Crimson issue • Redo Sunset Over the Waves • S11E10

I think black gesso or acrylic makes the canvas structure denser and keeps the transparent colors better on the surface. Ready-made black canvas is always very absorbent and extremely thin primed. Just an idea👍🏼🇩🇪

I don't think that is the issue Nancy. I stopped buying black canvas and use Liquitex black gesso instead. I think that is worse than pre-primed. I'm going to try getting some Bob Ross black gesso and see if that helps. His white gesso is amazing.

The second version is simply gorgeous!

gorgeous Nancy!

Thank you for your reply my friend! 🇩🇪😃 I thought that could be part of the issue indeed. I will try a white canvas covered with gesso next time and see if it's better that way.

Thank you Tomi! 😊 Please keep me posted on your experiment with the BR gesso. I would love if that was the issue.

Grazie P! 😊

For crimson I use W & N professional (only for this pigment - it is awful expensive) and I apply it without liquid clear. For me it always works that way.
In my opinion the AC from W & N professional is the best and it keeps the color, also once it dries. I have used it for example in the episode campfire.

Thank you very much Tom! I do have a small tube of the W & N but it’s not the professional grade. No wonder it didn’t work as expected. Thanks again. I will get that one and see if it works better. Fingers crossed! 🤞🏼

That's what I wanted to write (Tom ;-)): in the episode of Campfire the main hue was red because of the crimson, but it became more yellow. I always use self gessoed canvasses, and I have the same problem, partly to solve by bringing a good amount of paint on the canvas and mix it well with the white, but thats probably what you did, I still like your first version the most, but both have gorgeious colors, did you try grey gesso, gives also a gorgeous effect.

Both are gorgeous Nancy! You make anything you paint look awesome!

Ninoum, I think half of the issue is that crimson is a transparent color and it does not show its beauty on black canvas because black does not reflect the light.
I am a bit puzzled though about the yellowing of the crimson in the first version. Overall crimson is one of the weak colors to survive through time. Maybe when it is mixed with some other colors the chemical reaction happens over time and color fades.

Let’s revisit second painting in a year or so and the areas where crimson was on black gesso and we will see what will happen.

Another note that on black canvas you have to use much more white, white dulls the colors quite a bit. Most of titanium white paint tubes contain zinc white (transparent) in them, which add flexibility to paint but maybe when on black canvas this plays a bad trick.

I always gesso my canvases. Black or white. And the problem your finding with this one is if you listen carefully to the beginning of the painting... he just layers colors... no clear and the clear is allowing it to soak in to the threads of the canvas because it's not got that barrier.

I had to do that in my first version Jos (mix the color into white). But I didn't go bold enough it looks like.

Thank you much Sandy!! 😊

Great points SunnyLady! I will put a recheck in my calendar in a year from now to see how my 2nd painting looks like.

Oh!!! 😲 I never thought of that Sherina! That's a really good explanation! I will from now on gesso all my black canvases. Thank you for that!