Start with stretching 12 oz cotton duck onto 12″X16″ stretcher strips. Isolate the cotton duck with a coating of Rabbit Skin Glue. Apply an oil emulsion (Rabbit Skin Glue + Marble Dust + Linseed Oil) to the cotton duck. Let all dry for a minimum of 5 days. Start your drawing using Raw Umber oil paint mixed with a drying oil medium, such as Groves’ 19th Century Copol Varnish mixed 50/50 with turpentine or the Ralph Mayer drying oil medium (1 ounce Damar Varnish + 1 ounce Linseed Oil + 5 ounces of turpentine + 15 drops of Cobalt Siccative), thin to a light cream consistency and apply using a round brush. Let drawing dry for a few days and finish with normal painting techniques or adopt a more egg tempera method if the drying time does not interfere with the finished results.
Leave a Reply