Process: Staining a Canvas

Once the canvas has been stretched, I typically stain the canvas with a medium tone.  For the past couple of years I've been using a medium brown color.  It just seems to work.  That way I'm not starting with a start white sheet in front of me.  I find it simpler to move from the medium tone to lighter and medium to dark, than to have to make even my lightest tones darker than the actual canvas.

It is basically a thinned out burnt umber and white.  I usually have enough to stain a couple of medium sized canvases, so I can do more than one at a time (and that is one less excuse for starting the next painting)

Once dry, I will get the basic forms for the painting drawn onto the canvas.

Canvas freshly stained

Staining gear...which I forgot to clean up

Look for an update soon with the basic layout sketched on the canvas.

May God bless you deeply,
Rob