Test Panel

Name: Danielle Carr

Date:


We prepared a rabbit-skin glue using rabbit skin flakes mixed with heated water. For my panel, the glue had already been prepared. I melted the glue in a process that was similar to melting butter and took approximately the same amount of time. The glue was removed from refrigeration, and placed over low heat. As the gelatinous mound heated, it melted into a consistency roughly similar to water mixed with flour in a ration of 2 parts water to 1 part wheat.

We prepared the panel by sanding it with fine sandpaper, then putting one layer of glue on the panel, keeping the back of the panel wet with water. Once this glue had dried, we applied the first layer of gesso. We had prepared the gesso by mixing chalk with a glue mixture, mixing in chalk until the mixture was completely saturated.

For the first three layers, the panel was still visible through the chalk layer, so I kept the sanding of the layer minimal, just addressing the biggest air bubbles created by the chalk. Each layer required about 40 minutes to dry. I used alternating directions, so I painted the chalk horizontal, then vertical, and so on. By the fourth layer, the panel was no longer visible under the chalk, and the chalk began to dry more quickly-- requiring roughly 30 minutes to dry. I was able to sand the panel in sections, and to push the partially dried gesso into the irregularities in the panel to achieve smoothness.


Once I had finished the seventh layer, I sanded the panel for roughly 40 minutes, until it was "smooth as milk", then gave it a final coat of glue and sectioned the panel into test sections.

We ground verdigris with two sorts of oil: thick standing oil and a more fluid linseed oil, and tried both. It took about 30 minutes of grinding the pigment with the oils using a figure-eight motion with a glass pestle. It was difficult to collect the oil and pigment into one pile after grinding, and I suspect that we didn't use quite enough linseed oil (only about a tablespoon.)

The linseed oil created a more fluid and homogeneous paint, with fewer "spots" of pigment congealed in it. The standing oil was more difficult to spread evenly with the brush. The standing oil was a slightly darker color, while the linseed oil was more difficult to control-- it "wanted" to spread while the standing oil stayed more or less where it was laid.

1a-- linseed oil
1b-- standing oil

Date: Monday, Nov 9

When I checked on the panel today, the paint was very smooth and pleasant to touch, almost like rubbery plastic.