# Chickadee Duo



## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

How can this painting be improved?


----------



## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

Liz I love your painting. Composition is great and your painting is wonderful. 

I don't know if you like the canvas threads to be so visible, but I find it easier to paint on my canvas after I Gesso it a couple of times so the threads are not visible and the paint isn't sucked up by the material.


----------



## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

Thanks Terry for the tip, I don't like the threads to be so visible but I've never been in the habit of using gesso. I also tend to paint thin. So when you say a couple of times, do you mean like 2 or 3?


----------



## Butterfly88 (Nov 12, 2015)

I like it as is.


----------



## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

Liz said:


> Thanks Terry for the tip, I don't like the threads to be so visible but I've never been in the habit of using gesso. I also tend to paint thin. So when you say a couple of times, do you mean like 2 or 3?


I do my canvas 2 times with gesso. I find it really makes a difference in the way the brush glides when the canvas is smooth. I tend to paint with very thick paint, in fact it's impasto style in many instances. It's funny, and really great, how our individual styles just kind of develop by themselves.


----------



## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

Thanks much Butterfly!. Terry is that in addition to canvas that came already primed or do you buy unprimed canvas and then gesso it yourself?


----------



## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

Liz said:


> Thanks much Butterfly!. Terry is that in addition to canvas that came already primed or do you buy unprimed canvas and then gesso it yourself?


That's in addition to the priming already on the canvas from the manufacturer. If I could afford a supper smooth canvas I would get them, but I usually get the two packages manufactured by Master Touch or Fine Touch. What I do is sand them, then gesso them, then sand them, then gesso them again, and then sand them one last time. This gives a great smooth surface just like an expensive canvas like from Masterpiece.


----------



## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

Wow that sounds like a lot of work! I'm assuming you're using a fine grade sandpaper? I might try it in the summer on the patio. In another thread someone mentioned canvas pads, I'm itching to give that a try.


----------



## Susan Mulno (Apr 13, 2015)

They are adorable! :biggrin:


----------



## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

Thanks very much Susan


----------



## Jalapeno (Sep 27, 2015)

That is a wonderful painting. i don't see anything that needs improvement.


----------



## Haley (Dec 4, 2015)

I looked, looked, and looked some more, and I can't find a thing I would change.

It's wonderful!


----------



## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

Thank you very much Eric and Haley


----------

