Fixing the Sketch

[Ken Smith]

Usually I trace the drawing and transfer it to the board (gessoed masonite) using conte as a transfer medium. Then I spray fix it (Krylon Workable Fixatif), let it dry, and then start with an oil wash (with turpentine).

Spray Fix, if sprayed heavily, changes the surface of the gesso, making it noticeably less absorbent. So on my last painting, I decided to spray the Fix on much lighter to try to keep the original character of the gesso.

However, much to my surprise, when I did the oil wash over this tracing, the turpentine melted the drawing completely--and I mean completely. It was a pretty complicated, multi-figure thing, but luckily, I had the original tracing. All I lost was a couple of hours, which was highly annoying, but not a tragedy. Never had this happen before, but clearly, with an oil wash, the SprayFix on the drawing has to be pretty thick.

Ken

[Leslie Bohoss]

Many thanks for your tips!

Michele, your method sounds interreresant. You "draw" practically once again with thin oil ---with a tiny brush-- like ink? Right?

Ken, thank you too, it was certainly very annoying! I noticed: spray thin.

[Michele Rushworth]

Yes, Leslie, that's how it works. In fact, Tony Ryder calls this step "inking in", though I think some people might be confused by that term and think he actually recommends using ink, which he does not.

The thing I like best about this method is that nothing is left on the canvas that might interfere with the painting later: no chemical fixative, no graphite, no charcoal, just very thin burnt umber is all you're left with on the surface.

[Ken Smith]

Well, spray thin if you want to keep the absorbent nature of the gesso. If you want to keep your drawing, you should probably spray thick.

[Richard Budig]

I use a couple of methods to "ink in" my image on canvas, or on gessoed masonite.

Sometimes, I trace it on from a drawing, and then go over it with hard charcoal. I wipe off as much charcoal as possible. It leaves a "ghost" image which is plainly visible. Then, I use a thinnish wash of either raw sienna with a little black, or thinned raw umber using a #2 brush for a fine line.

If it's an important portrait, I'll draw over my tacing with slightly diluted india ink, using one of the finer pointed speedball pen points. It leaves an indelible image that, at first, you think you'll never cover with paint. But it slowly gets covered as you work along. The nice thing about the ink drawing is that if you get utterly desperate, you can dig down until you find your original drawing. But I've never had to do that. The india ink stays visible for quite a long time.