oil on copper?
Chris
<xenochryst@_holycow_sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:pe28dv4icr9tclq36...@4ax.com...
> I just came across a snippet of info on this technique. I never
> realized it was possible or desireable to paint on copper. There isn't
> much info on the web. Does anyone here know where I can read more
> about it, or know how it's done?
>
> thanks,
> wanda
I can't help you on the technique; but didn't Goya do a number of his small
paintings on copper? I think it would be a good surface for detailed work.
Chris
Peter H.M. Brooks
<xenochryst@_holycow_sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:u678dv8ho4ti6teve...@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 27 May 2003 23:03:41 -0300, "Chris" <n...@this.address> pulled
> up a chair and spoke thusly:
>
> >I can't help you on the technique; but didn't Goya do a number of his
small
> >paintings on copper? I think it would be a good surface for detailed
work.
> >
> >Chris
> >
>
> online but paid scant attention to who did them. I was more concerned
> with how it was done. All I could find was that the copper needed to
> be scuffed up some and that some people put gesso on it and some used
> the copper as the ground. I guess what I'm wondering, too, is what
> effect the copper would have on the "look" of the piece. There was a
> short bit on the interaction of copper with water, so I guess it
> wouldn't be wise to try an egg tempera on it ( though I thought about
> it -- how smooth would that be! )
>
The main problem with it would be its flexibility - egg tempera would crack
and flake off in no time unless the surface were well roughened, the sheet
thick and the support strong and rigid.
Monochrome black paintings of wildlife on copper sheets have been a popular
form of kitsch in southern Africa as copper, being mined in Zambia, has
historically been plentiful and cheap. Clocks embedded in such paintings
being uber-kitsch.
--
The happiest people on earth are those few fortunates who seem to be in a
state of mild, stable hypomania. - David Horrobin 'The Madness of Adam and
Eve' (How schizophrenia shaped humanity)
Hans Klapeen
xenochryst@_holycow_sbcglobal.net says...
>
>I just came across a snippet of info on this technique. I never
>realized it was possible or desireable to paint on copper.
I've seen museum pieces (religious icons) that were
painted on copper centuries ago but haven't a clue
where to tell you to go for information. OTOH, with
all the commercially useful applications for painting
on metal today, I can imagine this is a no-brainer for anyone
serious about pursuing it. Baked enamel finishes
come to mind as possibly the most durable from an
archival standpoint using today's methods.
NightMist
wrote:
>I just came across a snippet of info on this technique. I never
>realized it was possible or desireable to paint on copper. There isn't
>much info on the web. Does anyone here know where I can read more
>about it, or know how it's done?
>
I seem to recall that it was all the rage for miniatures in oil to be
painted on copper at some point. I would suspect because it made
for easy jewelry mountings. Dammed, if I can recall any more detail
about it at present. Might help your search though.
Barbara
--
I'm a little teapot, short and stout
here is my handle, here is my...other...handle?
Bloody Hell!!
I'm a sugar bowl!
Hans Klapeen
xenochryst@_holycow_sbcglobal.net says...
>hmm. I don't know about Goya. I saw a few small paintings listed
>online but paid scant attention to who did them. I was more concerned
>with how it was done.
I did a search using the words "copper painting" and
it brought up this Daniel Smith forum on the topic:
http://www.danielsmith.org/oilstudio/messages/160.html
I did not continue looking at the other references,
but there were additional if you pursue this further.
Gordon Gekko
> I can't help you on the technique; but didn't Goya do a number of his small
> paintings on copper? I think it would be a good surface for detailed work.
There was a travelling exhibit a few years ago called "Masterworks on
Copper", or something like that.
The paintings were incredible. Extremely fine detail, and all the
paintings were perfectly preserved. It would seem that the copper is
a much more acrhival surface than canvas.
Chris
"Gordon Gekko" <gordong...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:d07edc6d.03052...@posting.google.com...
> There was a travelling exhibit a few years ago called "Masterworks on
> Copper", or something like that.
>
> The paintings were incredible. Extremely fine detail, and all the
> paintings were perfectly preserved. It would seem that the copper is
> a much more acrhival surface than canvas.
With all this talk about the wonders of copper, maybe I'll give it a try -
I've got odds and ends left over from printing. I guess the first step is to
degrease it with whiting....
Chris
Hans Klapeen
xenochryst@_holycow_sbcglobal.net says...
>I'm always looking for new supports.
>
>thanks Jack.
>
>wanda
You're welcome.
I haven't ever painted on copper but I've used it
in printmaking (engraving) where I hated the slow
and mistake-prone process with gravers. So I ended
up experimenting with acrylic (plexiglass) and never
once looked back. You can find a couple of 'engravings'
from acrylic plates on my web site "print" pages.
And the logical extension of my illogical thought
processes was to try painting on plexiglass. I've
not attempted to use oils since it just 'logically'
seems to be wrong for use on plastic, but I've
successfully used it for acrylic paintings -
ie; painting with acrylic paint directly onto plexiglass.
And here is something else those reading this might
wish to think about. I have painted onto glass
with the knowledge that I wouldn't want the paint
to last - I wanted the option of changing it and
didn't want to worry about the usual removal process
for paint on glass - scrape and dissolve. So what
I did was apply a medium tack clear plastic film,
otherwise sold as 'self-stick clear shelving paper.'
I then paint on that surface, which takes the
paint well without need for using a wetting agent
as is sometimes the need when painting on regular
window glass. When tired of the painting, simply
strip off the film, and VOILA! - back to a clean
clear surface. I've used this same technique on
plexiglass.
ADDITIONAL BENEFIT: Painting on plexiglass you
have the option of having the painting backlit.
ie; the sun shines through it! I've made faux
leaded glass panes as gifts for friends by
using plexiglass and acrylic paint to produce
what some people call 'sun catchers.'
Chris
"Hans Klapeen" <ha...@dontemailme.com> wrote in message
news:3ed6...@news.zianet.com...
> I haven't ever painted on copper but I've used it
> in printmaking (engraving) where I hated the slow
> and mistake-prone process with gravers. So I ended
> up experimenting with acrylic (plexiglass) and never
> once looked back. You can find a couple of 'engravings'
> from acrylic plates on my web site "print" pages.
>
> http://www.zianet.com/jaxart
>
Hi Jax;
There's some nice prints there; I especially liked the long narrow woodcut
and the Good Luck Bird lithograph.
You have some etchings listed as aquatints - are those done using acrylic
plates? if so, how do you aquatint the plate? With an acid. like for metal
plates?
Chris
Hans Klapeen
says...
>You have some etchings listed as aquatints - are those done using acrylic
>plates? if so, how do you aquatint the plate? With an acid. like for metal
>plates?
>
>Chris
I used traditional methods for the 'etchings' that
I have printed - using zinc plates.
You can effectively 'mezzotint' a sheet of plexiglass
but I would have to 'invent' a way to do aquatint with it.
I know there are chemicals that will attack plexiglass.
Incidentally, I've never done it but there is some way
to 'etch' linoleum for lino-prints too. I think you
use sodium hydroxide or another strong caustic to do that.
Hans Klapeen
xenochryst@_holycow_sbcglobal.net says...
>>http://www.zianet.com/jaxart
>
>I really liked your "Town View". How well did you like lithography? It
>was the one technique I didn't get to try when I was doing
>printmaking. If I had a press now, I'd go right back to it. Even the
>mess didn't deter me. I particularly liked mezzotint.
You can do lithography with either pre-etched metal
plates, or in the traditional manner, with thick
slabs of limestone. I much preferred the limestone
since I could manipulate the result to a greater
extent than is possible with metal plates. And
the one you mention, TOWN VIEW I, is an excellent
example of this. That print was done by fully
inking the plate (limestone) so that I had a solid
black. I then scraped away to reveal the whites
that show in the black print, referred to as
'reductive' process. A separate stone was
used to print the colored background in TOWN VIEW II.
I printed the colors first, and then overlayed the
black detail from the 'reductive' stone in a final
run through the press.
In my printmaking days I ignored the 'follow the rules'
dictum and did things that a 'formal' printmaker would
never do. If it works, it works, and the final product
is still an archival print.
Hans Klapeen
xenochryst@_holycow_sbcglobal.net says...
>I would love to try lithography. I priced the stones not
>long ago, and Rembrandt sells them for a huge amount of money
Using heavy stones implies one is going to
be doing this as 'other than' a hobby, I think.
OTOH, the 'grained aluminum plates' offer the
hobbiest an 'easier' method of doing lithography.
The advantage of the stone is that it can be
used endlessly, over and over again. In fact
I've printed images 'stored' on old stones that
were purchased from former lithographic printing
businesses. These images were in the form of
bank notes, letter heads and such that hadn't
been printed in nearly 100 years. The printer
had simply left the image 'fully inked' and
preserved it with a coating of gum arabic.
Of course it's true of aluminum plates too -
you can preserve the image indefinitely for
future printing. And that's exactly what is done
in commercial printing industry - preserving the image
for the customer for future orders.