone that might be able to help.

I'm using GOLDEN paint and acrylic glazing liquid. I'm painting on Arches, 140 lb. hot press paper. I start the art piece by applying an under painting of Van Dyke Brown. After I place one color over another to create a third; for example, blue over yellow to obtain green. Sometimes when applying the under painting and when applying the second color (blue) over the first (yellow) I'm getting hard edges, which are not allowing me to create smooth transitions. How can I reduce the risk of hard edges? Do you think the hot weather of Sacramento is making the paint dry too quickly? Can I use a retarder with the glazing liquid to extend the fluidity of the paint?"

Thanks for your question Mario. When glazing in acrylics you need to work on a fairly non-absorbent surface because you want as much moisture to remain as long as possible in the paint so that you can get smooth transitions.

The first thing I would advise you to do is to seal the surface of the watercolor paper with several coats of Golden's Soft Gel Gloss. This will create a less absorbent surface for you to work on. Alternatively, you could work on Golden's Molding Paste but I would suggest if you use Molding Paste that you work on either panel or canvas. Molding Paste has a very smooth, non-absorbent surface but also is fairly heavy so it should be used on a less flexible surface.

You didn't mention it in your email, but are you working in a hot, dry room? I know Sacramento gets really hot in the summer! You could add to the working time of the paint by using a humidifier in the room while you work. This will help the paint retain moisture and not dry out so fast. Remember that three things contribute to the drying time of acrylic paint: heat, low humidity and high air flow. So if you can make your room less hot, more humid and decrease the air flow, you will get a longer working time. (I still recommend good ventilation!)

Finally, what type of brush are you using? For smooth glazes that show very little transition, I recommend a badger blender. You can find these online but here's an example. Granted, they aren't cheap but they will definitely do the job!

Now, for my final recommendation, how about using OPEN from Golden? This is the very slow drying acrylic that we introduced recently. It's perfect for glazing and it's fool proof.

Turner bought by Getty

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:44:20 PDT

Just a quick post here... worth a read Getty buys Turner

Creating Hard Edge in Acrylic

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:15:02 PDT

From the email bag Scott asks: I am wondering if you can point me in the right direction. I am interested in learning hard-edge geometric abstraction techniques similar to Frank Stella's or Sarah Morris style. Do you teach this or know of any artist/classes that do?

Frank Stella

Sunset Beach, Sketch 1967

flourescent and plain alkyd painting

69 1/2 x 69 1/2 inches

Thank you for your question, Scott. It's really nothing more than putting down tape and sealing the edge with Polymer Medium Gloss which dries clear. When that dries, paint over it with acrylic paint and let dry. Then pull the tape up and you have a nice crisp edge. That's about it technically. For circles and curves of course, it's a little trickier but it still involves taping, just using thinner more flexible tape.

Fiber Paste

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:22:24 PDT

From the email bag Cindy asks: "I put fiber paste on my canvas and let it dry. Then my attempts to paint over it with color were very difficult. So, am I supposed to mix fiber paste with paint and apply it ….OR is there a way to create a super liquidy paint using fluid acrylics and some medium. I tried tar gel and it didn’t spread any easier then regular paint with medium. Mind you I put the fiber paste on thick with peaks and valleys. I wanted that effect. But now I wonder how does one paint over that thickness??

Thanks for your question Cindy! Ideally, you would mix water with Golden Fluids and use that mixture to paint into the Fiber Paste. Fiber Paste is very absorbent when dry and makes an ideal surface to work on in a watercolor-like fashion. By mixing the Fluids with water you will get lovely staining and spreading of the color.

You can also mix the Fiber Paste with Fluid Paint to tint it before you put it down to dry. It will still retain its absorbent nature as long as you don't put too much Fluid Paint into it.

So, in essence you are painting on a surface very like watercolor paper, but with texture. Cool, eh??

Hope that helps! For more information on Fiber Paste visit this page on Golden's website http://www.goldenpaints.com/products/medsadds/molding/molding.php

All about warm and cool colors

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:21:49 PDT

From the email bag: Helen asks, "I have a very basic question for you. I find it so difficult to assign warm and cool to colors,it still confuses me. I am using Golden heavy body paints and need to reorder...is Hansa Yellow Light cool, greenish? Is Hansa Yellow Medium warmish, red? ... Is Ultramarine blue, warm, red?"

Thanks for your question Helen. The easiest way for me to answer this is to say that warm and cool are like the sun and water. The warmer colors are all reds, yellows and oranges. The cooler colors are all blues, violets and purples.

That being said, there are relative warm and cool colors within each broader group. For instance, Ultramarine blue is a very cool blue, while Cerulean Blue is a much warmer blue because it has more yellow in it. On the other hand, Quinacridone Red is a much cooler red than Napthol Red Light because Quinacridone Red has a bluish undertone.

To help understand the nuances of color and whether a color is warm or cool, it's helpful to look at where the color lands on the color wheel. Is it closer to yellow or blue? Take a look at the color wheel above, you will see that magenta is closer to blue than to yellow, therefore it is a cooler red than "red".

It's also helpful to use pigment names rather than the generic names of colors to pin them down on the color wheel. Look at this color wheel from Golden Artist Colors

You can see that by using the pigment names rather than the generic names it's easy to place the colors on the color wheel. Then it's a simple job to answer the question, closer to blue or closer to yellow? That will help you define if a color is cool or warm.

So in answer to your question, Hansa Yellow Light is greener than Hansa Yellow Medium, therefore HYM is warmer. Ultramarine blue is definitely not reddish warm. It's a very cool blue. Cadmium Red Light is very orange so therefore warmer than Cadmium Red Medium which is slightly cooler.

Hope that helps!

Back again

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:44:10 PDT

Hi All:
Having trouble with the new site hosting my blog so for the time being I'll be posting here. Any questions, just send them over and I'll do my best to answer them.

This Blog is on the MOVE!

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:37:25 PDT

Hi All:
My blog is now hosted at my website here. Please visit me there and make comments, ask questions, etc.

Thank you!
Tesia

How to Glue Paper to Panel

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:14:11 PDT

From the email bag: Nora writes: Thank you again for the the superb survey of gels and mediums, this past Sunday...really terrific!!! You said that you have a printout you could email me with step-by-step instructions on how to adhere a sheet of 300lb hot press watercolor paper onto panel board. That would be a BIG help to me!

Here's your answer Nora:
Your panel should be 1" smaller on all sides than your paper. So for instance, if your paper is 22x30 your panel should be 20x28.

First butter up the front of the panel with Heavy Gel Gloss.

Second, evenly butter up the back of the paper with Heavy Gel Gloss. Be generous but not too soupy.

Lay the paper down on top of the panel. Cover it with a piece of clean parchment or tracing paper.

Using a soft rubber brayer or a bunched up soft cloth start at the middle of the paper and burnish the paper down to the panel gently moving all the air bubbles out. Use firm pressure to get a good bond. Keep moving from the center to the outer edges until you have a good solid bond.

Carefully clean any Gel that oozed out.

Cover a table with a bath towel or blanket and then with a black plastic garbage bag.

Lay the panel/paper face down on the black plastic garbage bag on the table.

Cover the back of the panel with a piece of plywood or Plexiglas. Make sure it covers all four corners evenly.

Weight the back with books or bricks. Use a fair amount of weight and make sure it is evenly distributed all over the plywood.

Wait 24 hours and then check your work. The paper should be bonded tight to the panel.

Pencil drawings, collage and acrylic paint

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:11:53 PST

FROM THE EMAIL BAG:

Judith asks: "I wonder how to seal pencil (lead, ink, and colored too), ink jet xeroxes, and watercolor and pastels so that when trying to collage them...the image doesn't smudge or disappear into the polymer products.

Thanks for your question, Judith. The best way to protect pencil or water-based images from smudging when applying polymer products on top is to use a protective spray like Golden's MSA Varnish. Be sure you test on a similar sample first. MSA Varnish may cause darkening or discoloring of delicate pencil or pastel. Always test first!

I also have had a fair amount of success by very carefully laying a pool of polymer medium at the top of the paper that the pencil drawing is on, and then gently tilting the paper (taped to cardboard for stiffness) so that the polymer rolls over the pencil. You may have to shake or jiggle the paper so that you get an even covering of polymer. In this way you can cover the delicate pencil or pastel with polymer without disturbing it with a brush.

You can also try Airbrush Medium, which is very thin, and spray it from a spray bottle. Cover the entire pencil/pastel image with Airbrush Medium and let dry. Don't over-saturate it. Two or three thin layers are best.

As I said above, always test first! Keep me posted on how it turns out!

Getting a glossy surface on acrylic paintings

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:09:44 PST

FROM THE EMAIL BAG: Brian asks: "What product do you recommend for a couple of final coats for a nice gloss finish?"

Thanks for your question, Brian! I recommend a couple of coats of GAC 500 for a really good film with low tack and good clarity. See the Golden product description page here. As with all paints, gels and mediums, follow the recommended guideline for application. Allow for drying time between coats (especially in cool, damp weather) and be sure the acrylic paint layer you are putting the medium on top of is really dry.

Good luck!

Acrylic Painting Questions and Answers

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:31:30 PST

FROM THE EMAIL BAG: A recent attendee at a lecture I gave asked this..."I have one question now……..many more simmering. Right now I want to extend my paints. I bought the acrylic glazing liquid as you suggested and I love how it makes the paint so silky. Was this a product you use one to one and you will be able to keep the intensity of your colors?"

MY ANSWER: Yes, you can mix Golden's Acrylic Glazing Liquid in 50/50 ratio to thin your paint and keep it workable for a long time. If you just want to extend the paint without retarding the drying time, try Polymer Medium or Soft Gel Gloss.

Save money, s-t-r-e-t-c-h your paint!

tesia@BlackburnFineArt.com (Tesia Blackburn) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:41:00 PST

I've posted this before, but it needs to be said again and again, extend your paint with gels to save money! And of course, you're using Golden paint! With its high pigment load, Golden gives you the ability to add up to 70% gel into the paint and get a bunch of paint out of just a little. There ain't nothing wrong with that! Here's the video, once again, just to bring it home.