Primer on Grounds

How to Prepare Painting Grounds

In this Studio Tips Primer on Grounds, we show you how to prepare panels for the painting the right way. We show how to apply traditional chalk ground on solid wood, vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE, a new waterborne ground similar to acrylics) on medium-density fiberboard (MDF), and an alkyd ground on aluminum composite material (ACM) panel.

Glue Grounds or Traditional Gesso

Traditional glue grounds are prepared by mixing an animal glue (produced from a wide range of animal tissues such as hides, bones, etc.) with an inert filler (i.e., chalk or marble dust (calcium carbonate), gesso, or gypsum (calcium sulfate), etc.). Additions of other pigments can also be present. We show how to prepare a solid wood panel with glue ground beginning with glue size, followed by fabric (also called “pavaloka”—Russian literally “covering”) and glue ground.

Oil and Alkyd Grounds

Whether it’s traditional gesso, acrylic grounds, and oil and alkyd grounds, you will learn which ground provides a solid and lasting foundation for your painting. We examine the different grounds and how they affect the longevity of your finished painting.

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