Fine Art Substrates
Linen on wood panel or Dibond are my preferred substrates. I only want to work with the best materials for established collections and gallery shows. As a traditional painter, I opt for more historically proven materials and practices. This way, I can trust achieving archival quality results.
Dibond is also known as aluminum composite material or (ACM)
Here’s how I mount Belgian linen to wood panels and dibond.
Materials:
- Extra fine unprimed Belgian linen
- Wood panel, Dibond or Ampersand Hardbord
- Golden GAC100 to seal
- Gamblin PVA Size to glue, size and seal fabric
- Gesso brush and squeegee
- Alcohol to degrease the surface
- Sharp exacto knife to trim off extra linen
- Prime with Gamblin’s Oil Ground
Steps:
- Add an extra inch for easy handling and cut linen
- Iron out all creases
- Use alcohol to degrease all sides
- Seal all sides with GAC 100, dry 24 hours, repeat with 2nd layer
- Brush Gamblin PVA on the linen. Lay linen on panel, saturate with PVA, squeegee excess away, dry 24 hours
- Brush on 2nd coat of PVA size and dry
- The PVA acts as an excellent seal for linen. Thus, you can skip priming altogether and trim off excess linen with an exacto knife. I like using Gamblin’s Oil Ground. I use a palette knife and smooth it out. (Cutting off excess linen after priming gives me a cleaner cut.)
Dibond is the most expensive and also my number one favorite substrate. It’s the most durable surface that will never warp. It’s a truly extravagant surface for fine art painting. Linen on dibond is an extra layer of luxury to an already exquisite product.
When I am tight for time, Ampersand is my go-to company for ready-to-use substrates. The Ampersand Hardbord or Claybord do not technically require any preparation. However, I still prefer to seal them with a thin layer of imprimatura made of Alizarin Crimson and M. Graham Walnut Alkyd Medium. Oil priming an Ampersand product is again, adding a tiny layer of luxury to an already exquisite product.
Either way, it’s all over the top in terms of process and precisely how I like to work.