I’ve been re-using old canvas quite a lot recently, for both landscapes and portraits. Not exactly a new idea I know, but I’m finding it increasingly satisfying. I recently “spun off” a study for a portrait so as to make a start on a more figurative piece. It’s on an old canvas, upside down: you can still see my signature and some of the previous workings. With this one and three or four others, the juxtaposition with ghosts of images past seems to resonate.
These old paintings of mine are acrylic, so preparation is a breeze. Firstly I make sure that the surface is clean. Then with a mid-value tone, somewhat similar to the predominant tone of the old painting, plus a good dollop of titanium white for covering power, on it goes, with a fairly large dryish brush. I’m trying to break up old lines, crossing them at angles as well as evening out tonal variations. Rather than aim for a completely even tone, I prefer to start my new painting with some vestiges of the old.
Acrylic paint is plastic-sticky forever and so readily bonds with the new. For old oil paintings surface preparation is more critical. An oil or alkyd primer/gesso needs be used of course, but an artist friend recently still had problems with the new prime not fully taking. An alkyd primer was applied, so the problem was probably due to the underlying surface: it needs to be well sanded back to a uniform dull finish. Oil paint dries hard and slick with time!
Using up my old canvases has been a great de-stressor: when things are not working out at any stage, voila! it becomes a potential pre-underpainting. This way, in my mind anyway, it will all work out in the end – and it often does!
David, I like the idea of having “ghosts” appear from the underlying painting. Reusing old canvas is a great idea — I bet you get so many ideas for creating your next painting from the forms underneath the old one. Thanks for the tips!
Hi Michelle, Glad you liked the idea…yes, sometimes the new painting goes down a completely different path …and for me, those surprise moments are magic!
I am masking mines (old canvas) with paper and glue, but my technique is not perfect yet, I tried to find a “marouflage” recipe on the web but I didn’t try hard enough.
And I wish I knew how to sand an old canvas, because the canvas breaks before the texture smooths over
Hi Katia, You’re getting out there trying a “marouflage” glue: I’ve only really heard of this in murals and with conservators removing artwork from degrading canvas in order to affix to a new support. Radical stuff. I guess if it works for this, it would probably work for almost anything! When I’ve sanded down a canvas I do so lightly, without going through he gesso layer. I do not dig down into the valleys of the weave.