Simply watch the video for a quick insight into the creative process or read below for a more in-depth account of products and methods.
Hi, so first time painting on board. Have been putting it off for months now. Now I have the Moreton Bay Regional Council and ArtQueensland’s excellent support, I have no excuses.
Chose plywood for its smooth surface and colour. Some of the undersurfaces will be left exposed, so I did not want something that would contrast too much with white. The plan is to create an earthy feel. Anything darker would make the artworks look too busy and be distracting.
After a bit of googling(google is truly your friend), I found that Gesso is the most recommended base coat. Gesso creates an even smoother, crisp white mat surface to paint on. It will not yellow, is lead-free, quick-drying and non-toxic…
Applying the Gesso went pretty easy and dried nice and flat(with a bit of a wrist workout). Needed a couple of layers to fully coat (no wood showing through).
Drawing on paper for over 30 years allowed for a freedom of incidentals and line variations to develop and have become instinctual. On a large scale, you do not have the luxury of a simple hand stroke and instead need a full arm stroke. This adjustment will take years, so I still do a small paper drawing of each design to create the feel that I am looking for.
To get used to the feel of the brush and ink on Gesso, I roughly sketched out the design on the board. I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the ink flowed with my new traditional Chinese drawing brushes. Invented in China around 300 BCE, the bamboo brush was originally intended solely for traditional calligraphy and ink painting styles.
I can draw and rub out on the surface with a soft pencil if done lightly. Touching up with acrylic paint is not an option as it leaves a non-mat surface (shine spots where applied). A huge advantage over paper is that with a bit of light sanding, the Gesso can be reapplied over the artwork for re-use should it be needed. Though I imagine a vast amount of paper could be made in equivalence to the board.
Environmental and wastage factors are always a concern as with anything these days. To help with such issues, I recycle leftover paper and discarded artwork into a new handmade paper. I also have a simple catchment system to prevent pigments from the inks and acrylics from entering the water system and the surrounding environment. Sold artworks are wrapped in recycled thick brown paper, and I only use recycled bio-degradable bubble wrap for mailing small glass framed artworks and studio transportation.
With the final test artwork, I found to get my deep strokes without run drips, I could apply it on the floor for the final touches.
Now…to seal or not to seal?
