Painting Grounds for various Painting Techniques

Preparing proper Painting Grounds for various Painting Techniques

Different painting mediums require different painting grounds. A painting ground is an absorbent surface that is stable and is able to permanently hold paint. These grounds are all made of gypsum and adhesive and are designed to be quite durable and to resist cracking. The preparation of grounds is different for different mediums, but will result in a better and longer lasting painting.

Whether you are employing portrait painting techniques, airbrush painting techniques, or any other method, it is highly important to properly prepare your painting ground.
 

For canvas, a lead carbonate ground is most common, but must contain only linseed oil as a vehicle in order to maintain flexibility.
In order to prepare the ground, the first coat should be thoroughly worked into the surface texture using a putty knife. While many professional wait several weeks before applying a second coat, it is possible to purchase fast drying primers that allow the second coat to be applied in as few as three hours.

The most common ground for paper is acrylic gesso. Acrylic gesso is very absorbent to paint and is typically mixed with a mixture containing half medium acrylic polymer and half water, applied to the paper in two coats. Common techniques that utilize paper as a painting device are watercolor techniques and some acrylic techniques, though numerous artists utilize paper for a variety of mediums.

Wall painting techniques often employ wood supports. While some painters still employ traditional gesso to these wood panels, many tend to utilize a more modern polymer gesso that have added titanium to add brilliance to the finished work. With most wood panels, the ground preparation involves first using a wood sealer then the application of the gesso.

Regardless of whether you utilize portrait painting techniques, wall painting techniques, or airbrush painting techniques, it is important to apply a proper ground to your material before you begin work. Not only will this help the paint to adhere to the surface, but it will result in a more brilliant and natural looking piece that is both flexible and durable. Using the proper ground and applying it as directed is the key to the proper outcome of the painting.
 

In short, everything from a children's wall mural to a watercolor painting begins with a good painting ground. These simple bases are never noticed by viewers but are invaluable to artists for both enhancing work and preserving the life of these creations. While many companies make grounds for different styles of painting, each contains the same basic ingredients, which have been the basis for painting grounds for many years, dating back centuries and being perfected by people as far back as the ancient Tibetans, who used them in the creation of scrolls. Few hobbies can claim as much in common with their ancestors as the forms of art, and for painters, even the background on which every painting is placed has ties to the legends and masters that shaped the art world as we see it today.