art deco mandala 2

Art Deco II mandala acrylic on 11x14 canvas board 2015
Art Deco II mandala
acrylic on 11×14 canvas board
2015

I really love how the colors turned out in my newest painting! The metallic silver paint creates a great contrast to the matte colors and made it feel very art deco to me.

This was actually my first time painting on canvas board in a while, as I prefer the “bounce” (is that thing?) of a wrapped canvas. I primed it with several layers of sanded gesso to give it a smoother texture.

Check out my original design: colored in red, white, and blue (I drew it around July 4th).

IMG_0043

gesso-ing

pre-primed canvas, ready for extra gesso
pre-primed canvas, ready for extra gesso

Over the past couple weeks, I practiced gessoing canvases. I usually buy primed canvases and begin painting without additional prep. However, I want to achieve a slightly smoother surface for painting cleaner lines. I’m experimenting with the number of layers of gesso and sanding in between coats.

My first regrets were buying such a small jar of gesso and not buying a gesso brush. I started using that Bob Ross palette knife and ended up using a large filbert with smooth bristles.

And my second mistake has been over-sanding with paper that was a little too course. I settled on 400 grit paper.

My two 10 X 10 gallery wraps have 6 layers of gesso and are feeling pretty smooth and ready to go.

image