Gamblin Oil Ground makes a strong, bright, non-absorbent foundation for oil paintings.
Oil Ground is formulated from alkyd resin, titanium dioxide, and calcium carbonate – titanium dioxide gives opacity, while calcium carbonate gives tooth for strong adhesion. This foundation makes a brighter and less-absorbent ground layer compared to acrylic gesso primers, meaning that the oil paint layers on top will better retain their color saturation. The lower absorbency also allows for reductive painting techniques when painters need to wipe back into the white of their Ground.
Gamblin Ground is available in the following sizes: 8 fl oz, 16 fl oz, 32 fl oz.
A 8 fl oz. of Oil Ground will cover 12 square feet with an application of two thin coats. Oil Ground is not designed for acrylic painting.
How to apply?
Due to a higher pigment load, Gamblin Ground is thicker than acrylic gesso, and requires less coats and different application techniques. Oil Ground should be applied in 1-2 thin applications. For a perfect, even application from edge-to-edge check out our Ground and Gesso Blade
Oil Ground may be thinned with Gamsol (up to 1oz Gamsol:32oz Ground) to improve the ease of application and encourage thin layers. We discourage thinning it any more as the stability and flexibility of the ground will be compromised if too much solvent is added.
For more information, check out our video demonstration below.
Dry time?
Oil Ground requires no more than two very thin coats. The first coat should be touch dry in 2-4 days. A second coat takes another 3-5 days to dry and cure in warm weather and 5-7 days in cool and/or humid weather.
Temperatures below 65F and/or high humidity may add several day’s dry time.
A quick and reliable way to determine whether a coat of Oil Ground is dry enough to receive a second coat OR begin painting on with oil colors is a sandpaper test. Sand lightly in several small areas with fine sandpaper (180-220 grit). If the ground powders readily, it is sufficiently dry. If the ground layer resists sanding or gums up the sandpaper, allow for more dry time.
In general, plan for 7-10 days from start to finish before painting on freshly applied coats of Oil Ground. Again, the thinner the layers, the faster it will dry. It can be helpful to plan on priming a bunch of panels and/or canvases in the same session.
Cleanup?
Gamsol is recommended for cleanup of your tools after using Oil Ground.
Surface Preparation?
Oil Ground on Fabric
Raw fabric (canvas or linen) must be sealed prior to application, we recommend Gamblin PVA Size for this purpose.
Oil Ground on acrylic primed fabric or panel
Acrylic gesso primed canvas or panel to reduce absorbency and improve color saturation. Most canvases and panels primed with acrylic gesso are very absorbent. Oil paint layers on acrylic gesso can sink in and appear dull. Gamblin Oil Ground can be applied directly over an acrylic gesso. The use of PVA Size or another sealant is unnecessary in this scenario. PVA Size is meant to treat raw fabric before applying an oil based primer. In this scenario, the acrylic gesso acts as your size.
Oil Ground on Paper
Heavy water media papers like watercolor, mixed-media and some printmaking papers may be used for oil painting once properly treated. Gamblin PVA Size is an ideal sealant for this purpose. The appearance of most papers are changed very little once the PVA Size is completely dry. Only the side of the paper to be painted on with oil colors requires sealing with PVA Size.
Oil Ground on Panel
Oil Ground can be applied directly to panels. Preparation of your panel is not required before application but sealing the panel first is helpful to reduce absorbency and prevent the panel from taking on moisture. This step helps prevent warping over time.
You can seal a panel with 1-2 coats of a 50/50 Galkyd/Gamsol mixture before applying Oil Ground. The chemical bonding between thinned Galkyd and Oil Ground makes this mixture our best recommendation for sealing panels. The main purpose of this step is to prevent the fibers of the panel from taking on moisture. Some painters ask if Gamblin PVA Size may be used for sealing wood panels to be primed with Oil Ground. While this is acceptable, we prefer the Galkyd/Gamsol mixture for wood panels. PVA Size is best suited for sealing stretched canvas and water media paper.
Additional Uses
Cover an old painting to start fresh
Gamblin Ground may be used to cover an old painting. This is an economical way to reuse your canvases or panels when the painting doesn’t turn out the way you hoped.
If the original oil paint was applied very thinly and the overall appearance is rather dull or matte, you may apply a coat of Oil Ground right over the top. If the surface is either shiny or has unwanted texture, it will need to be sanded* before applying the Oil Ground. In some cases, very little paint needs to be removed to adequately roughen the surface. You may find buffing the shiny areas with fine (#000) steel wool is effective without creating as much pigment dust. When sanding down an old painting on stretched canvas, we recommend placing something firm beneath the area being sanded to avoid cracking the old paint layers.
*Important safety tip: Protect yourself from all airborne pigments during sanding. Use a quality dust mask (2 elastic bands with a respirator valve), rubber gloves and goggles. Wipe residual dust from the painting with Gamsol on a lint-free cloth. This will help to “open up” the painting making it more receptive to the Oil Ground. Clean up all remaining dust in the work area by wiping down with a damp cloth/paper towel and dispose of in the garbage.
Tinting Oil Ground with color
Oil colors may be mixed into Gamblin Ground to create a tinted ground. There are numerous expressions out there about “blank, white canvases”. Unfortunately, the phrase doesn’t actually apply to all forms painting. Starting with a tinted ground can help you explore more possibilities in your work.
To keep dry time fast, choosing quick oxidizing colors would be beneficial like Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Ivory Black, ect. Other colors may slow the dry time rate of your primer coating.
