[George]

Separation in the can of Rublev Colours Lead Oil and Lead Alkyd Ground is normal. All that is required is to stir the contents of the can very well. This may require that you use a paint stirring stick to scrape the bottom of the can very well to re-incorporate all the pigment that settles to the bottom. There should be no chunks of solid primer. If there is, these should be removed or stained out. These do not occur under normal storage conditions.

[George]

1. It is unnecessary to size wood unless you want to reduce its absorbency or make it more uniform.

2. Rublev Colours Fluid Medium is a good choice as a size for canvas under an oil ground. it is unnecessary for wood.

3. Applying oil ground directly to wood is sufficient and stable.

[George]

There is some interest in creating neutral grays among artist materials manufacturers, and some have done so. Williamsburg has a few neutral grays. We do not have any plans to develop neutral grays at this time, but we are interested in making neutral grays based on lead white at some time.

[George]

Jody,

For Regalerez 1094, use odorless mineral spirits or any mineral spirits. Laropal A81 requires mineral spirits with at least a 30% aromatic content. A lacquer thinner or VM&P naphtha solvent should also work.

We are working to bring our varnishes to Europe, but there is a lot of red tape to overcome.

[George]

Jody,
Cleaning the painting surface is very important because dust and air pollution collect on surfaces that can interfere with the adhesion of paint and varnishes. Avoid using tack cloths for cleaning or dusting because they contain lubricants that also interfere with the adhesion of paint and varnishes. The Cleaning course provides the correct procedure for cleaning paint and varnish surfaces.

Paraloid B72 is not a “metal” coating but is often used as a varnish by conservators. While it is an excellent varnish to mitigate sinking in, the solvents used to dissolve Paraloid B72 can present issues for artists who choose to use this varnish on their paintings. We usually recommend an alternative varnish, such as Rublev Colours Isolating / Finishing Varnish, which contains Laropal A81 as an isolating varnish when there are large matte areas on the finished painting. This varnish contains less “aggressive” and slower-evaporating solvents. making application easier.

[George]

Varnish cannot protect the underlying paint film from solvents used to remove varnish or to clean the painting. Varnish coatings are not impermeable membranes. Humidity and moisture have no trouble passing through them.

[George]

Varnishes provide limited protection from the environment, but the problem, in the case of clove oil in the paint, is not the environment but rather the potential defects in the paint film due to an oxidative process that is impaired by the anti-oxidant (eugenol) in clove oil.

[George]

Geneva Paint contains clove oil which we know interferes with the natural oxidative process of oil paint.

[George]

Oiling out as the final layer of paint is not recommended for the reason that oil darkens and yellows over time. Applying a final layer of oil or oleoresinous medium will cause darkening. To correct uneven sheen, it is recommended to do so with a picture varnish.

Oiling out between layers may be necessary to adjust the hue and tone of paint to match the existing paint layer with the wet paint to be applied. The oil can be applied in any number of ways, such as with fingertips, makeup sponges, cloth, brush, etc. The key is to avoid rubbing too vigorously, which can lift dried paint from underlying layers.

[George]

Go to the Zoom tab in the Cohorts group and on the left side, you will see two more tabs: Upcoming Meetings and Past Meetings. You will find the recordings in the Past Meetings tab. Some recordings will not be available because we had to move them to a different location, which we will announce later this month.

[George]

That depends on many factors. ou must try a few from each brand that is available to you to determine what suits your needs.

[George]

We are creating a new page for the videos, and will let you know when they are ready.

[George]

You can use clove oil in this manner to retard the skinning and drying of oil paint on a palette. Read more about this here: https://www.naturalpigments.com/artist-materials/clove-oil-paint

[George]

It is only about oiling out between paint layers and not the final layer.

[George]

Weakening the binding agent in the paint—the glue that holds the pigment together and to the substrate.