GIFs that are REAL art . . . ??
HAAS
would LOVE to get our hands on some GIFs of French Impressionist
work or any other fine art GIFs. Can anyone help by pointing me to
an ftp site or simply identifying common GIFs by file name? The
only GIFs I have are Renoir's 'bather' and 'bathers', and although
they are nice, they're not my preference. (besides, that's just two!)
Looking for a selection! :=)
Thanks in advance.
Hap
---
Harry Haas GTRI/RIDL/EB "What makes it DO that!?" - Bones
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp: ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!hh2
Internet: hhaas@{gtri01|rmadsun}.gatech.edu h...@prism.gatech.edu
--
Harry Haas GTRI/RIDL/DB "What makes it DO that!?" - Bones
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp: ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!hh2
Internet: h...@prism.gatech.edu hhaas@{gtri01|rmadsun}.gatech.edu
Ron Rizzo
So would I! Now Georges Seurat would be an interesting choice:
a bitmap of a detail or a sketch from Le Grande Jatte, his big
Sunday-brunch-on-the-banks-of-the-Seine mural. Paul Signac's
pointillist textures are so coarse they're pre-electronic
bitmaps.
Idle query: has Chuck Close discovered the Face-Saver project?
(Much of Close's work is portraits constructed of bricklike
daubs of uniform shape & size.)
Positively dotty,
Ron
"Despite the slump in art prices, Sotheby's/Madrid announced
yesterday it had sold Goya's "Menudo", a stomach-churning
etching from Los Caprichos, for a record 1 trillion pesetas."
--- Art Smarts, the sly investor's newsletter
Rajesh Viswanathan
ink. I would like to try my hand in using color and want to use oil as
my new medium. I would like to get suggestions from people out there
about the best way to start oil painting. I want to learn how to use,
mix, and apply color. Are there any good textbooks on the subject that
anyone can recommend?
I do have a big disadvantage being somewhat color blind towards browns
and greens. However, I do know some color blind people who paint really great.
I think that they can discern between shades of color and just need
help in identifying certain pure colors. Any experiences from any
color blind painters or people who know anyone like this? I am not
going to let my handicap hold me back. I guess I am just looking for
moral support here.
thanks for your help
raj
Nick Szabo
>Speaking of fine art . . . I, and many several of my friends,
>would LOVE to get our hands on some GIFs of French Impressionist
>work or any other fine art GIFs. Can anyone help by pointing me to
>an ftp site or simply identifying common GIFs by file name?
I second the motion!!!
--
Nick Szabo sz...@sequent.com
"We live and we learn, or we don't live long" -- Robert A. Heinlein
The above opinions are my own and not related to those of any
organization I may be affiliated with.
Arno Bosse
> Speaking of fine art . . . I, and many several of my friends,
> would LOVE to get our hands on some GIFs of French Impressionist
> work or any other fine art GIFs. Can anyone help by pointing me to
> an ftp site or simply identifying common GIFs by file name? The
> only GIFs I have are Renoir's 'bather' and 'bathers', and although
> they are nice, they're not my preference. (besides, that's just two!)
> Looking for a selection! :=)
That sound really interesting...I had no idea that GIF images were readily
available. One concern I have is filesize. I live on BITNET and sending big
packages over the net REALLY slows things down on every node along the way.
Would it be possible to have them sent on 3.5 inch floppies?
My other question regards file conversion. I would want to use these files on
a Mac based paint program. What kind of resolution and pixel depth does GIF
support?
Arno Bosse
Reed College
BITNET: abosse@reed
Ron Rizzo
Rajesh,
You've already mastered the skill painters find most difficult to
acquire, draftsmanship or drawing ability.
What's left is to make the painful transition from delineation,
describing with line, to rendering with areas of color. If you
used charcoal to lay in tone or gradients of shadow, you already
have a taste for it. What will be new is color, a wayward,
mysterious and uncontrollable factor at first.
Maybe the real task is to eventually *think* in terms of color areas.
I'm sure there are many books using different pedagogical approaches.
Choose one you feel comfortable with but that doesn't stint on useful
technical information. You may want to consider taking a class at a
local art school, but this is hardly necessary. If you do, first make
sure it's worth taking, that:
1) the instructor's a capable teacher, interested in teaching
2) a definite body of techniques and technical information, and
3) draws examples from significant painting by others,
4) assigning exercises that make use of the above.
Often instructors even at accredited art school take a very lazy
view of night classes, treating them as little more than recreation.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing is to start painting and do *a lot of it*.
Allow yourself the time and energy for this.
Learning how to paint is a lot like learning any other skill, eg,
to program or play a musical instrument. You must put in the time,
learn a body of technique, work against a standard, and yet in a
sense wait until a threshhold is crossed when you suddenly realize
you've acquired *facility*. I guess this last point is what people
call the "learning curve."
Painting is wonderful; it's a completely new world for someone who's
drawn a lot.
Best of luck!
Ron
Michael Melton
>I have been drawing for most of my life in pencil, charcol, and pen &
>ink. I would like to try my hand in using color and want to use oil as
>my new medium.
First, I would recommend that you *not* think of painting as an extension
of drawing. Some people paint like they are drawing with paint, but you should
not restrict yourself in such a way. Painting can be totally different
experience from drawing.
> I would like to get suggestions from people out there
>about the best way to start oil painting. I want to learn how to use,
>mix, and apply color. Are there any good textbooks on the subject that
>anyone can recommend?
The only book I recommend is Meyer's Guide to Artists Materials. This will
teach you about the materials without giving you the "what is art" garbage.
I suggested learning how to build a stretcher; and, how to select, stretch, and
size a canvas properly. I think Meyer's books cover most of these points.
(You can buy prefab stretchers, but be sure to strengthen them with crossbars.)
Next I would investigate different types of oil medium, glazes, and how to
layer paint. (Meyer's covers this quite well.) Learning to mix a good medium
is essential in making the paint workable.
>
>I do have a big disadvantage being somewhat color blind towards browns
>and greens. However, I do know some color blind people who paint really great.
>I think that they can discern between shades of color and just need
>help in identifying certain pure colors. Any experiences from any
>color blind painters or people who know anyone like this? I am not
>going to let my handicap hold me back. I guess I am just looking for
>moral support here.
Color blindness doesn't matter as long as you can distinguish light and dark.
Mixing colors around can make very interesting effects.
The last thing I'd advise is not to be too critical on yourself--or too
careful. Have fun and leave your expectations outside your studio.
Harry B Laufman
instructed, uudecoded to RUBENS.GIF and downloaded to my PC with XMODEM.
CSHOW 8.0 successfully reads the header as GIF87a 320x200x32 but cannot
display the file giving...
Interlace overrun at 5972 [00]
Any thoughts on where the error originates? Has anyone successfully
uudecoded and seen this GIF?
regards, Harrington hlau...@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu
Joakim A Verona
I'm wondering why the traditionaly prefered base for oil/acrylics
seems to bee the canvas?
I've used carton or paper, and i'm quite satisfied with that.
But, perhaps i'm missing something? If you use canvas, could you
tell me the advantages? (I find it prohibitibly expensive and
cumbersome to try it myself unless I get some info on why it should be
better.)
--
==============================================================================
! Joakim Verona LiTH ! Snail: soergaardsgatan 11 ! Email: !
! Voice: 013/178107 ! 58239 Linkoeping ! d88j...@kolix.ida.liu.se !
==============================================================================
HAAS
>In article <18...@hydra.gatech.EDU>, h...@prism.gatech.EDU (HAAS) writes:
>> Speaking of fine art . . . I, and many several of my friends,
>> would LOVE to get our hands on some GIFs of French Impressionist
>
>available. One concern I have is filesize. I live on BITNET and sending big
>packages over the net REALLY slows things down on every node along the way.
>Would it be possible to have them sent on 3.5 inch floppies?
Yes, file sizes can be large; from 35k to 200k. The answer is to be
considerate. Understand the path of your connection. Transfer files froms
hosts that are "close", and during times where people are not involved in
work. Sewt up a routine to grad what you want at night. My rule of thumb
has been, that if the transfer is quick, then I have a short connect path
(with no data rate bottlenecks) and relatively low usage.
>My other question regards file conversion. I would want to use these files on
>a Mac based paint program. What kind of resolution and pixel depth does GIF
>support?
>
>Arno Bosse
Well, I don't speak Mac, but I there know there are Mac GIF viewers (PD)
and paint programs that import them. I have exchanged MANY with friends
at work from Mac-to-Dos-to-Unix (yes, I compiled a PD viewer that runs under
X11 !!) As far as resolution, it varies. I just checked a few, and they
are 640x480x256, 320,x200x256, 640x350x16, etc., etc., etc. I'm assuming
that the GIF standard will accomodate virtually any resolution, since
one of mine is 421x472x256.
>Reed College
>BITNET: abosse@reed
Hap
Elaine M Richards
>I do have a big disadvantage being somewhat color blind towards browns
>and greens. However, I do know some color blind people who paint really great.
>I think that they can discern between shades of color and just need
>help in identifying certain pure colors. Any experiences from any
>color blind painters or people who know anyone like this? I am not
>going to let my handicap hold me back. I guess I am just looking for
>moral support here.
Good for you!
I wish I could recommend books, but I don't use them. I started painting
at age 7 and my mother taught me about paint.
To master the technique without worrying about colors, start with black
and white compositions, just to get the feel.
To get the hang of colors, buy a color wheel from any art supply store
and study it. Hold it up to things you may want to paint and reality
check the values with a buddy who is pretty good with colors. Also,
bear in mind, its painting and not photography, so you can get away
with a lot :-).
Then, you can make your own color wheel and get the buddy to help you check
the colors.
Browse in bookstores and art stores. Lots of the clerks in art supply
stores are students at art schools, so you might chat them up for
recommendations.
ER
--
E. Richards {uunet|pyramid|sun}!acad!booter
"A mere corroborative detail to add artistic verisimilitude to
an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative."
Elaine M Richards
>In article <34...@netnews.upenn.edu> raj...@grad1.cis.upenn.edu (Rajesh Viswanathan) writes:
>
>The only book I recommend is Meyer's Guide to Artists Materials. This will
>teach you about the materials without giving you the "what is art" garbage.
ACK!!!! Half the fun of art is sitting around cafes philosophising about
what is art.
Fie on you!
Philistine!
Its like learning the martial arts and not addressing the mind and
spirit.
Gak.
Oh great, now I have the hiccups :-).
Elaine M Richards
>
>I'm wondering why the traditionaly prefered base for oil/acrylics
>seems to bee the canvas?
>I've used carton or paper, and i'm quite satisfied with that.
>But, perhaps i'm missing something? If you use canvas, could you
>tell me the advantages? (I find it prohibitibly expensive and
>cumbersome to try it myself unless I get some info on why it should be
>better.)
Many paintings were done on wood. Frida Kahlo painted on aluminum.
Botanical illustrators use Bristol paper or illustration board.
Use what you like.
Ron Rizzo
So I'll go off on a tangent again. ;^)
In previous periods a lot of oil painting was done on wood
panels. Once in a blue moon an artist would use copper
plate (Adam Elmsheimer and assorted baroque painters) which
gives colors a sharp brilliance.
The Flemish are credited with discovering, or at least first
exploiting, oil paints in the early 1400s. They probably can
also be credited for easel painting, but small wood panels may
have been much more common than canvas. (One explanation for
why they turned to easels goes: since the light in northern
Europe is weaker and the climate colder, northern churches
required the ratio of window to wall space be greater, hence
proportionally less wall area for murals, thus a need for
paintings with their own supporting grounds, to be hung or
stand free.)
Since the 19th century oil sketches on artboard(?), cardboard
and recently heavy stock paper have become common. I'd guess
these surfaces supply a less permanent support. Raw unprimed
canvas has been used a lot since midcentury but it absorbs a
lot of paint and medium.
Is it easier to reframe paintings on canvas? From the little
I've read about the vicissitudes of artworks and the difficul-
ties of restoration, I think it's harder to maintain and transfer
a canvas painting. Transferring a wall mural done in egg tempera
on plaster may be easier or less hazardous, even though it seems
more difficult a task. Even before the modern concern with
conservation and the use of "scientific" techniques, transfer of
a painting wasn't rare as buildings decayed or were demolished
or new owners took possession. Yet the transfer would often be
from a wall, less often from a panel, to a canvas!
Is cracking more likely on a canvas support due to a slackening of
tension?
My memory of all of the above is hazy.
Regards,
Ron
"A word is worth a thousand pictures."
--- Dr. Seuss
Brook Conner
>In article <D88JOAVE.90...@odal17.IDA.LiU.SE> d88j...@IDA.LiU.SE (Joakim A Verona) writes:
>>
>>seems to bee the canvas?
>
>absorb paint a lot better than paper or illustration boards. Canvas also
>offers a stronger painting surface which even the best paper (say, 100%
>acid-free rag) can't match.
All out durability is a definite plus to a well-made stretched canvas. I have a
tendency to glue and affix odd things to my paintings, and it just wouldn't
work on anything less than say plywood. But plywood is a lot of work to get a
relatively smooth surface, and its also very heavy and thus hard to hand.
Another point (significant to some) about canvas is that it is traditional.
That's the way they used to do it, and making a piece in that traditional
manner brings a lot of built-in thematic stuff to the work.
>
>If your paintings are light and detail-oriented illustration boards are
>sturdy enough. But the paint only forms a thin film on the surface and after
>a while acrylic would peel off (if the board hasn't fallen apart first).
>With canvas the painted surface is more permanent since the pigment is absorbed
>into the fibers and a good piece of canvas can last for centuries.
>
Hm. I guess you don't paint in oils too often, eh, Dave? Letting oil paint soak
into a canvas is the surest way to get it to turn to dust inside twenty years.
Linseed oil (oil medium) _eats_ canvas, paper, cardboard, all that stuff.
That's why we have gesso and/or rabbit-skin glue. To protect the canvas and
_prevent_ it from being absorbed by the canvas.
Another point about canvas is you can make it BIG. While you could probably
make some yourself if you wanted, I've never seen a piece of quality paper
bigger than 40" x 50". I've done some rather large pieces ( 6' x 12') and
canvas is the best bet for cost and portability.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>David Yang | ... he fought back so hard that the police had to kill
>d...@cs.brown.edu | him to prevent him from committing suicide.
> | - Brown Daily Herald, World News Report
Hi Dave!
Brook
Brook Conner | Klacktoveedsedstene
Brown Computer Graphics | Fortune sez: Brook's Law -- Adding manpower to a late
d...@cs.brown.edu | software project makes it later
uunet!brunix!dbc d...@browncs.bitnet Box 4013 Brown U Prov RI 02912
Ron Rizzo
I'm dismayed by the vinyl-like skin gobs of Liquitex acrylic quickly
acquire once they're squeezed onto the palette. Is there any way to
slow down this "plasticizing"? I realize acrylics ARE plastics. Will
more expensive brands do this less? Can you mix acrylics with another
water-based paint? I guess you shouldn't paint with acrylics on glass.
Regards,
Ron
David Yang
>seems to bee the canvas?
>I've used carton or paper, and i'm quite satisfied with that.
>But, perhaps i'm missing something? If you use canvas, could you
>tell me the advantages? (I find it prohibitibly expensive and
>cumbersome to try it myself unless I get some info on why it should be
>better.)
>
The main thing with canvas is durability, not to mention that canvas does
absorb paint a lot better than paper or illustration boards. Canvas also
offers a stronger painting surface which even the best paper (say, 100%
acid-free rag) can't match.
If your paintings are light and detail-oriented illustration boards are
sturdy enough. But the paint only forms a thin film on the surface and after
a while acrylic would peel off (if the board hasn't fallen apart first).
With canvas the painted surface is more permanent since the pigment is absorbed
into the fibers and a good piece of canvas can last for centuries.
David Yang
>Hm. I guess you don't paint in oils too often, eh, Dave?
No. Not *too* often. But often enough. Although I haven't done any painting in the last semester.
Somewhat regretably.
>Letting oil paint soak
>into a canvas is the surest way to get it to turn to dust inside twenty years.
Oops. Sorry. My booboo. The thing I mention about the paint soaking into the canvas is only
*my* reason for using canvas. And yes, the rest of the world cringes at the idea.
Nevertheless though, I am not the first one in history to paint on unsized canvas. There was
Jackson Pollock, Helen Frankenthaler etc etc. The reason I don't size my canvas has little to
do with imitating these "old masters". It has to do with personal ideas about art which I shall
not explain here, lest I be labeled a semiotician and become the next target for someone's CS11
skits.
>Linseed oil (oil medium) _eats_ canvas, paper, cardboard, all that stuff.
Correct. Linseed oil is not exactly healthy for the canvas because it's acidic (fatty acids I
believe). Though today's oil paints tend to be low on the acid scale. But to say the puny
trace amount of acid in oil paints is capable of rendering paper, let alone canvas, to dust
in 20 years is a blatant hyperbole. Acceptable behavior when it comes to the funtionalities of
a certain 4-d modeling system, not quite considerate when starting painters are counting on
you.
Have you seen the Picasso oil on *brown* paper (looks like the kind you carry your lunch in)
at the RISD museum? I don't know its exact date but I would say it's not a product of the 70's.
And as far as I could tell there was no holes in it. And if common brown paper can withstand
the corrosion of oil paint for half a century, shouldn't we expect fancy linen dock from Belgium
to fare much better?
In fact, Frankenthaler made a name for herself by rubbing the paint directly into the canvas.
And if you look at her earlier works, you would notice a halo of oil stain around all the color
forms. Although I don't know about their fate 5 centuries from now, the canvases (mostly from the
50's) at her MOMA retro two summers ago showed no sign of noticeble decay. Although I do believe
that she treated her canvases with soap to neutralize the acidic effects of the paint (she uses
very diluted paint which contains a high percentage of linseed oil). As a matter of fact her
technique is known as the "soap stain technique".
>That's why we have gesso and/or rabbit-skin glue. To protect the canvas and
>_prevent_ it from being absorbed by the canvas.
Right. A side note here. The "gesso" you use is not really the gesso in the strict sense
of the word. Real gesso is glue-based and used only on materials such as wood, if my recollection
is correct. The gesso you are referring to is actually some kind of synthetic polymer a la acrylic
and was invented as a primer for acrylic paint, not oil paint. Although most people use it as
a primer for oil, I don't know if it's porous like most acrylic paint. The standard technique for
preparing your canvas is - correct me if I am wrong, it's been a while since I learned this in my
last high school painting class, where I worked mostly with acrylics - size with glue and prime
with oil-based white paint. Although no student I know of actually goes to all that trouble.
>
>Another point about canvas is you can make it BIG. While you could probably
>make some yourself if you wanted, I've never seen a piece of quality paper
>bigger than 40" x 50".
>
Maybe you should go for the rolls then.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David Yang | The light at the end of the tunnel is the headlight of
d...@cs.brown.edu | an approaching train.
uunet!brunix!dy d...@browncs.bitnet Brown University Prov RI 02912
David Yang
>Is cracking more likely on a canvas support due to a slackening of
>tension?
>
I don't know about that. What I do know is that cracking has to do with the
contraction of paint under cold temperature or just a sudden drop in
temperature. There's a rule in painting called the "fat over lean rule" or
something. Basically, it's a good idea to make your under-painting less
oily than your final layers. The component in oil paint that is most
affected by temperature is of course, the medium. So if your underpainting
is very oily, it's more likely to shrink under cold temperatures. And the
over-painting will be cracked by the shrinking underneath.
However, cracking is really not likely to happen for a good number of years.
So if you are just starting to paint or you only paint for fun, you don't
really have to worry about such things.
David Yang
:-) I know. But that has its good sides though. For instance, I used to
use covers of cookie cans as palates, and after the entire surface has been
covered with paint, i would just peel off the whole thing like a skin.
Quite a piece of art in itself. :-)
I don't know if there's anyway to slow down the plasticizing process.
I guess it helps to add water and acrylic medium. You don't want to
water down the paint too much but acrylic medium alone dries up equally
fast.
Gordon Fitch
| In article <D88JOAVE.90...@odal17.IDA.LiU.SE> d88j...@IDA.LiU.SE (Joakim A Verona) writes:
| >
| >I'm wondering why the traditionaly prefered base for oil/acrylics
| >seems to bee the canvas?
| >I've used carton or paper, and i'm quite satisfied with that.
| >But, perhaps i'm missing something? If you use canvas, could you
| >tell me the advantages? (I find it prohibitibly expensive and
| >cumbersome to try it myself unless I get some info on why it should be
| >better.)
|
| Many paintings were done on wood. Frida Kahlo painted on aluminum.
| Botanical illustrators use Bristol paper or illustration board.
I use masonite, a kind of composition board, which comes in 1/4"
and 1/2" thicknesses. Since I use acrylics, I prepare the board by
putting a coat of matte medium on it, and usually straight white
titanium over that. Everything seems to adhere well.
The advantages of masonite are that it's cheap, reasonably durable,
doesn't back away from the brush, and you can cut any size (up to
4'x8') you like as you need it.
The disadvantages are that it tends to curl after a period of time
and can be damaged around the edges if dropped. Some types will
deteriorate under humid conditions. Another point is that to some
extent those who buy paintings do not seem comfortable with anything
but canvas, so if you're into commerce this may be a consideration.
--
Gordon Fitch | gcf@panix
Elaine M Richards
They sell a substance called "retarder", which will slow down the
drying of acrylic paint. It has an unfortunate tendency to
dilute the color. Its kinda whitish cleary stuff and I think it
changes the color a little and makes it less likely to stick to
the brush.
One thing you can do is use a plant sprayer and spray your palette
as you are working. This will keep it moist.
Curt Sampson
> >teach you about the materials without giving you the "what is art" garbage.
>
> ACK!!!! Half the fun of art is sitting around cafes philosophising about
> what is art.
>
> Fie on you!
You'd better watch it or Eliot Handelman will creep over here from
alt.postmodern and tell you all that you're not artists and that art
is dead. Then he'll call you a pinhead.
After that Gordon Fitch will explain how the Art System is responsible
for killing millions of people to maintain the value of the old
masters.
> Oh great, now I have the hiccups :-).
I can't even swallow anymore. :-(
cjs
| "The unconscious self is the real genius.
cu...@cynic.wimsey.bc.ca | Your breathing goes wrong the minute your
{uunet|ubc-cs}!van-bc!cynic!curt | conscious self meddles with it." --GBS
Brook Conner
|> In article <61...@bbn.BBN.COM> rri...@bbn.com (Ron Rizzo) writes:
|> >In article <59...@brunix.UUCP> d...@cs.brown.edu (David Yang) writes:
|> >>
|> >>....and after a while acrylic would peel off....
|> >
|> >I'm dismayed by the vinyl-like skin gobs of Liquitex acrylic quickly
|> >acquire once they're squeezed onto the palette. Is there any way to
|> I don't know if there's anyway to slow down the plasticizing process.
|> I guess it helps to add water and acrylic medium. You don't want to
|> water down the paint too much but acrylic medium alone dries up equally
|> fast.
Use oil paints. :-) No "skins" even a week later.
--
Gordon Fitch
You can get something called "retardant" which slows down the
drying process considerably. It's a liquid which is mixed with
the water and paint.
--
Gordon Fitch | gcf@panix
Gordon Fitch
| One thing you can do is use a plant sprayer and spray your palette
| as you are working. This will keep it moist.
Have you tried this out? I suggested both this and the use of a
(cold water) vaporizer to an art-materials expert and she thought
I wouldn't like the results. (The idea of the vaporizer was not
to spray the palette or the painting, but to raise the humidity to
slow drying.)
--
Gordon Fitch | gcf@panix
Elaine M Richards
>boo...@Autodesk.COM (Elaine M Richards) writes:
>> >teach you about the materials without giving you the "what is art" garbage.
>> ACK!!!! Half the fun of art is sitting around cafes philosophising about
>> what is art.
>
>alt.postmodern and tell you all that you're not artists and that art
>is dead. Then he'll call you a pinhead.
Raising hands....
OK OK!! I get your point!!!
Elaine M Richards
Yes, I use plant sprayers and eye droppers with water in them. A scientific
illustrator from the Steinhart suggested it to me. It works fine when
you are not pasting the paint on really thick. I do lots of washy stuff.
A humidifier is great if you have ferns or a sinus condition, but I don't
think that it will do much for the paint.
ER
Gordon Fitch
| You can get something called "retardant" which slows down the
| drying process considerably. It's a liquid which is mixed with
| the water and paint.
Actually, now that I've taken a look at it, it says "retardER".
It cost about $5 for half a pint or so. If you can't find it
where you are, you can mail-order from Pearl Paint in New
York. Their phone number is 212-431-7392. I don't get anything
for this recommendation, although I certainly ought to.
--
Gordon Fitch | gcf@panix
Judy Wines
>seems to bee the canvas?
>I've used carton or paper, and i'm quite satisfied with that.
>But, perhaps i'm missing something? If you use canvas, could you
>tell me the advantages? (I find it prohibitibly expensive and
>cumbersome to try it myself unless I get some info on why it should be
>better.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To begin with, canvas provides tooth. It also can be taken off of stratcher
bars, rolled, and restretched ( as in moving large pieces). Muslin, pillow
ticking and a variety of other fabrics can be substituted. Another attribute
is permanence. Cardboard and paper, unless made specially, are highly acidic.
This is the worst thing you can do to a piece of art, as your work not only
will deteriorate, it is substantially lowered in value. Also, paper and
board are susceptible to breaks (divots), oils and moisture damage, and moving
hazards. Especially if it is not properly mounted, matted, framed or otherwise
finished.
Much information has been published on this topic, and is readily available.
There are also many good quality materials available. Illustration board and
masonite are other materials that are widely used with oils and acrylics.
--
BoGART Artist Account
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
???
>Speaking of fine art . . . I, and many several of my friends,
>would LOVE to get our hands on some GIFs of French Impressionist
There was an interesting article in last Wednesday's Wall Street Journal
concerning the electronic rights to works of art. Apparently, Bill Gates
is interested in buying the rights to digitized versions of the most
valuable paintings and photographs and intends to build an initial library
of 10,000 images.
Although he says he is just "playing around", several museums and
photographers are eager to sell him the rights. A few, however, are
hesitant to sell the rights outright and would prefer to receive royalties
based on a per-use basis, while retaining control over how the images are
used.
--Bob