Preparing for a BIG Painting

Okay, it’s time.  Time for a really LARGE painting.  Well, that means a 24” X 48” painting, and as far as I’m concerned that’s large.  Looking through my photographs, I haven’t been able to find the source of the one I plan to use as my reference for this painting.  So I scanned the actual photograph so you’d get an idea of what the subject of the painting will be and possibly why I’ve chosen this particular size canvas.

Here’s an interesting thing I learned about larger pre-stretched canvases when working on the “Road to the Lake” painting.  Even though the canvas has been stretched over a wooden frame, the larger ones have a lot of give in the canvas.  It makes sense when you think about it.  If you stretch a piece of fabric in a large embroidery hoop, there will still be give in the fabric.  So, of course, the same is true even of heavy-weight canvas fabric.  With the 15”X30” painting, the give wasn’t a problem.  I became used to it quickly.  However, with the size I’ll be working on with palette knife now, it might raise an issue.  To avoid the problem, one needs to wet the back of the canvas and let it dry face down on a flat surface. 

 

Saturday I laid out some towels on the living room floor, took a large bowl of warmish water, a 3” wall painting brush, and set to work.  It wasn’t a difficult task and fortunately, it wasn’t messy either.  The point is to merely wet the canvas, not soak it so it should be dry by Monday.  By then I may have the sketch complete and be able to transfer to the canvas before Tuesday’s class.

Wonder if I'll be able to get it in the car?