Water Gilding Gesso Recipe: Hard and Soft Layers, and What the Science Says
The traditional water gilding gesso recipe with measured PVC, glue ratios, and layer counts for hard and soft coats. What the science actually says.
Category: Grounds – Primers
A coating that covers the support that serves as the foundation surface on which paint is applied. It is usually a coating that physically separates the painting from the support. It is the foundation of a painting, applied onto raw canvas, wood, paper, or other support.
Vermeer Underpainting: How Layer Structure, Driers, and Grind Built His Surfaces
Vermeer's underpainting was fast, coarse, drier-rich, and textured on purpose. New National Gallery imaging shows how his layered structure built his …
Water Gilding Gesso and Bole: What Portuguese Baroque Reconstruction Reveals
Water gilding gesso and bole, decoded from Portuguese Baroque treatises and laboratory reconstruction. Practical guidance for artists who want recipes…
Oil Painting Grounds: Danish Golden Age Preparation Layers
Learn how historical oil painting grounds were made using egg–oil emulsions, lead white, and mineral fillers—and how to recreate them today.
Oil Over Acrylic: Adhesion, Grounds, and Best Practices
Oil over acrylic made safe: how adhesion works, which grounds to choose, why zinc matters, and studio steps that prevent interfacial failure.
Oil Grounds: Traditional Techniques for Painting Surfaces
Learn how to prepare oil grounds for painting using historical techniques. Explore materials, application methods, and support types for lasting durab…
Gesso Grounds and Chalk Grounds: Structure, Preparation, and Practice
Learn how to prepare traditional gesso grounds using historical materials and techniques. Ideal for oil, tempera, and gilding on rigid supports.
From the Ground Up: Painting Ground Lessons from 19th-Century and Modern Practice
Discover how 19th-century painting ground materials impact durability and technique—and what every artist should know about modern commercial ground…
Leonardo da Vinci’s Lead Ground: A Study in Oil Saponification and Technique
Discover how Leonardo da Vinci prepared his lead ground using oil and PbO—based on new analysis of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Canvas Preparation Techniques: What Artists Should Know About Glue-Sized Supports
Explore traditional canvas preparation techniques with insights on glue sizing, chalk grounds, and how they respond to humidity and environmental chan…