OIL PAINTING MEDIC

 Craquelure are fine hairline cracks that appear in an old oil painting. Some art restorers may not decide to treat it, for is the normal process of ageing and adds charm to the appearance of the artwork. This old oil landscape painting shows cracks in the paint layer called craquelure. This is caused by the aging process of the oil paint that has dried out over time. The proper preparation of gesso will minimize the appearance of these cracks. A close up of this painting showing craquelure. Image right shows distortion in the canvas due to botched restoration. Masking tape had been stuck onto the back of the canvas to hide a hole. Sadly, the resultant stresses in the canvas have exacerbated the cracks. Any restoration work would now require extra care. The image shows the painting after I had removed the offending masking tape and repaired the holes in the canvas. I had also tensioned the resultant flabbiness in the canvas by adjusting canvas keys in the back of the painting. My o...

 This oil painting had undergone a botched attempt to hide a hole in the canvas. This old master had masking tape stuck to the back, and as a result, had warped the shape of the canvas, spoiling the look of the oil painting. And old master landscape painting by Willis Pryce. As can be seen, this oil painting by Willis Pryce looks okay when viewed head-on under even light. But view it from the side, and the warp becomes noticeable. The closeup shows a hole in the canvas. Warped canvas caused by masking tape on the back of the painting. Notice also the cracks in the oil paint layer. This is called craquelure and can be an appealing feature of an old oil painting. The old canvas is indicative, for the cracks follow the stresses of the canvas beneath. Sadly, I would soon discover, the oil painting hadn’t been prepared properly, for no primer had been applied beneath the oil paint. An oil painting requires gesso primer prior to applying the oil paint. A bare canvas or wooden panel will...

The canvas of this old master oil painting has been torn. How does the art restorer hide damage to an oil painting? This article shows how to completely hide a tear. The images show the tear in an old master oil painting completed previously. Lower images show the tear from the back. Image bottom right shows the tear repaired. But the tear remains invisible and requires touching-up with oil paint. As can be seen, before applying paint to a damaged oil painting, the canvas must be repaired and the surface stable. My previous article shows how I repaired a tear in this canvas . Touching up a Tear The painting has been repaired (see my other article on how to repair a torn canvas ), but the damage remains visible as a scar. How does the art restorer completely hide the scar? Materials required for this project are: Brushes : A selection of fine sables, from 3 to 6. A soft flat (3-6) is good for blending. Rounds are good for getting into detail. Acrylic paint or artist gesso : The standard...

An oil on canvas can be easily damaged during transit or stored inappropriately. A tear can work into the canvas if resting against a sharp object, and the weave, fray if under undue tension. Damp, sunlight and temperature extremes can rob the canvas of natural oils and therefore cause the canvas to brittle and liable to tear. How does the artist repair a torn oil painting? An oil on canvas can be easily damaged during transit or stored inappropriately. A tear can work into the canvas if resting against a sharp object, and the weave, fray if under undue tension. Damp, sunlight and temperature extremes can rob the canvas of natural oils and therefore cause the canvas to brittle and liable to tear. How does the artist repair a torn oil painting? Save Money on Art Restoration Art restorers can be costly and hard to find. But I have fixed this oil painting myself. The damaged painting is an old master showing Bracebridge Pool, Sutton Park, UK by a Victorian landscape artist Willis Pryce. T...