From Ground Up

Creating Reliable Painting Supports for Expressive Work

Good results start before you paint - make the right ground

A Deep Dive into Oil Grounds, Absorbency, and Practical Surface Planning

When it comes to oil painting, the saying “a painting is only as good as its support” holds more truth than many realize. The painting ground — the surface preparation you create before the paint even touches the canvas — forms the foundation of your entire work. A carefully built ground ensures your paint behaves predictably, your colours remain vibrant, and your painting ages gracefully. But beyond just durability, a well-planned ground can actively support and enhance expressive, dynamic painting.

In this article, we’ll explore the technical and practical aspects of creating reliable painting grounds, focusing on oil grounds, their absorbency, and how to plan your surfaces effectively — all critical knowledge for painters serious about both craft and creativity.

Why Does the Painting Ground Matter?

Think of the ground as the skin beneath your paint. It’s the barrier that interacts directly with the paint layers and the canvas or panel beneath. A poor ground can lead to problems such as cracking, poor adhesion, muddy colours, or uneven drying. Conversely, a good ground provides a stable, consistent base that allows your paint to flow, layer, and express your intent without technical distractions.

For expressive work, where brushwork, texture, and layering matter deeply, the ground must be more than just stable — it should be thoughtfully designed to respond to your style.

Understanding Oil Grounds and Absorbency

What Is an Oil Ground?

An oil ground is a priming layer specially formulated to prepare canvas or panel for oil paint. Traditionally made with a mixture of lead white and linseed oil (now replaced by safer alternatives), oil grounds create a slightly absorbent surface that grips paint while allowing enough flexibility for the paint film.

Modern oil grounds are often acrylic or alkyd-based emulsions designed to mimic the traditional feel but with faster drying times and less yellowing.

The Role of Absorbency

Absorbency is a key factor in how the paint behaves on the surface. A highly absorbent ground will suck oil out of the paint quickly, causing dull, matte finishes and fast drying, which can make blending difficult. A less absorbent, more “fat” ground allows paint to stay workable longer, supporting smooth transitions and subtle gradations.

For expressive painting, balance is critical. You want enough absorbency to prevent the paint from slipping or pooling but not so much that your colours lose vitality or the paint becomes brittle.

How to Create a Reliable Painting Ground

Step 1: Choose Your Support

Start with quality linen canvas or a rigid panel like wood or MDF, primed appropriately to prevent oils from seeping through and damaging the fibres or panel over time.

Step 2: Seal the Surface

For raw canvas, sealing with a thin layer of acrylic or oil-based size reduces absorbency and protects fibres. This step is essential if you want a consistent surface and to avoid future degradation.

Step 3: Apply the Ground Layers

A traditional oil ground might involve multiple thin layers of a lead white and oil mix, sanded between coats for smoothness. Modern acrylic grounds can be built up similarly but dry faster and are less toxic.

• Number of Layers: Generally, 2-3 thin coats provide enough coverage and build a slightly absorbent surface. Just one layer of my school gesso is usually ideal for study, making it a quick and easy way to get painting.

• Thickness: Avoid thick, uneven applications; they can crack or flake. If you want a textured ground use my school ground recipes.

Step 4: Sand Smooth or leave a Texture

Depending on your painting style, you can sand the final ground to a smooth finish for precise brushwork or leave it textured for more expressive marks and tooth.

Practical Surface Planning for Expressive Painting

Consider Your Medium and Technique

• Alla Prima painters may prefer a more absorbent ground that quickly sets the first layers and allows for direct blending.

• Glazing painters might want a less absorbent, more ‘fat’ ground to support slow layering and vibrant colour effects.

• Impasto painters benefit from a ground with enough tooth to hold thick paint without slipping.

  
  

Test and Adjust

Every studio and artist is different. Testing your grounds on sample panels helps you discover what works best with your materials and style.

Colour of the Ground

While many grounds are traditionally white or off-white, coloured grounds or Boles, can enhance mood and atmosphere. An earth-tone ground, for example, can add warmth and unify the painting’s palette.

How We Teach Ground Building at Martin Kinnear Studio

At Martin Kinnear Studio, we integrate practical grounding techniques throughout our teaching programs:

• Our Oils Program covers a variety of fundamental grounds, enabling students to understand and apply reliable surface preparation suited to a broad range of painting approaches.

• The Advanced Oils Program introduces more specialist grounds, tailored to specific techniques and styles, offering greater control over texture, absorbency, and finish.

• For our Diploma and PRIMER students, we go beyond the technical application. We develop their critical thinking and studio craft skills so they can design and adapt the ideal ground for their individual practice — blending tradition with innovation, and theory with hands-on experimentation.

This layered learning ensures that by the time students complete our courses, they’re not just following recipes — they’re confidently creating surfaces that serve their creative vision.

Final Thoughts

Building a reliable painting ground is both a technical necessity and a creative choice. It demands understanding materials, patience, and experimentation, but the payoff is immense: a surface that supports your paint and your vision — giving you the freedom to focus on expression without technical worries.

At Martin Kinnear Studio, we emphasize these foundational skills, helping painters not only master their materials but also explore how surface preparation can amplify their expressive potential.

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