This article on Dutch Golden Age grounds provides a background on “half oil” grounds and includes recipes you can try: https://paintingbestpractices.com/oil-painting-grounds-danish-golden-age-preparation-layers/

It is difficult to determine the best options because very little information is available on the various MDO materials. Our best recommendation is to use ACM, since these must conform to standards that provide more confidence.

We recommend Artefex as a source of prepared ACM panels for painting and drawing: https://artefex.biz

Local sign shops are usually a source of plan ACM panels that you can prepare by adhering canvas or applying an alkyd ground, such as Rublev Colours Lead or Titanium White Alkyd Grounds from Natural Pigments.

I was not able to locate a primary technical description from Syd Solomon himself detailing the exact chemistry of this process, but the description you shared is consistent with a casein-based resist method used by some painters in mixed-media work. In that approach, a water-sensitive protein film (such as lactic casein) is applied to…

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There are several articles on water-miscible oils in the Resources section you should first review. Once you have come back here and let’s discuss this further.

Unfortunately, nothing can impart structural improvement to oil paints containing dammar resin.

You can slow the drying process by reducing the amount of black oil and replacing it with linseed oil.

Cadmium sulfide pigments darkened when used with lead white upon first introduction to art, due to free-sulfur impurities in early forms of the pigment. This is not the case today because cadmium pigments contain only trace amounts of free sulfur. This may also have been true of early forms of synthetic ultramarine when it was first introduced…

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Join the discussion from the March 2026 Technical Studio Session.

Ann,

For oil paintings, it is generally best to avoid commercial paint markers—such as Krylon or Molotow markers—when the goal is long-term permanence. Most of these products are formulated with acrylic resins, solvent-borne industrial paints, or alkyd systems designed for craft, signage, or mixed-media work. While they may perform well on many…

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It is possible they used egg yolk in the gilded areas, but I am not knowledgeable about Spanish polychrome statutes. However, I know Sylvana Barrett, who taught gilding workshops at the Getty. She is featured as the painter in the video.

This is neither a historical recipe nor a good idea. Two reasons why: vinegar and mastic (or dammar) resin. May pigments are sensitive to acetic acid in vinegar, and resins become brittle and darken as they age.

Ann,

When working with metallic powders—especially bronze—it is important to consider adhesion, solvent sensitivity, and long-term stability rather than simply appearance.

First, regarding the underpainting: yes, it should be fully dry before applying the Schmincke Bronze Medium mixture. The bronze medium you describe is based on white spirits…

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I answered your question in the article, since it is topical to its content.

I am curious where you read this information about chrome yellow? Much of the information about historical pigments is from previous centuries, especially the 19th century, for chrome yellow. Chrome yellow (lead chromate) was susceptible to sulfur dioxide present in air pollution, but in the 20th century, a type of lead chromate encapsulated…

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The purpose of Lac Water Varnish is not so much to serve as an isolation layer as to act as a fixative. Watercolor is easily lifted when brushing over with more color or water. This makes glazing difficult and building up color depth nearly impossible. With Lac Water Varnish, you can fix the paint on paper and do multiple passes of paint.…

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We do not recommend applying any coating to the reverse side of stretched canvas paintings. Instead, the best practice is to use a backing board. There is an article about installing backboards on canvas paintings.

Stephen,
I am working on an article that provides detailed information on best practices for documenting artwork. I plan to have the article ready tomorrow.

If you are discussing backing boards for canvas paintings, we recommend a dual system: a plastic exterior (e.g., Coroplast) and matboard on the inside, facing the rear of the canvas. It can…

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