Creating Eclipse

by A.D. Cook

Canvas Wrap Article, November 2004

Welcome to CANVAS WRAP, and ongoing series of step-by-step instructional articles on the art of airbrushing as fine art. CANVAS WRAP will present a “no secrets” approach in these articles. If I’ve done it I’ll show it, and if I know it I’ll share it. Most projects featured here will be demonstrated on prepared canvas, but most processes will be applicable to illustration board as well. For those of you desiring to work on a smooth canvas surface I’ve written and posted an article on my web site titled “Creating The Perfect Ultra-Smooth Canvas For Airbrush".

My recent series of paintings have been life-size and larger figurative paintings. In my recent painting titled Eclipse (36” x 36”), I’ve stayed with a monochromatic theme of blues, and our figure is painted a bit larger than life size. In our first installment of CANVAS WRAP we’re going to start at the beginning of a painting, rather than focus on just specific items. Over the course of the next few articles we’ll focus on individual components and discuss the workings of other parts of the human figure; hands, torso, hair, and touch base regarding various textures. I photograph all my own reference materials and subject matter – in this case our model Lynsey in front of a prop I created by cutting a circle in a piece of black Gatorboard. From those I chose my final painting reference image. The color photo has been manipulated in the computer and I’ve decided to paint her in blue-violet hues. Once I’m happy with what I see on screen I print it out as a large high-quality print that I will refer to as I paint, and also as a smaller print that will fit in my projector. The transfer of the image to canvas is pretty straight forward, but at the same time it’s important to get it right. I project my image onto canvas and draw her lightly with a blue watercolor pencil. I always try to draw the image with a pencil that is closest to the color I intend on painting. Watercolor pencils are my preferred option because they tend to disappear when painted over, they’re easily erased, and they’re compatible with acrylic-based paints (as opposed to lead or wax-based pencils). Take your time in the drawing process to make sure you draw everything that is important, but at the same time try not to draw so much that it becomes a drawing. I try to include some light shading as reference points in areas where there are no distinct lines. An example of this would be ribs, abdominal area, shoulder, variables in the cloth, and shadows. Once I’m satisfied with the drawing, my next step is to start creating my acetates. Very little masking was used for this painting. Rather, she’s masked almost entirely with 5-mil acetate assisted with the use of Artool templates. We’ll get into some of this later. For now, using clear tape I’ve joined a couple pieces of 30” x 40” acetate together to make a sheet large enough to cover the entire painting. Next, I trim the acetate piece down to 36” x 36” which is the exact size of my canvas. The canvas is then laid flat and the acetate is positioned and taped in place with masking tape to hold it in place. (Properly planned, this entire painting will be created using one sheet of acetate.)

Now starts the fun part. Using an X-Acto knife with a new #11 blade, I cut every shape in the entire painting. Sometimes I do this with the art flat, and other times with the canvas on the easel. Whatever is most comfortable for you is fine. I take caution here to only cut deep enough to score my acetate, being especially careful to not cut all the way through. Then, with a Sharpie pen I draw "X" marks across the cut lines so that alignment of the pieces is easier later.

At this time I also cut shapes that look like cat’s eyes and I draw a dot at each end of those just to see them easier later. These shapes will be popped out and the openings taped over to hold the acetate down along various edges. Lastly, I add notes on the individual shapes to remind me later what they are. Sometimes the notes just reference “up”, “hand”, “torso”, or whatever I think I’ll need to know later. What seems obvious now may become a bit confusing as these pieces get popped out and the acetate dismantled and reassembled throughout the course of the painting. The notes will be very helpful in identifying the pieces, and aid in accurately repositioning them later.

I typically paint back to front, so I start by removing acetate pieces to expose the background area, leaving our lady covered for now. Separate the pieces by gently folding the acetate back against the scores to pop the individual pieces apart. If you’ve scored the acetate properly, they will come apart quite easily. If you encounter resistance, take your knife and carefully re-score the lines as needed. Avoid pulling the acetate so as not to distort it. The removed acetate pieces get taped to the studio wall for future use. To make life a bit easier, I position them in place like a large puzzle. This is a good time to mix some paint. This painting is monochromatic; meaning it’ll appear as a one-color painting when finished. I mix a selection of colors to get the desired blue I’m looking for, but you could paint it any color you want. I wanted a winter-like feeling for this piece, so a dark blue seemed like the obvious choice. The wall surface that our model is leaning against gets painted first. (Normally, working back to front, I’d paint the sky area first, but in this case I’m painting the wall to establish my darkest values). My first step is to get some color down, so using an Iwata LPH-50 Spray Gun I lightly build up the value to create an even fill of blue. Keep this light as we’ll be adding texture and it’ll be important that it show through.

It’s always easier to darken later.

Next, I switch to an Iwata HP-C to add stipple effect – lots and lots of stipple. To do this, remove the nozzle from the front of the airbrush and crank your air pressure up to 50 PSI. Spray the background to keep darkening it, but now you’ll get a nice course texture instead of the fine spray offered by the spray gun. Vary the air pressure, spraying some texture at 30 PSI, 40 PSI, and then 20 PSI until you achieve the desired result. This is a good thing to practice on scrap before approaching your painting. With a little practice you can create shading using the course texture rather nicely. Next, I switch to Com-Art Opaque Black and repeat the process, adding shadows under her hand and as needed. Then I replace the nozzle on my airbrush and I glaze over everything with my blue again so that my black becomes a blue-black, which looks more interesting than just straight black.

Allow the background to thoroughly dry (usually overnight), then mask over everything that was previously painted. At this point, I’m also going to keep the torso protected as I prepare to paint the area behind her and the wall. I’ve used masking tape, masking paper and acetate to do everything here, but you could just as easily use frisket for this. If you’re going to use masking tape, make sure it’s good quality (I only use 3M brand tapes because they’re easy to remove and don’t leave residue behind). Notice at this point that I’ve used tape (or frisket) where I want a crisp edge, and acetate masking where I want softer edges. Also, the acetate covering the torso has never been removed from the canvas, ensuring an exact edge. This background is now ready to paint.

I wanted the area behind our lovely lady to have a winter-like feeling. To achieve this, I start by airbrushing a blend of my blue – darker in the upper right-hand corner fading to lighter in the bottom left-hand corner. This is all painted with a HP-C, working slowing to keep the color light. Next, I lay the painting on the floor and randomly disperse lentils. Now spray another gradation with the beans in place, but rather than spraying directly at the lentils, spray at an angle (again, this is something worth playing around with on scrap before jumping straight to your painting).

Be sure to spray lightly here, making sure you don’t blow the lentils around (This blend was sprayed at about 15 PSI, again using the HP-C). Remove the lentils and we’re back to the easel. My next and final step is to spray over the entire area with a light color; a mixture of Com-Art White mixed with a few drops of my blue color. All I’m trying to do here is ghost back the background and take the edge off the lentils shapes. Finally, I can now unwrap my canvas.

The background is now finished and has a lot of impact for what is really a simple technique. Mixing up the textures adds flavor to your painting and keeps the viewer interested.

First off, before I can start any spraying, I need to replace the acetate to protect background, and reveal the figure. The background acetate pieces are replaced before the figure pieces are removed. This is where the Sharpie “X” marks come in handy to keep everything in register. Exact registration in acetate replacement is essential. If the acetate pieces are not replaced in their exact position, undesirable light and dark lines will appear in the painting, essentially outlining the figure. Once the pieces are in their proper position I can start spraying without worry of affecting my background.

I start off painting the figure with the same blue I used for the background. At this point everything is airbrushed freehand using an Iwata Hi-Line HP-CH airbrush. My air pressure is set around 10-12 PSI, which creates a slightly grainy effect. I don’t want my skin to lack texture. Too smooth a skin surface and my model will look plastic and fake – too much and she’ll look rough and manly. A little experimenting on a piece of scrap paper will help to determine a desirable texture. Simply adjusting air pressure can create tremendous variations in sprayed textures.

This is where saving all the acetate pieces come in handy. The original acetate pieces are trimmed as needed and positioned to create crisp edges and detail. At this point, I’m still keeping everything light. It’s easier to darken areas later. My goal here is to bring the color up globally, rather than completely finish any given area. By doing this, I’ll get a better idea overall of what everything looks like and can make adjustments accordingly.

Artool Airbrush Templates are used to add crisp lines and bring out details as needed. Holding the shield away from the surface a little while spraying can create edges with a bit of softness to them, which tend to look more realistic than overly-crisp edges. It doesn’t take much. Simply holding the shield 1/8” to 1/4” away from the surface will change the edge considerably. I use “The Bird by Radu Vero” (RV-2), which happens to be one of my personal favorites for painting breast shapes. It’s perfect for the scale of my work. Using the shield’s different curves can create positive and negative shapes, which are desirable to create a convincing illusion – in this case, the inside and outside shapes of the breast line. I’ll use a lot of different Artool Airbrush Templates in the process of creating my paintings. I especially rely on the Freehand Match-Makers, designed by my buddy Michael Cacy. They make short work of painting hands and fingernails.

There’s still a long ways to go, but at this point things are starting to shape up overall, so I’m going to take a break from spraying and pull out some erasers to establish some lighter detail areas. Creating these paintings is a process of applying and removing paint to adjust everything as needed. Erasers are especially useful in establishing variety by creating convincing textures. Some caution should be applied when using erasers; a little goes a long way, and it’s relatively easy to do damage if patience and restraint are ignored. Erase softly and work slowly. In the same way that more paint can be added, more can be removed later as needed, but we’ll want be careful here to not add too much texture by erasing too much to fast. This shot shows a small sampling of the variety of erasers I use.

After a bit of erasing, I’m back to airbrushing some more color, so pull out the shields, rotate the art, and start spraying. Notice here that the painting is upside down. I rotate my art in process often during the course of painting. This helps me see details that I might otherwise miss – things become shapes, allowing us to see what is really there instead of what we think we know. Equally important to rotating art is keeping your reference images close to where you’re working. Here you see my reference photo directly in front of the painting.

Well... that’s it for this one. Finishing the painting is simply more (lots more) of the same techniques as described above. Thanks for following. Click here for more details on Eclipse.

Creating the Perfect Ultra-Smooth Canvas for Airbrush

by A.D. Cook

Published in Airbrush Action Magazine, December 2004

Canvas and fine art go hand-in-hand. But readily available off-the-shelf canvas really isn’t made for airbrushing. Even stretched and “prepared” canvas that is marketed to airbrush artists has a lot of weave texture in it, which may be okay if that’s what you want. I prefer a much smoother surface – something a bit closer to hot-press illustration board. In consideration of that, I’ve developed a process that allows me to paint on canvas that is smooth and forgiving, and yields an incredible surface to work on.

So the question I get asked often is “Why go to the effort to prepare a canvas when other surfaces are available?” In response to that I have a lot of reasons:

• A properly prepared canvas is the perfect surface for acrylics and airbrush mediums.

• The finished painting is relatively lightweight compared to creating the same work on a board or metal surface of the same size.

• I like the process of painting on canvas. It is a flexible medium which is forgiving and accepts a variety of mediums easily.

• Art on canvas appeals to people as “fine art”, whereas art created on illustration board or some other surfaces have the perception of being illustrations. Collectors of art see the value as greater when a painting is created on canvas.

• Canvas can be purchased or stretched to just about any size. I often work large, with paintings averaging 12 to 20 square feet, and sometimes larger – certainly larger than most available illustration boards.

• Canvas can be prepared to my satisfaction, allowing me to paint on the surface I want.

• Canvas is durable. Paintings produced on canvas have the proven potential to last hundreds of years.

• Canvas doesn’t have to be framed under glass like works created on illustration board

Having made my case for canvas, let’s get to work and create the perfect ultra-smooth canvas for airbrush. For starters, just about any off-the-shelf canvas will do, but my personal feeling is if you’re going to invest the time to create a work of art, start with a good quality, pure cotton canvas. I prefer the gallery-wrap canvases since they can be displayed nicely without a frame by simply painting the edges. Gallery-wrapped canvases are the ones without any visible staples on the sides, so the sides are nice and smooth. If I’m creating a custom sized canvas (something not available off the shelf) I staple my canvas to the stretcher bars from the back, essentially creating a gallery-wrap canvas myself. If you’re planning on framing the finished painting then the gallery wrap may not be as important, but one thing to keep in mind is that the gallery-wrap canvases tend to come stretched on thicker stretcher bars which is a benefit since we’re going to be putting the canvas through a bit of a workout.

Before we get too far let’s look at a quick list of tools and materials (in order of use):

• Stretched canvas

• Acrylic Gesso

• Squeegee – I prefer 3” x 5” ones like sign shops use to apply vinyl

• Small bucket

• Sandpaper - wet/dry sandpaper*

• Sanding Backing Pad*

• Clean Cotton Rag

• 3M Scotch-Brite™ Scuff Pad* – I use the gray ones which are equal to 400-600 grit sandpaper

• Dust Mask*

• Tack Cloth*

(*) Available at automotive paint supply shops or auto parts stores.

Now to the fun part...

Step One — Applying Gesso

I buy gesso in the one-gallon tub for easy access. I can scoop gesso directly from the tub and apply it straight to the canvas. I prefer Golden brand Gesso Acrylique #3550-8, but you can use whatever works best for you (don't skimp here - the price of good gesso and not-so-good gesso is negligible). Support your canvas on something vertical where you can easily access it. I use a good sturdy easel for this but you could just as easily lean it against a wall. Apply gesso to the canvas with the squeegee. When applying the gesso don’t scoop too much out at a time – just enough to apply easily. Using long strokes I spread the gesso onto the canvas and actually push the gesso into the canvas’ surface. This is important... The goal here is to level out the rough surface and get the gesso to become part of the canvas, not just sit on the surface. Equally important is the process of applying very thin layers. It’ll take a few layers (or coats) to eliminate the canvas’ texture. Depending on how light or heavy you apply the gesso it could take anywhere from five to ten coats. Apply your first coat as even as you can but don’t worry if you miss a spot here and there. Let each coat dry thoroughly before applying additional coats of gesso. I rotate my canvas between coats to help create a more consistent surface. This also helps me see any areas that I may have missed in previous coats. Try, as much as possible, to avoid creating ridges when you apply the gesso. Some will naturally happen, but attempt to avoid it as much as you can. Don’t worry too much about what does get built up – we’ll address this later. Continue to add layers of gesso until there is no more visible canvas texture, but keep the coats light. It’s better to have ten thin coats than two heavy ones. This process is usually spread out over a few days to allow drying time between coats so I like to prep multiple canvases at the same time. As a note, if the canvas is cold to the touch, it’ll need more drying time before applying the next coat.

Step Two — Wet Sanding

Once the canvas has multiple coats of gesso on it, it may lack canvas texture, but you’ll have added other types of texture from the squeegee process - mainly streaks of gesso build-up and other imperfections. The next step is to wet-sand the canvas to eliminate any texture you’ve added to the canvas. Make sure that the canvas has cured (dried) for a day or two before wet sanding. Wet sanding is a process usually practiced within the automotive industry. It involves using a particular type of sandpaper and water to achieve a smoother surface than regular sandpaper could ever create. I use 320 grit wet sandpaper when sanding gesso. First off, fill your bucket with warm water and allow the sandpaper to soak for 15 minutes. This helps to soften the sandpaper and prepares it for use. This would be a good time to soak a clean cotton rag with warm water and ring it out so that it’s damp – almost dry, but still a little moist. Wrap the sandpaper around your sanding backing pad (sanding block) and begin lightly wet-sanding the canvas focusing on the areas with the rises and imperfections. It helps to keep the canvas vertical while sanding. Be sure to keep the sandpaper wet throughout the sanding process and use your damp cloth to wipe off any mess as you move along. Be especially careful to not get too aggressive in the sanding process. You’ll want to avoid sanding past the gesso and into the canvas material which would cause damage and compromise the canvas material itself. If that happens you might have to start over with a new canvas (patience is essential here). Rotate the canvas often as you sand and continue to sand until the canvas is glass-smooth everywhere. I find it helpful to look across the canvas rather than at the canvas to find any imperfections. I do this by moving my eyes to the edge of the canvas and looking across it with light reflecting at its surface. Automotive guys will be familiar with this process. You can also run your hand along the canvas’ surface to feel for any imperfections. Essentially, the goal here is to create a surface that is as smooth as a piece of glass. When you’ve completed the sanding process wipe the canvas down with a clean damp rag and let it dry completely. The next day I look over my canvas and do some additional wet sanding if necessary. This is my chance to fix any last concerns I might have regarding the near-finished surface. If I find that I can see canvas texture I can still add more gesso at this point (step one), let it dry and do some more sanding tomorrow. I can continue this process until I'm completely satisfied with the canvas’ surface. If it looks good I can go to the next step.

Step Three — Scuffing the Surface

If you've followed these steps properly you're probably thinking... “I have a beautiful smooth canvas, but paint’s not going to stick to this”. You'd be right - not most water-based airbrush mediums anyway, or at least not very reliably. This next step will help with that. Take your Scotch-Brite™ Scuff Pad and lightly scuff the entire surface just enough to provide an even tooth, but be thorough. For your own health be sure to wear a dust mask whenever you sand gesso (or anything else for that matter) and work in a well-ventilated area. Gesso contains a high concentration of Titanium Dioxide, which is great for covering canvas but it's not a very healthy thing to breath. The objective here is to have a relatively texture-free surface, yet with just enough tooth for paint to adhere to. Use a tack cloth at this stage to remove any dust created by the scuffing process.

Step Four – Priming the Canvas

Now you’ve got a nice canvas to work on, but it’s not quite there. The last step is to prime the canvas with airbrush paint. I prefer to prime with the lightest color I plan to use in the painting itself, applying the paint with an Iwata RG-2 spray gun with a fan nozzle, or for larger cancases I use an Iwata LPH-400 sparay gun. If I intend to use white in my painting, I use straight white to prime so that when I apply more white (or derivatives thereof) in my painting it’ll match the background and not look out of place. You can actually prime it in any color you wish, but by all means prime it. This is an important step in creating an evenly finished surface. I recommend spraying multiple light coats of paint rather than one or two heavy coats. Each coat should be applied in a different direction to provide an even finish with no visible strokes or patterns in the completed surface. To accomplish this, simply spray the first coat in horizontal passes, the next in vertical passes, then diagonal, and so on. Allow the surface to thoroughly dry before drawing or painting on your ultra-smooth canvas (allow 24 hours before working on it). When you look at the finished canvas it’ll have the look and feel of a large sheet of illustration board. Mine looks like fine hot-press board. It’s literally that smooth. You can’t see a speck of canvas texture in it, and looking at the front of the canvas I think most people would be hard pressed to believe that it's even a canvas. I really like the way it takes paint. Although it’s kind of an involved process, it's definitely worth the effort if you like the feeling of a painting on canvas without the look of the canvas' texture.

Cautions and Considerations

There are a few things to keep in mind as you work through the process of creating your perfect ultra-smooth canvas for airbrush.

• Gesso is not putty or body filler. To prepare a canvas correctly you must apply thin light coats. Multiple thin coats are better than a few heavy ones. Don’t be surprised if it takes six or more coats to eliminate the canvas’ tooth.

• Patience is key. Each coat of gesso must have ample drying time.

• Any texture left in the gesso process will telegraph in the finished art, which is fine if that's what you want, but if you're looking to create an ultra-smooth surface you'll want to look over your canvas carefully before beginning your painting, and make adjustments if necessary.

Finally...

It may seem like it takes a long time to prep a canvas with this process, but it’s really not that involved once you start. The overall accumulated time in any given canvas is really just a few short hours, even for a large canvas. The fun part here is to experiment. The process I’ve outlined is one that works for me, and yields a surface that I like to work on. You may want to try different squeegees or even different sanding processes to see what works for you. If you want to prepare a canvas with a finish more resembling a sheet of cold press illustration board you can adjust it in the priming process by putting down more paint as a primer, stippling it to give it a slight texture, or adjusting your air pressure to manipulate the spray. You can even vary the texture if you like - smooth in some areas - rough in others. The potential surface possibilities are endless. In the end you'll have created a surface that is beautiful unto itself, requiring only your art to enhance the canvas further. By the way, I personally find a 2H pencil ideal for the drawing stage on the finished surface. In fact, the finished surface as prepared above, is an excellent surface to just draw on as well, accepting both pencil and paint quite nicely. But again, experiment — just have fun with it.

36” x 60”

91.44 cm x 152.40 cm

Acrylic on canvas.

My collector/pilot wanted a special creation of his newest airplane for his hanger office. It's a beautiful plane and he is a huge fan of flying. To create this painting, I did a photo shoot just outside his hanger and then painted it on my specially-prepared canvas to appear flying. The clouds were a big part of this artwork and a blast to paint.

Commissioned painting.

48" x 48"

121.92 cm x 121.92 cm

Acrylic on specially-prepared canvas

Commissioned painting for Ameristar Casinos for poster rights only

$10,000

18” x 24”

45.72 cm x 60.96 cm

Acrylic on specially-prepared canvas

"Rest not. Life is sweeping by; go and dare before you die. Something mighty and sublime, leave behind to conquer time." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Model: Anna

24” x 72”

60.96 cm x 182.88 cm

Acrylic on specially-prepared canvas

Peaceful and resting, Solstice warms any room and is a perfect painting for over your headboard.

Model: Leona

PROVENANCE:
• 2/7/09 - Las Vegas Review Journal

$100,000

36” x 36”

91.44 cm x 91.44 cm

Acrylic on specially-prepared canvas

"God offers to every mind its choice between truth and repose. Take which you please - you can never have both." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

My third painting featuring the beautiful Lynsey. Repose is a very statuesque and has a marble-like look about her. She is both strong and relaxed at the same time.

$10,000

48” x 36”

121.92 cm x 91.44 cm

Acrylic on specially-prepared canvas

Model: Victoria Anisova

"Come let us take our fill of love until the morning; let us solace ourselves with love." - Proverbs 7:18

24” x 72”

60.96 cm x 182.88 cm

Acrylic on specially-prepared canvas

Model: Lori Madison

PROVENANCE:
• Best of Worldwide Portrait and Figurative Artists Volume I, 2011 - Featured as cover art

48” x 60”

121.92 cm x 152.40 cm

Acrylic on canvas

I love that time somewhere between sunset and dark. Twilight is created with a pearl paint that shifts colors from blue to violet as light changes throughout the day.

Model: Lori Madison

$50,000