Rabbit Skin Glue is a traditional glue used as an ingredient in the preparation of genuine gesso and half-chalk ground; as a sealant (size) on canvas and wood panels before applying traditional gesso or an oil ground or to be painted on directly with oil paint; as the binder when making distemper paint; and as a glue in some book making and other fine craft. Rabbit skin glue is made by rendering the gelatine from animals, usually not rabbits, and the name designates a particular concentration of glue; hide glue is a name given to the same product at a different concentration. There are a few myths and some confusion about the use of RSG and there are some modern alternatives.
Why We Size
When preparing a canvas or wood panel that you plan to coat with an oil ground or genuine gesso, the canvas or panel needs to be sized first. This is a transparent layer that seals the surface and in the case of canvas (both cotton and linen) it tightens and stiffens the fabric. Canvas needs to be sealed from the effects of the drying oils in oil paint and oil grounds because over time the oil will degrade the cloth fibres causing the canvas to darken and become brittle. This is the premature ‘rotting’ of the canvas you hear about. Wood panels do not need to be sealed from oil but sizing gives a better surface for oil grounds or genuine gesso grounds to sit on by evening out the absorbency of the wood which would otherwise have different absorbencies between the grain lines and the wood between them. Sealing the wood also prevents moisture from drawing up colour, acids, glues, etc. from the wood into your gesso. This sizing can be done with an acrylic polymer (see the bottom of this article) or with rabbit skin glue which is often abbreviated as RSG.
RSG is available as pellets, granules or ready-prepared.
Introduction to RSG
Rabbit skin glue (RSG) comes as a dry product that you need to make up with water. It can come in fine or coarse granules or little cubes – in a plastic-lined paper bag or plastic container. Because it is affected by water it needs to be stored somewhere dry, and then it can be safely kept for many years. It doesn’t take as much of the dried glue as you might think because you add a lot of water to make it and it expands enormously. You also apply it very thinly. You make it up fresh as you need it and because it must be heated gently you use a double-boiler (bain marie) process. Because I do not have a hotplate in my studio, but of course I have access to an electric kettle for tea, I use a very simple method using 2 plastic buckets and a kettle of boiling water. You then apply it warm or make gesso with it warm. It is a jelly when cold and a thin liquid when warm. We also stock ready-prepared RSG which is a bit more convenient, though it still needs to be melted and applied warm, and it is not as economical as hydrating the dried granules yourself.
The larger RSG pellets we sometimes stock.
The Amount of Water to Add to the Glue Granules
Glue strengths can vary depending on format and supplier. You can tell the concentration of the glue by how much it gels when it has cooled. For sizing rigid surfaces or making gesso, use 1 part granules to 12 parts water – when cooled it should be a firm jelly. For sizing canvas some experts use the same concentration, while some recommend a thinner consistency of 1 part granules to 20 parts water – when cooled it should be a soft jelly which is easy to stir to an applesauce consistency, and still other experts recommend a thicker solution of 1 part granules to 8 parts water.
The consistency changes as it cools so you can control the viscosity as you apply it by using it at its warmest when it will be the most fluid or by letting it start to cool and thicken. If you use a higher concentration of glue you will need to apply fewer coats. If you use the thinner concentration it will help you get the thin layers you want but you will need to apply more layers to make sure canvas is sealed enough to prevent oil strike-through.
Because there is some wiggle room in the ratio you do not need to be super accurate and can make your glue using volumetric measurements – if you are using perhaps an old yogurt pot then 1/4 pot of granules and 3 pots of water = 12:1. But measuring by weight will always be more accurate because the size of the granules can change the amount of glue in a volume. A kitchen or postal scale works well. 12:1 requires 35g of dry glue granules per litre of water. 20:1 requires 20g of granules per litre of water. And if you switch to a different brand or format of dry glue then you may get different results then you had been used to, because the new dry glue might be weaker or stronger. For panels I personally use 12:1 and I measure by volume.
The Yield or How Much to Make
You may not need to make as much as you first think, as you apply the RSG thinly and you can’t store the leftovers for very long, even in the fridge. Making up a litre should allow you to size eight small panels (20x25cm) and use the rest to make gesso for them the next day. You will use about 1/3 to size and then the next day rewarm the 2/3 left to make up the gesso that you will need. To make the litre of RSG at a concentration of 12:1 requires 1 litre of water and 35g of dry glue granules.
The Preparation Method
To make up some RSG you will need two similar sized containers that can withstand boiling water and one needs to fit inside the other – I use empty Golden Gel 4-litre buckets. Below we show a 2.5 litre bucket in a 5 litre bucket. If you have a hot plate you can put a pudding basin in a saucepan.
Put 8-20 parts cold tap water and 1 part RSG pellets in a container and cover and leave until the glue particles have swollen and increased greatly in size, no need to refrigerate. For large particles of glue like the cube format this will be overnight or longer, for the fine granules it could take just a few hours.
The next day, boil the kettle, pour a few inches of hot water in the other container and set the bucket with the cold water and soaked glue pellets into the hot water bucket. You don’t want to get the glue too hot or it will be damaged, but the cold water inside and the boiled water outside should be just right. Because my studio is cold the bucket of soaked rsg and water is quite cold so the boiled kettle water cools quickly enough to not be too hot. If you are working in warmer temperatures perhaps hot tap water might be enough. The same is true for gelled RSG stored in the fridge, it comes out quite cold so the boiling water in the bain marie should cool fast enough to not damage the glue. You want to warm it not cook it. If you are using a thermometer, keep the temperature below 70C. Stir and it will slowly melt into a liquid glue with the consistency of milk. I have heard that you can filter the glue through an old pair of tights to eliminate contaminants but I have never needed to do this.
When it cools it will be a jelly. You can store it for some time in the refrigerator and re-melt it, but it is best used as soon as it is ready, so try to make up only what you need. I have not stored it for longer than 2 weeks and I have read that most people recommend 1 week.
We also sell ready-prepared rabbit skin glue that is already a jelly and has been strained/filtered and just needs to be melted gently in a bain marie set-up (just like before- do not get it too hot). For some reason this kind doesn’t need refrigeration, it must have a preservative. It is convenient but since you don’t add 12 parts water to it like you do with the dried RSG, it is not as economical.
Step-by-Step Preparation Photos
This small amount of dry RSG will make a full bucket of glue after it has absorbed water. We are creating a 12:1 solution.
The bucket is now filled with cold water and the glue granules have already started to swell.
The glue granules have now absorbed all the cold water they can. Since these are small granules this took just a couple of hours.
The bucket of cold water and glue was placed into a bucket with a few inches of just boiled water and stirred and in a few minutes the glue was ready. Notice how thin the fluid is as it drips from the palette knife.
As it cools, the solution begins to gel. It can be re-melted by gently warming again.
Fresh Rabbit Skin Glue Does Not Smell Bad
Years ago, when I first used it, I was prepared for a bad odour because I had heard that people avoid RSG because it smells foul. But mine had almost no smell. I have since smelled spoiled RSG left in a cupboard in a classroom that smelled terrible, like a decomposing mouse. I think the smelly stuff is remembered from art school where stuff gets left over and reused and not refrigerated in which case it will spoil. It should only smell bad when it has spoiled. Do not use old, stinky or mouldy glue.
Applying RSG to Panels or Canvas
Apply the glue size thinly, evenly, quickly and in one direction while warm. Let it become touch dry between layers (less than an hour). Then apply the following layer in a crosswise direction. All layers must be thin because a thick layer of rabbit skin glue is more likely to crack later, even on panel.
To size a panel apply two layers while very warm and flowing. I use it directly from the bain marie set-up – brushing it onto wood panels held at an angle with the draining corner over the bucket for the excess to run back in. Some people mix in a small amount of the whiting that you will use to make your gesso, which allows you to see a milky coating evenly on your surface, so no area is missed.
To size cotton canvas apply 2-3 layers, while a bit cooler but still warm, rewarm if necessary to keep the glue fluid. For linen with its more open weave you may wish to apply it with a brush or large palette knife when it is even a bit cooler, starting to thicken, to better fill the gaps in the weave. There is no need to add whiting for applying the size to canvas, if you wish it to remain clear, you just need to be careful to coat the whole canvas.
While you are working with it, as it cools it gels and you just need to change the cooled hot water for fresh hot water to re-melt the glue. Since the glue is no longer as cold as when it started, be careful with getting the bath water too hot; you can re-melt is as often as you like so long as it doesn’t get too hot.
Brushing on the first coat of RSG to be either a clear primer or a sizing underneath an oil primer.
On canvas the RSG should cause the fabric to shrink and this may be so pronounced as to warp your stretcher bars, especially with linen. For this reason some artists staple the canvas evenly to a wall in their studio to size it and then stretch it on stretcher bars and apply the ground. Or use tacks to stretch it temporarily for sizing and then re-stretch it for applying the ground. It is much easier to stretch linen evenly on your bars if it has already been sized, because it is stiff enough to not be wavy and stretchy. Which is why we stock Glue-Sized Linen, so you just need to stretch it and apply a final coat of RSG or a ground. Think of it as semi-stiffened or partially-prepared linen.
Notice how after drying, the RSG darkens, stiffens and shrinks the linen canvas.
Notice how the RSG darkens, stiffens and shrinks the linen canvas but is nearly invisible on the cotton canvas.
The now sized canvas or panel needs to dry flat for at least 12 hours – and let it dry naturally, don’t use a drier to speed up the drying. If your panel bends because it is thin or not cradled you may want to paint RSG on the back to flatten it out.
Painting on RSG-Sized Canvas
If you do not wish to apply a ground, you can paint with oils straight onto the RSG-sized surface. Many artists like the look of a clear sized linen surface and the surface feel of painting directly onto the RSG sized canvas, so they do not apply a ground. To test if you have enough RSG on the canvas to seal it properly, check the back of the canvas for any seepage or strike-through of the oil paint. If you paint with very fluid oils that are thinned with a lot of solvent you may find that the RSG will not be able to withstand the penetration. Do not paint with acrylics or put acrylic primers on RSG as they will not stick well.
Applying a Genuine Gesso Ground to the Sized Panel
Genuine gesso is a mixture of glue and chalk and like the size it is applied warm. It is used for, among other things, making panels for egg tempera painting because acrylic primers are not absorbent enough and the paint lifts off as you begin layering it. It is also an absorbent enough surface for encaustic painting. The ultra-smooth, soft, very white and absorbent surface is also preferred by some oil painters, especially if they make meticulous renderings. Genuine gesso is only used on panels because it is not flexible, and so it will crack if used on stretched canvas.
There is an efficiency to making many at once. It doesn’t take much more time to size and gesso eight panels than one. For instance, as you are applying size to the eighth panel the first is probably dry enough to get the second layer of size. Then when applying the five or more coats of gesso, you only wait for a coat to become matt before applying the next, as all coats must be applied in one session otherwise the coats will not bond together. So again, by the time that you have coated the eighth the first is probably ready for the next coat and in this way you can do a series of eight in the same time as one.
Making Genuine Gesso
True gesso or traditional gesso (as opposed to acrylic primer which is often called gesso) is made from warm 12:1 RSG and an inert white pigment. This pigment can be called a number of things: gypsum, chalk, marble dust, or whiting. (The word gesso comes from the word gypsum which is why it is pronounced like “jesso”.) You can substitute up to 20% of the inert white pigment with titanium white pigment if you want a bright white surface.
Measure the amount of RSG you have and put it back in your double boiler. Measure 1.5 times the volume of inert white pigment, at Jackson’s we call it whiting. Slowly slip the powder into the liquid without stirring or creating air bubbles, let it form a mound and let it settle and soak for 10 minutes. Then gently stir it with a wet brush, trying to create no bubbles.
Apply the gesso to the sized panel in one direction back and forth, rotating the panel to do each subsequent coat in the crosswise direction to the last. When the shine has left apply the next layer, all 5-10 layers need to be applied the same day for the layers to bond. If there are any cracks, you are not waiting long enough, but the next layer should fill the cracks. If you are getting pinholes that is from air bubbles and you should tap you bucket of gesso sharply on the table to cause the bubbles to rise to the surface and then let the gesso settle for 30 minutes before continuing. You can burnish bubbles out by rubbing with a wet muslin cloth, wet smooth block of wood or your wet finger. The layers are transparent while wet and until you have built up some coats.
Let your panel dry for three days and then smooth it. Fine sandpaper or a sanding sponge are best used wet because the dust is dangerous to breathe. As well as the face, sand the sides to bevel them a bit. If you need a very absorbent surface use the panel as it is. If you wish to reduce the absorbency for oil paints perhaps, then you can add a final coat of RSG.
A similar substance for making painting panels is chalk ground, which has a lower percentage of whiting, 1:1. Half chalk ground is chalk ground with linseed stand oil added. Both of these are generally mixed on a glass palette with a painting knife, working the powder into the liquid in a similar manner to making paint. These can be applied to stretched canvas because the oil content or the higher glue content allows them to be flexible enough.
Applying an Oil Ground to the RSG-Sized Canvas or Panel
An oil ground is composed of a drying oil (usually linseed oil), an alkyd resin or both, with an inert white pigment for tooth and usually titanium white pigment for opacity. It is similar to a layer of oil paint, so needs to dry or cure before painting on. Read the instructions on the container and prepare your canvas or panel ahead of time and allow it to cure for the recommended time. The surface will yellow because of the linseed oil but if you cover the whole surface with paint this will not show. The surface in not very absorbent so the paint slips around and the wet paint can be wiped away easily. Many oil painters find it a superb surface much preferable to an acrylic ground.
The Drawback of RSG
There is a conservation drawback to using RSG. It is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs water from the air over time, causing the glue to swell or shrink as humidity levels change and the repeated flexing of the surface underneath the oil paint causes the oil paint layer to crack. RSG is considered to be a major cause of cracking in oil paintings by most modern conservators. Although it is traditional and has been around for many years, museums have had to work hard conserving some paintings.
The most damage occurs when there are rapid and wide fluctuations in relative humidity, more so than very slow or minor changes. If the relative humidity gets above 85% then the RSG has no rigidity at all so contributes no support and the canvas is free to shrink so the paint can do little but crack or delaminate. But in most climates that is rare. It is most problematic with very old paintings where the oil paint has become very brittle over time.
Because of this changeable, reactive quality of the RSG some people choose instead to use acrylic size on canvas and panels to seal underneath their oil ground for oil painting. But it is still necessary to use RSG as an ingredient in genuine gesso for egg tempera painting. Additionally there are reports that canvas prepared with RSG becomes brittle, but so does oil paint if painted on any stretched canvas, so if you are worried about the cracking of oil paint, conservators recommend only painting on a non-flexible surface such as a wood panel or canvas attached to a wood panel, and never on a stretched canvas.
To ameliorate the problem with RSG apply it as thinly as you can get away with while still accomplishing your purpose; the less you have on your surface the less it can swell and shrink. And of course, storing your work in a less changeable environment will help. There are modern synthetic alternatives, though the surface does not have the same look or feel as RSG, which is often described as sparkling on the surface of the canvas and allowing oil paint to sink into the surface. And they don’t tighten the fabric like the RSG does. In fact, modern sizing alternatives often cause the canvas to slacken.
Synthetic Alternatives to Rabbit Skin Glue
In addition to problems of RSG not being perfectly archival some artists are concerned because it is an animal product. If this is a concern you may wish to know that although it is made by rendering the gelatine from animals, they are not usually rabbits, the name designates a particular concentration of glue; hide glue is a name given to the same product at a different concentration. RSG is a by-product of the meat market and no animals are killed just for the glue.
For either of these reasons you may wish to use a modern synthetic alternative to hide glue, though they will not work in all situations. Although acrylic sizes are designed for use with acrylic primers and acrylic paints they can be used for sizing canvas before applying an oil ground for oil painting. You can apply one or two coats of GAC 100 or a similar polymer medium directly to the raw canvas, worked well into the weave. If you wish for a stiffer feel use GAC 400 for the first coat and GAC 100 for the second coat. Golden Acrylic’s latest research seems to point to GAC 200 working like both GAC 400 and GAC 100 so you just need two coats of that on it own. Since they are acrylic polymer, they are only very slightly hygroscopic, which makes for a much more stable surface over time. Lascaux make a great acrylic size. Ara make a great acrylic and casein size. If you want a clear size to allow the colour of a linen canvas to show then a polymer gloss medium would be a good choice – a matt medium will leave a cloudy surface as will many clear primers/gessos. And the feel of painting on the plastic surface is very different from painting on the RSG surface.
There are also PVA sizes but I have read that a reputable painter and materials researcher does not recommend PVA size as it is prone to deterioration. But that may be because there are over 50 different types of formulations of PVA (Polyvinyl Acetate) and only a few are of a good enough quality to make permanent paintings because they have low acidity, retain flexibility, and have low colour change. Look for pH neutral, sometimes called acid-free, PVA. PVA not made specifically for artists will deteriorate and is to be avoided. Gamblin make an artist-quality PVA size.
Acrylic primer is easier and quicker to use than RSG and true gesso, with more predictable results each time. It is both a size and a ground in one. However, these modern replacements do not stiffen and tighten the canvas as well as rabbit skin glue does, in fact they tend to loosen the fabric so it may need to be re-stretched after priming, so some artists still prefer to use RSG.
RSG and Related Materials at Jackson’s
- Rabbit Skin Glue
- Whiting
- Oil Primer/Ground
- Modern Synthetic Sizes
- Wooden Panels
- Unprimed (Raw) Canvas by the Meter
- Clear Glue-Sized Canvas
- Icon Soft Mottler Brushes
- Plastic Paint Buckets
Further Reading
How to Varnish a Painting in Oil, Water-Mixable Oil or Acrylic
Venetian Red: the Red Earth Pigment That Evokes the Italian Renaissance
Gold Gilding Process With Tuesday Riddell
In Conversation With David Coles of Langridge Artist Colours
This post was updated on 21st June 2021.
This same deer skin glue and methods of conservation are the ones used for the glue used for fix a broken arrow or yumi(Japanese bow) made of traditional bamboo.)
Interesting! As hide glue is very old technology it makes sense!
Thanks for adding to the conversation.
Very useful guide. Would make a great chapter in a book!
I am using wood for the first time as I have only used canvas up to now. Rsg ahoy!
Thank you.
Thanks Aidan!
Glad it was helpful!
This was really useful. I’ve been given a recipe to make gesso for egg tempera but it has rabbit size flakes instead of cubes. As the recipe uses volume rather than weight do you know if this will make any difference to the mix? So far my gesso feels too gluey and I’m wondering if this might be the problem. Can’t seem to find RSG flakes any where.
Thanks again for the article.
Hi Liz
We use to have the flakes and the cubes do seem to make a different concentration. When warm, before you add the whiting, it should be like chicken broth, not too thick.
The gesso experts I know do it by feel and are not too worried by a bit of variation.
I hope that helps a bit.
Thanks Julie. I’ll give it another go.
hi – I used fish size in art school many years ago – back into
painting again. Does the rabise glue/size stretch the canvas? this
is important to me as I rely on the size for stretching. Used to be
great – stretched like a drum – hope to hear input
Thanks
Hi Judi
Canvas is most often sized with rabbit skin/hide glue (RSG). From what I understand of fish glues, they do not need to be heated to become liquid. RSG needs to be applied warm.
I’ve never used fish glue but if you are looking for a canvas stiffener that creates a dum-tight stretch then RSG should work well for you.
thanks Julie I will try RSG – I think fish size was
hheated as I remember my family complaining while I
heated on the oven top, not a problem anyway I will
make my canvases next week Cheers
I REMEMBER THAT AFTER SIZING THE STRETCHED CANVAS
WITH RABBIT SKIN GLUE WE HAD TO RE-STRETCH THE
CANVAS ON THE STRETCHER FRAME AND TIGHTEN IT LIITLE
BIT, SO THE CANVAS FRAME DOESN’T TWIST, BUT CANVAS
FEELS NICELY FIRM. OF COURSE IT NEEDS TO DRY FIRST.
RSG is not at all archival and is
prone to cracking (plus there’s
absolutely no reason to cause harm to
animals)–use a modern equivalent.
Yes, it’s true that although RSG is a traditional product, it has archival problems – the main one being it swells with humidity, and that change of size can cause cracking.
There are many good alternatives for sealing your canvas under an oil primer including Golden GAC 400 and Lascaux Acrylic Size.
Or if you are using a universal primer it does the sealing for you.
The only time you might need rsg if when making genuine gesso to apply as a ground on panels for gilding, egg tempera or encaustic painting.
Rsg is not made from only rabbit skin, but from any kind of hide. These are usually a by-product of the meat industry and can be seen an making sure no part goes to waste.
Rabbit glue is not prone to cracking
unless the glues goes on very thickly.
As it’s being used for sizing canvasses
and panels it WON’T be going on thickly,
so it won’t crack when used for those
two things. It also won’t crack when
used in gesso because that is also put
on in thin layers.
With respect to causing harm to animals
– no rabbit, hare, pig or sturgeon were
ever killed or harmed because of glue
manufacturer. The glue was produced
using waste products of animals that
were already being slaughtered for their
meat. Not using the glue won’t prevent
the slaughter of animals because of
things like cat and dog, and of course
meat eaters. You can get animals free
alternatives if you want to – agar agar
jelly for instance is made from seaweed
– but you would have to do your own
tests to find out which strength is best.
Talking about archival – before rabbit
skin glue became popular, flour paste
was used on canvas. Titian used it, as
did Rubens, as did a large percentage of
the artistic population did as well. Only
in the 20th century did rabbit skin glue
really supersede flour paste because
restorers and other scientific minded
people objected to flour paste on the
grounds of it attracted mould – which it
does, but only if the conditions are right.
With central heating everywhere these
days, mould won’t get a look in, as it has
to be a really damp or cold environment,
which a lot of medieval churches were.
I’ve used flour paste, and I’ve used rabbit
skin glue, and I’ve used gelatine. They
are all safe and sound when used in the
correct way and the artwork is kept in
the right environment.
Thanks for the info Warren.
Thank you for a very good summary of using RSG. We
have used it for stage scenery flats for years. The size
preps the canvas surface for painting with emulsion
paint and makes the flats tight as a drum. We mix at 13
parts water to 1 part RGS and only need to give one
coat of size. We don’t always remember to soak over
night but an hour or two soak is usually enough before
heating. We too use the double bucket method,
topping up the bottom one with boiling water as
required. Our flats are usually 10′ by 4′ so this is a very
economical solution (forgive the pun). These days the
smell is perfectly ok but many years ago it was almost
unbearable. I have also used the glue for antique
furniture repairs, at 4 water to 1 RSG, this is useful
because it is reversible, with heat, to reset joints. RSG
is also perfect for gluing large areas of paper to wood.
As you can tell, I am a fan!
Thanks Tim!
Great info and it sounds like you have a lot of experience.
I didn’t realise the smell had changed from the past, I thought it was just people leaving it out to spoil!
Strangely, I’ve never used hide glue with paper, though many book artists I know have done.
(BTW I love a pun myself, but I won’t rabbit on.)
Hi I found Rabbit skin glue hard to buy it in China, because I
am not Chinese as well. So this Golden GAC 400 and Lascaux
Acrylic Size will be an alternative? Or use universal primer?
If you use universal primer you do not need to use RSG. Universal acrylic primer is both a size and ground in one.
in your produc catalog, Belle Arti 696 description says it
must be coated with Matt Medium – but 696 is rabbit sized
and probably shouldnt be coated with Acrylic ?
Please advise.
Belle Arti advise that oil painters can add a coat of matt medium, acrylic medium, gesso or similar to the surface depending on the absorbency and texture they desire, because this surface is only single-primed with a primer containing rabbit skin glue.
Has anyone ever frozen prepared RSG or Bole?
I have a very old painting that the oil
paint is flaking and lifting off in places.
What can I brush on the back of the
painting in the hope it will soak through
and hold the painting together.
Hi Margaret
Thanks for your question – this sounds like one for a picture restorer – I’m afraid I haven’t got experience of repairing a painting in this condition. However I have heard one technique that you may wish to try:
Make a mix of beeswax (80%) and damar resin (20%) and heat it gently in a double boiler, thinning with turpentine to make it brushable and fluid. Take a heated metal palette knife and apply pressure to the flaking paint from the front of your painting. Apply a thin layer of the beeswax with a soft brush over the flaking area and then allow it to dry. Then place a piece of acid free paper over the top. Apply the beeswax to the same area on the reverse of the canvas. Then iron with an electric iron on a low heat for a few seconds. Allow it to cool completely before washing the paper away.
Many thanks
Lisa
I would like to attach 2mtr square paper to a calico backing,
for strength. (Similar to an old school roller map). If I use
rsg then the paper stretches and the calico doesn’t. The
result is wrinkled. Any ideas?
Hi Susie
Since I don’t know the weight of the paper and haven’t done this exact thing before I am only imagining what might work, to give you a starting point. I do recommend trying some small pieces to see what works, perhaps 10cm square. My first thought is spray mount and the second is PVA.
Spray mount should resolve any wrinkling because it won’t be adding water to the paper. But I don’t know how well it will adhere to the cloth. Calico often comes with a starch coating for smoothness, that washes out the first time you wash the cloth. It may lift off with the glue so the paper peels away later. So you could hem the cloth all round and then wash it (it will probably shrink 10% or more) and iron it smooth. But then I still don’t know how well the spray mount will adhere to the weave, so recommend testing.
I use PVA to attach canvas to wood, (unwashed) muslin to wood, and cloth to cardboard. The issue would be getting the PVA all brushed on before the first part is too dry. So it might need to be a section at a time. If it is thin paper it will be best to put the glue on the heavier thing – the calico. Then line up the edges and unroll the paper onto the calico, smoothing as you go, painting on the PVA a few cm at a time in front of the roll.
I hope that helps get you started.
[…] This is an earlier post about rabbit skin glue. […]
What mix ratio of RSG to water would you
use for adhering a canvas liner to the back
of an oil painting?
Hi Antonio
I don’t know a lot about picture conservation. From what I know RSG isn’t the adhesive used to restore badly damaged canvases by laminating a new piece of cloth on the back.
I had a quick google and found some info that mentions using waxes and pastes. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lining_of_paintings
It would be best to contact a professional conservator who can give you better info.
I have a 30 year old oil painting on thin
canvas or muslin that needs to be glued to a
larger canvas in order to place it on stretcher
bars. Can I use rabbit skin glue for that and
will that be archival? Thanks
Hi Peter
Rabbit Skin Glue is not considered the best sealant or glue for archival purposes anymore. It reacts too much to humidity.
Artists use soft gloss acrylic gel to glue canvas to canvas when they make collaged works.
For a valuable, old or fragile work, as yours might be, I would consult a professional conservator.
Dear Julie,
Thank you very much on sharing info on
skin glue. I am opposite, I hope to get
cracks after applying skin glue on
painted canvas with acrylics. I already
bought the RSG but wondering if you can
help with a technique where I can get
the cracks. I am following on IG Renata
Shepmann, a German artist who creates
beautiful art and here and there shares
her techniques unfortunately I don’t
speak the language to figure out.
I am looking very forward to your reply.
Thank you
Hi Vera
I had a quick look at her website and instagram. Very interesting work!
It looks like she does online workshops and Facebook events that cover exactly what you are looking for, how to work with the RSG like she does. I would email her and ask if she has any workshops in English.
I don’t know her technique, except that she says she puts the RSG over the acrylic painting. It sounds experimental. Have you experimented with putting it on the painting to see what happens?
Dear Julie,
Happy New Year!
Thank you very much for replying back. I
did watch all her short videos and Reels in
German as she doesn’t have them in
English and will experiment, hopefully I
will get the results I am aiming for.
once again thank you.
Thanks for the great article. How soon
after sizing the board with rsg does the
gesso need to be applied. I was hoping to
do the rsg stage but don’t have time to
gesso immediately. Can I wait a few weeks
before I apply the gesso?
Hi Robert,
You can leave the boards for any amount of time between applying the rabbit skin glue and the gesso. So long as the rabbit skin glue is fully absorbed and dry, you’re ready to primt whenever is convenient.
Many thanks
Lisa
Hi. I was wondering, has anyone tried sizing
with rsg and then use pva size over that to
better seal linen but have the tightening
qualities of the rsg too? I am noticing PVA
size does not hardly tighten linen, so am
wonder if could use rsg first and then seal
with something else.
Hi Sharon
Everything I’ve ever read said not to apply PVA or acrylic primer over RSG. I understand that this is because the water in the PVA or acrylic primer will cause the dried RSG to swell and then as it shrinks slowly back to its original size the PVA or acrylic primer is cracked as it has already dried and then it may come away. But you could always experiment and see if it works, you should be able to tell in a few days I would think.
Another possibility is to use two acrylic products. Golden used to have this procedure on their website but they’ve taken it down so I’m not sure if they don’t recommend it anymore but they did for years. One coat of GAC 400 to stiffen the canvas and 2 coats of GAC 100 to seal it. RSG stiffens and shrinks the canvas, while the GAC 400 does the stiffening part of RSG but only does some shrinking (which might be why they no longer say it is an equivalent procedure). But you could get small bottles of that and see if it does it enough for what you want.
Another option is to do what a lot of artists do (me included) which is to size the canvas with pva or acrylic medium off the stretcher and then when it is dry stretch it, then it is going to be tight enough. Most people will staple the canvas to the studio wall all around, apply the sizing and when it is dry remove it and stretch in on stretcher bars, then apply the ground.
[…] A size can be made from acrylic polymer, PVA, acrylic and casein, or animal gelatine. Be aware that there are over 50 different types of formulations of PVA (Polyvinyl Acetate) and only a few are of a good enough quality to make permanent paintings because they have low acidity, retain flexibility, and have low colour change. Look for pH neutral, sometimes called acid-free, PVA. PVA not made specifically for artists will deteriorate and is to be avoided. We stock canvas that is partially prepared, it is sized with rabbit skin glue ready for application of a ground or another coat of glue if you wish it to be clear coated. You can read more about sizes in Rabbit Skin Glue: Preparation, Uses and Alternatives. […]
[…] A measurement could be constructed from acrylic polymer, PVA, acrylic and casein, or animal gelatine. Remember that there are over 50 several types of formulations of PVA (Polyvinyl Acetate) and only some are of a adequate high quality to make everlasting work as a result of they’ve low acidity, retain flexibility, and have low color change. Search for pH impartial, typically referred to as acid-free, PVA. PVA not made particularly for artists will deteriorate and is to be averted. We inventory canvas that’s partially ready, it’s sized with rabbit pores and skin glue prepared for software of a floor or one other coat of glue if you want it to be clear coated. You possibly can learn extra about sizes in Rabbit Pores and skin Glue: Preparation, Makes use of and Options. […]
Can we apply rabbit skin glue behind the canvas to prevent mold growth ?
This is not a good idea.
First, animal skin glue is a very reactive material in response to changes in relative humidity. At low RH it is extremely brittle, at high RH it loses all its structure. RSG on the back of the canvas would exacerbate both of these negative tendencies. Mould growth only occurs at high RH, the same ranges where animal glue starts to fail. Also, applying RSG on the back of an already painted canvas could cause severe shrinkage to the canvas resulting in possible loss of ground and paint layers.
In the past, artists would sometimes size both sides of the canvas before painting. This could be done if desired, but before any priming or painting. Also, this would be best if done using an acrylic size or primer if you do want to prime both sides.
I am confused by Jacksons RSG clear sized
linen panels – as you say you can apply
acrylic primer/gesso on them; then in your
advisory website, you say DO NOT apply
acrylics over RSG. Which is it?
Hi Kate
The Belle Arti clear glue-sized linen that we sell by the metre, as stretched canvases and use on our handmade linen boards, has recently changed. They no longer use RSG; they now use a universal acrylic polymer size. We have changed our descriptions for the products on our website and I need tp go back and edit that new information into any previous articles.
It is the case that you should not apply acrylic over RSG.
Looking for some advice please!
Currently I’m using the liquitex professional
clear gesso onto raw canvas and other
materials for oil painting, and the oil leaks
out. What product would you recommend
that has a clear finish?
Thanks!
Hi Siobhan
How many coats do you apply? It should work great for sealing the canvas from oil paint. But you will need to use 2-4 coats. Best if the first coat is worked well into the weave with a scrubbing motion. When it is dry apply 2 more coats. If you still get bleed through then apply one more coat the next time. This many coats of clear gesso will give a cloudy finish. If you wish a more clear finish then all but the last coat with polymer gloss medium.
Hi. I have a typical pre-stretched canvas
primed with acrylic gesso but covered with
a thin layer of oil paint. A couple of years
ago, I covered the entire original painting
in brown thinned with turpenoid mixed
with glazing medium so as to start anew.
Now, I’d like to do a new piece on the
brown underpainting, but I’m wondering if
RSG would improve the seal first. My
painting coach always urges students to
treat any store-bought, primed & stretched
canvas with RSG, but I didn’t know about
this two decades ago. Is it too late?
Thank you.
Clarification: The original painting is two
decades old. I covered it in brown two years
ago. Neither layer is thick.
Hi Andy
Adding a layer of RSG on top would not help seal the canvas. But it might act as a primer for the next layer.
I’ve never heard of putting RSG on top of acrylic gesso, but theoretically it could be done. But I’m not sure what your teacher was trying to achieve with it – sealing the surface more or creating a different feeling ground to paint on. Sizing the canvas (sealing with RSG, acrylic polymer or PVA) is usually done before the gesso, not on top. And a glue ground isn’t what most people like to paint on.
If by ‘seal’ you mean to make the next layer of paint stick better, it might, but I’m not sure. You can test it by doing it and seeing if the paint can be easily removed after it is dry.
A bigger concern might be the brown layer you applied. A well-dried oil painting has a surface like glass and the new oil paint layer can’t penetrate to grab on. When painting over old paintings, many times the new layer does not adhere. Try scratching it with your fingernail. If it flakes off it is not adhered. So anything now going on top with be on top of loose paint. Adding a layer of RSG on top will not adhere it from underneath.
It all sounds worrying to me. But its a good opportunity for experimenting and seeing what will work. So test the adhesion of the brown layer and then try the RSG and test it when it’s well-dried.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
I’m coming to the blog late. If possible, could
you give me some numbers on drying times?
I coated a birch board with RSG, waited 3
hours, then applied a second coat. I waited
another 72 hours before applying titanium
oil ground. I won’t paint on the board for
another 2 weeks. Am I on the right track?
Thanks – very informative article.
Your method sounds spot on!