I use my gesso based media to create a new surface of the canvas. I'm sorry but I cannot let you know what I mix in with the gesso because improperly used it can cause health problems and I'm not going to be held responsible for that.

I build up enough of the media to cover the weave of the canvas fabric in every painting that I create and often sand it down to create a smooth canvas. The media gives me a surface that I enjoy painting on and expands my options with different textures. The media works like a cement when it is dry and because it is water based it dry's reasonably fast depending on how much of a build up there is and how hot & dry the weather is outside.

Mouse over the thumbnails to view a photo and description of the process of this painting titled The Fire Down Below. The texture of this canvas is very rough and porous. It took many layers of paint to fill in all the crevasse. The mixed media absorbed the oil paint, especially in the first green layer. I did not use any thinning media like Linseed Oil or thin out the paint with Turpinoid. I didn't use these for a few reasons. One, I was concerned that either of the thinners would effect the mixed media by breaking it down or making it weaker. The layer needed to be strait oil paint because I was looking ahead to the other layers coming where I did plan to use linseed oil.

Once I had an oil base build up of paint and it dried completely it became easier to work with. Again, I used strait oil paint with out mixing any thinners. The second layer of paint spread over easier but I could still feel the resistance of the texture onto the brush as I painted it. I let this second layer of paint dry for about a week. For the following layers all the way to the fished piece, I mixed linseed oil into the paint in order to assist in the flowing of the image as suggested by the media.