You’ve put your heart and soul into this work and it’s time to see it dry, but now tiny white dots have appeared on your canvas and are polluting your work. You wonder why this has happened and at BLOCKX we have the answer.
If this problem appears it is because you did not prepare your canvas beforehand…
As you know, a canvas is not smooth and to cover the entire canvas our extra fine oils alone are not enough, even if they are pure, covering and intense.
Here are the steps to follow for a perfect result:
1- Use a linen canvas to paint with oil because linen is the finest material you can find
2- Use gesso: this is a coating composed of calcium sulphate mineral and a kind of glue (more commonly known as one of the major compounds of plaster) that will create a surface that will adapt perfectly to oil paint and simply make the surface to be painted smoother.
Before you start applying the gesso, you will need a wide brush or a roller (whichever you feel most comfortable with), as well as fine-grained sandpaper.
We recommend that you place your canvas on a flat surface or on an easel.
Do you have all the tools? Then you are ready to apply the gesso, like this:
Step 1: Start by applying a thin first coat of gesso to the canvas, spreading it vertically across the canvas and over the entire surface. Let it dry (between 1 and 2 hours) and lightly sand the surface of the canvas with the sandpaper in the opposite direction (horizontal)
The sanding will allow you to have finer details when making your work.
Step 2: Apply a second coat, this time working in the horizontal direction. Allow to dry, then sand again with the sandpaper.
Step 3: Turn the canvas over and apply two coats of gesso to the reverse side, always making sure to let it dry well between the two applications.
Step 4: Run the sandpaper in the opposite direction.
3- Retensioning the canvas with stretcher keys
To do this, it is very simple, you just need to gently wedge them in place with a light hammer. Inserted at the corners, they will provide additional tension
These three steps are undoubtedly the key factors for the success of your paintings and will ensure the durability of your work, as well as your talent, as Jacques Blockx wished.
To your canvas!
