Questions about gessobord

Materials Oil Painting
1

I am new to the site and new to painting on gessobord. I have several questions and any help is appreciated.
What is the preferred painting surface for the buyer? Is it a flat gessobord or a cradled gessobord? The flat option allows for the buyer to custom frame it but a cradled gessoboard is more complete of itself - it doesn’t need a frame.

How are flat gessobords hung to a wall? How are cradled gessobords hung to the wall?

I am also contemplating making my own prepped boards. I have the wherewithal to make my own, flat or cradled gessobords, but I am wondering about the time involved to make them. What do you think?

2

Here is a thread that might interest you.

http://arttalk.dailypaintworks.com/t/do-you-make-your-own-boards/127

For the small boards up to 8 inches, I buy gesso boards from Jerrys because it is not worth making my own unless I am out of them. I have found that larger boards can warp even if sealed both sides so I make a cradle of 3/4 inch plywood on its end. I mitre the corners and glue the whole thing together. Some commercial boards are more slippery than others. This can be overcome by adding a layer of gesso or coating with a thin layer of oil paint and wiping it off.

3

What ever you paint on will be eventually be framed and that’ll answer your hanging part of your question. I think you should worry less about what you use and concentrate on what you paint on it, skill & concept over material .

4

I struggle with this question also. I recently started painting on cradled boards which opens up a whole other decision…what to paint the sides? I have decided to do what suits the painting best. I think you just have to take a chance and do what you do regardless what the buyer is ideally looking for regarding framing or not. Also there are options to frame with a floater frame if you are using cradled panels. Good luck and happy painting!

5

I’ve not seen cradled board in floater frame but wouldn’t be any different from flat though you would have to have same depth on the frame. I have put 7/8" canvases in floaters and they are great.

I finish sides of cradled boards with complimentary color or black, white, gray or background color.