Test panel preparation (gesso board)
Name: David McClure
Date and time: 10/05/2015 - 10:45 am
Location: 260 Chandler
Subject: Test panel preparation (gesso board)
10/05 - 10:45 am
- Began initial preparation of boards by quickly applying a thin layer of rabbit-skin glue with soft-bristled brush to each side; let sit until dry (about 15 minutes)
- Using 400 grit sandpaper lightly sanded the side of the board to which I would apply the gesso.
- Applied first layer of gesso width-wise using long brushstrokes (use stiffer boar hair brush). Have to be careful to keep the brush moving and avoid going over previous strokes; the gesso dries quickly and can build up in a single layer if you're not careful.
- I rinsed my brush halfway through the first layer; this is completely unnecessary and made the gesso layer on half of my board a bit too shallow.
- Takes at least 1 hour to dry. Had to leave for next class before I could sand and apply a new layer.
10/6 - 11:00 am
- Lightly sanded front of panel; depth of the dried gesso quite variable due to rinsing and leaving too much water on brush halfway through painting first layer.
- Quickly brush tap water on the backside of the panel to wet the glue. Apparently this will help prevent warping. Need to do this before each new layer!
- Applied 2nd layer lengthwise. More even coverage 2nd time around.
10/7 - 2:00 pm
- Same steps as before; sand dried gesso, brush water on back of board, apply new layer of gesso.
- At 5th layer I feel I finally have a feel for this. Because the gesso is so thick I feel it's better to think of the painting process as quickly "pushing" the gesso across the board without letting your brush stop for more than a couple seconds. If you move quickly you can reapply gesso to your brush and go over previous thin layers before they dry.
- 6th layer - Taking more time on my sanding now. Still using 400 grit, but trying to make sure I get any obviously different levels sanded down (if I can feel it with my fingertips I know it's pretty uneven). Near the edges of the board are generally the most uneven.
- Almost 8 pm but I'm finally applying my last layer! Finally.
10/12 - 9:40 am
- Wasn't able to come back to finish sanding so had to arrive a little early.
- Even though I spent a good 7-10 minutes sanding before each new layer around layer 5, my board is still pretty uneven. After seeing Siddartha dust his board with charcoal powder to bring out any pits or scratches I realize that getting these boards "smooth as milk" is going to be a lot harder than I initially anticipated...
- Spend 30 minutes sanding down with 400 and 800 grit; still a good way to go but class is starting.
- After Marjijolin's lecture I got about 15 more minutes of sanding with 1000 grit to try and smooth out any scratches. Professor Smith finally told me to stop and just call it good around noon. The board is by no means perfect but it will suffice.