Everything, in order
All sections
The whole publication laid out as the object it describes — twenty-four pieces across seven layers, from the bars at the back to the moulding at the front.
STRETCHER
The wooden skeleton underneath everything — why it moves, how it holds, and what happens when it fails.
- Eight Taps with a MalletA walk-through of keying out a slack canvas — what the wedges do, how much tension is correct, and the sound that tells you to stop. Practical in register, written from the bench outward.3 min read
- Pine, Poplar, or Obeche — Does the Wood Actually Matter?A direct comparison of the three timber species most commonly used for stretcher bars, examining movement, weight and cost. Argues that the choice matters less than moisture control.2 min read
- What Warped ItAn explainer on why wooden stretchers rack and bow — seasonal humidity, uneven tension, bad corner construction. Identifies the signs before a warp becomes a problem.2 min read
CANVAS
The woven surface that takes the ground — thread count, tension, and the weave you can feel through the paint.
- The Linen ArgumentSets out the real differences between linen and cotton support — tensile strength, texture, age behaviour — and unpicks the mythology that has built up around linen's supposed superiority.4 min read
- From Roll to Frame: How Canvas Gets StretchedA step-by-step walk-through of stretching and stapling canvas onto bars — order of staples, corner folding, the first and second passes. Written so a first-timer can follow it without pictures.4 min read
- The Tooth Beneath the PaintAn argument that the weave count of a canvas is a compositional decision — how a coarse tooth breaks a brushstroke and a fine one lets it skate. Uses examples from historical technique.2 min read
GROUND
Gesso, chalk, lead white — the white layer everything sits on and why its recipe changes everything above it.
- Gesso: the White Everything Sits OnWhat traditional gesso actually contains — chalk and rabbit-skin glue — and how it differs from the acrylic dispersion sold as gesso today.7 min read
- When the Ground Is Not WhiteExplains why painters have historically toned their grounds warm ochre, grey or mid-green, and how the ground colour bleeds through to the finished surface. Factual, with historical technique examples.4 min read
- Two Whites That Are Not the SameA comparison of oil-based and acrylic grounds — absorbency, flexibility, drying behaviour, long-term compatibility. Helps a reader understand why the choice of ground affects every layer above it.2 min read
PAINT
Pigment, binder, body — where colour comes from and why paint behaves the way it does under the brush.
- Why Some Colours Fade and Others Don'tExplains the physical difference between pigment particles and dye molecules — how one is bound to the surface and one stains through — and why this is the root cause of differential fading in old pictures.2 min read
- The One Rule You Cannot BreakA focused explainer on the fat-over-lean principle — oil ratios in successive paint layers — and what happens structurally when it is violated. Written as a piece about why something goes wrong rather than as instruction.4 min read
- Colours That Will Not Sit StillExamines the physical movement of certain pigments in drying oil — lead white's vertical migration, bitumen's perpetual softness — framed as a mystery that materials science has mostly, but not entirely, solved.3 min read
- Dirt, Fired and GroundA concise history of the earth pigments — raw and burnt sienna, umber, yellow ochre — tracing their geological origin and their continuous use across roughly five centuries of European panel and canvas painting.8 min read
VARNISH
The removable skin on top — what it changes optically, why it yellows, and when to leave it alone.
- The Layer That Deepens EverythingDescribes the optical effect of varnish on a dry paint surface — saturation increase, gloss, the way shadows deepen — and explains why a varnished picture and an unvarnished one of the same subject look like different objects.2 min read
- Natural Resin Against the PolymerA comparison of damar resin varnish and modern synthetic alternatives — yellowing rates, reversibility, gloss level, solubility — without prescribing which to use. Presents the trade-offs and leaves the decision to the reader.3 min read
- This Is Where You StopExplains what surface cleaning of varnish involves, why the margin between removing dirt and removing paint is almost invisible, and marks clearly the point at which the piece must go to a trained conservator. Does not provide cleaning instructions.2 min read
LIGHT
How a painting changes with the direction, colour and quantity of light — and how to use that when looking.
- What Raking Light Shows That Normal Light HidesAn explainer on raking light — a single source held low and to the side — and the surface information it reveals: brushwork, pentimenti, cracking patterns, canvas texture. Tells the reader how to replicate it at home with a phone torch.3 min read
- More Than Eight SecondsA practical piece on how to look at a painting for longer than instinct allows — where to start, what to follow, how long different kinds of attention take to develop. The site's flagship piece on the act of looking.7 min read
- The Wrong Bulb Changes the PictureExplains colour temperature in lighting — measured in Kelvin — and how tungsten, daylight and LED sources shift the apparent hue of the same paint surface. Practical for anyone choosing how to hang a picture at home.2 min read
- When the Paint Casts a ShadowFocuses on heavily built paint surfaces — impasto — and how directional light turns the surface into a relief map of the painter's decisions. Argues that impasto is better understood as sculpture than as colour.2 min read
FRAME
Moulding profiles, gilding, rebate depth — the frame as part of the picture rather than an afterthought.
- The Picture Starts at the MouldingAn argument that framing is not neutral presentation but an active compositional force — how profile width, colour and depth change the weight and mood of the image inside. Uses historical framing choices as evidence.4 min read
- Water Gilt, Oil Gilt, Spray — What the Difference Looks LikeA factual comparison of the three main gilding methods by their surface quality, labour, reversibility and longevity. Distinguishes burnished water gilding from the flat finish of oil gilding in terms a non-specialist can see.3 min read
- Period Frames and the Wrong CenturyExamines the mismatch between historical paintings and the frames they currently carry — how pictures acquire frames from the wrong era — and what period-appropriate framing actually means in practice.2 min read
- The Rebate Too Shallow for the PaintingA short, practical explainer on rebate (rabbet) depth — the channel that holds the picture inside the frame — and what goes wrong when depth is insufficient: pressure on the canvas, corner damage, inability to fit the glazing.2 min read