Tagged: art materials

July 7, 2013

Tips for Caring and Handling Acrylic Paintings

Acrylic paints were introduced in the 1950s, much later than oils, but museums, galleries, and art collectors have included many acrylic paintings in their collections. Artists have experimented and used acrylics on canvas for its versatility of use and quick drying time. The properties of acrylic paints differ from oils so the maintenance and caring for acrylic paintings is different from oil paintings. Since acrylic paint is relatively new compared to oil paints which have been used in art for centuries, people are just starting to know its aging characteristics. For now, the best way to preserve and lengthen the life of acrylic paintings is by preventive care.

Here are the tips for caring and handling acrylic paintings:

Cleaning
Currently, there is no concrete guideline how to clean an acrylic painting. Below are just suggestions that you can do at the moment.

1. Use a clean towel or a feather duster and lightly remove the dirt on the surface of the painting. Acrylic paintings gather dust more easily than any other medium so you may have to dust them frequently.

2. If you want to keep off the dust, put the painting in a protective frame. Acrylic paintings have electrostatic charges on the surface which attracts dust and a protective frame will prevent dust from accumulating.

3. Don’t use water, soap, or household cleaners when cleaning acrylic paintings. Most cleaning agents have ammonia which can damage your painting. When you use cleaning sprays in your house, make sure that your acrylic painting is not nearby when you are cleaning to avoid excess droplets of the spray go to the paintings.

Maintenance

1. Keep acrylic paintings away from direct or extreme heat, cold, and humidity. Acrylic paint becomes soft around 60° so display your paintings far from ovens, stoves, heating lamps, or any other source of heat inside the room.

2. Don’t touch the surface of an acrylic painting. Your fingernail may accidentally leave a dent or put extra pressure on the painting which will lessen the value of the piece.

3. Mold growth is a common issue in acrylic paintings. There is no solution for it yet that would retain the original paint of the piece. The best way to lessen mold on the surface is to hang the painting in a room where there is less humidity.

Transporting

1. Put the acrylic painting in an effective packing case that would protect it from damage. According to this website, a packing case should be able to do the following:

Support the painting, insulation and cushioning foams
Protect the contents from impact and puncture without serious distortion
Maintain a sealed environment
Protect against intrusion of moisture
Provide handles for lifting and moving
Survive a multi-venue tour without compromise of any of the above functions

2. Include instructions for unpacking and repacking outside the container. The recipient may not know the proper way of unpacking the painting so proper instructions should be provided by the sender. These instructions are important especially if there is a dispute about any damage caused by shipping, unpacking, or repacking of the painting.

3. If you have to transport the painting by rolling it, here are tips:

Allow enough time for the painting to be completely cure.
Put a polyethylene plastic onto the surface of the painting before rolling.
Roll and unroll the painting at room temperature. A heated room will melt the paint while a cold room will cause cracking.
Roll the painting loosely and evenly to prevent adhesion or ferrotyping.
Once packed, secure the painting with a tape.

Image source: www.goldenpaints.com

June 26, 2013

Checklist For a Plein Air Art Trip

Packing for a Plein Air art trip varies depending on where you’re going and the elements that you will be dealing with. There are variety of things that you must consider since you will be working outdoors. Here’s a list of the basic things you need to have on your trip.

ART MATERIALS
Since you’re going to travel, take note to have your art materials complete. It’s better if you keep things compact and organized to avoid confusion and you might forget some of your essential materials. A good idea is to invest a good art traveling bag which has multiple pockets and organizers to keep your materials intact while you’re traveling.

EASELS
Support is needed for any surface you plan to work on. And since you are traveling, a portable easel is a very good choice. Special easels comes with storage such as drawers and compartments for carrying paints and brushes within the easel. Table easels are also available if you prefer to sit while painting.

UMBRELLA and HAT
You can always find a shady area to paint but sometimes you’ll have to set up in the sun. The hat is for your protection but the umbrella is to keep the sun off your canvas and palette. A white or gray umbrella so the reflection doesn’t affect your color judgement. Try to keep both palate and canvas in the shade.

CAMERA
You can capture the initial scene with a camera. Positions of clouds and direction of the wind can constantly change outdoors so you can use this trick to make your artwork more consistent. Another advantage of the still shot is that you can use it just in case the weather turns bad and you have to finish your painting indoors.

EXTRA CLOTHING
Bring extra clothes just in case you so you can change just in case things get messy. Or you can dress in layers that you can easily take off as you get hot and put on when it gets colder. Wear neutral colored clothing to avoid too much light reflections onto your painting. Bright colors can also reflect some of their color onto your painting so stick with beige and khakis.

Now that you have your basics, here are some of the things you might want to have with you on your trip to make it more comfortable.
• Water to drink
• Light snacks
• Paper towels
• Insect repellent
• Garbage bags
• Soap and water to clean your brushes

Image source: www.judithgreenleaf.com

June 24, 2013

5 Best Canvas Manufacturers

1. Winsor and Newton, London
Founded in1832, Winsor & Newton has always been “The World’s Finest Artist’ Materials” . Up to this day, they strive to keep up with the latest developments in the art world and take an active interest in what artists say. They have built their reputation on the quality and reliability of their products, combined with continual product development, improvement and innovation.

2. Top Value Fabrics, US
Established in 1974, Top Value Fabric is a leading international supplier of Industrial, Recreational and Print Media fabrics for a wide variety of applications and industries. They carry an impressive collection of stock programs in addition to finishing fabric to meet clients’ specifications. Their product lines include Nylon, Vinyl, Canvas/Duck, Print Media, Activewear, Marine, and Polyester.

3. PICASSO, Indore, India
They manufacture canvas rolls from 100% cotton fabric with a double coating of acid free acrylic titanium priming. They also give an extra anti-fungus treatment to ensure safety from fungal infections for a long time. Artistic canvas rolls are widely used for acrylic and oil paintings by students and artists. Offered at industry leading prices, these canvas rolls are highly demanded by artists and students.

4. Russell and Chapple, London
Specialise in supplying the highest quality Fine Art, Scenic, and Digital canvases, sourcing and importing our canvas fabrics from all over the world. They have themost comprehensive range of these canvas materials in linen, cotton and polyester, and they supply the professional and amateur artist with the best art supports at the most competitive price. Whether you are making a mural, painting or miniature they have thecanvas for you.

5. Deasung, Shanghai, China
Provides linen canvas, wholesale canvas rolls, hemp canvas . If you are looking for the good quality of canvas that is available you should shop for linen canvas. Linen canvas makes for a superior painting surface and its strong fibers hold together and last longer than other materials. A range of canvases is available from the tightest weave, finest tooth quadruple primed handkerchief linen to robust heavy toothed linens ideal for large format works.