Many have asked me how I prepare my canvas.  I have seen people at my exhibits with their noses right up to my work.  I see that they are very curious on how I achieved the texture.   I usually take great care of how I prepare my canvas for both Oil and Acrylic paintings.   For this blog post, I will be talking about Acrylics.  I like my Acrylic paintings to look more like oils with soft edges and rich tones.  I always purchase good quality canvases with dry wood stretchers and the canvas is  wrapped   with care.  But still, I don't like the rough texture of the canvas.  So if I need a smooth surface, I will use a thick Gesso and apply three coats, gently sanding between coat once it's dry.  If I want a more textured look I will use Extra thick Gesso and use either a brush or a palette knife.  I can create so many different effects with this Gesso.
Once my canvas is ready, I use only high quality artist grade or professional Heavy Body Acrylics.  Not all Acrylics are created equal.  With the heavy body acrylics and the beautifully prepared canvas or surface, it's easy for me to blend my Acrylics by using the scumbling and dry brush technique.  I hope this has helped you and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  

Please excuse the quality of this video, but I wanted to share with you how I care for my Acrylics and a quick peek on how I blend with Acrylics.

1. To clean your brushes during the oil painting process, use baby oil instead or turps for a better smelling studio. Just wipe excess paint off with a rag then swish in baby oil and wipe again, voila ! 

2. In Acrylic painting, use a wet palette to save hundreds of dollars a year. I use the Masterson's Stay Wet palette.  The instructions are included in the box when you purchase it.  Read them!  I have this to add. Trim about a 1/4 of an  inch off the side and the top on only 2 sides of the paper. Make sure you wet your sponge completely and then wring it out.  When you are done painting for the day, put in a zip lock bag and in the Fridge (not freezer) and I remains workable for over a week.  Every 2 weeks, I soak my whole palette and sponge in the sink with some Javex to prevent mildew.  That does the trick.