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pigmented colorants: dependence on media and time - Cornell ...

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A size is not a coating, it is a penetrating liquid employed to fill pores <strong>and</strong><br />

to make surfaces suitable to receive coatings. It is used to seal <strong>and</strong> solidify the<br />

support, <strong>and</strong> acts as a guard against deteriorati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> mold. In the case of flexible<br />

supports, size shrinks the fabric to a taut, smooth membrane. Hence, <strong>on</strong> drying it<br />

should become somewhat tighter <strong>and</strong> free from folds <strong>and</strong> wrinkles.<br />

2.1.3 Ground<br />

The next inter<strong>media</strong>te layer between a support <strong>and</strong> subsequent paint films is a<br />

ground. Most supports will be unevenly absorbent, even if they have been correctly<br />

sized. A ground is to ensure that a particular kind of paint will perform with<br />

reas<strong>on</strong>able predictability.<br />

Mark Gottsegen writes that grounds should meet a few basic requirements<br />

[Got87]. A ground should be white–some paint films grow more transparent with<br />

age <strong>and</strong> the respective colors will lose their relative relati<strong>on</strong>ships if the ground is<br />

not white. Also, since the ground is a structural element for the paint to grip, it<br />

should have a tooth <strong>and</strong> should be somewhat absorbent. This ensures proper paint<br />

depositi<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> adhesi<strong>on</strong> as a brush moves across the surface. For flexible supports,<br />

the ground should not be too much affected by the c<strong>on</strong>tinuous movement of the<br />

support. Brittle grounds <strong>and</strong> paint films should use more rigid supports.<br />

The ground provides a better adherence of the subsequent paint layers. A<br />

ground is essentially a paint, made of materials compatible with the support ma-<br />

terial <strong>and</strong> the paint to be used. Gesso–a mixture of animal skin glue, chalk (calcium<br />

carb<strong>on</strong>ate), <strong>and</strong> some<strong>time</strong>s white pigment (powdered colorant)–has been used for<br />

centuries as a ground for wooden panels <strong>and</strong> canvas. Traditi<strong>on</strong>al gesso yields a<br />

highly reflective, opaque surface. Light that passes through the layers of the paint-<br />

15

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