Advice please,can I add to old painting?

[Jane]

I started two small ET paintings last year, and then stopped (Nov 05) :oops: . I want to finish them now (Nov 06) they are about 3/4 done, and wonder whether I need to do anything to the surface before adding, and will new painting adhere properly?

If it is not recommeded I'll just leave them as practice attempts and start again.

Thank you,
Jane

[PhilS]

Jane,
I have made corrections to old paintings in the past. The new paint looked shinier than the old and didn't blend well so I waited a couple of days, then buffed the entire surface with a cotton ball. I was able to blend old and new pretty well that way.
If your paintings have been hanging out in the open, they may have acquired a fine film of dirt or grease (i.e. in a kitchen) which could interfere with adhesion of new paint. I would wipe them down (carefully!). Sand any open gesso areas.
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
Phil

[Alessandra Kelley]

I had a painting I left for 4 months, then resumed. The tempera had hardened to rock-solidness; nothing I did over it could budge it. It was kind of cool, actually.

The overpainting worked out just fine.

[Jane]

Phil & Alessandra - Thank you for getting back to me so quickly - now I have no excuses and must get cracking :lol: .

I will let you know how it turns out, and I hope to post "my first & second ET's soon"

Jane

[JanMoore]

Here's an anecdote that might be encouraging. According to Andrew Wyeth, a painting he started in 1945 was damaged and his gallery asked him to restore it. Instead, he changed the position of the figure in the painting and added a sloop to the background. This was in 1974 -- 34 years later!

You can find this story in Andrew Wyeth: Autobiography (Little, Brown and Company, 1995) on page 99. The painting is "Rum Runner."

[David McKay]

Hi Jane:

I have also repaired and "improved" older paintings. Rob is very correct about the film of dust, dirt, oil, whatever, that no doubt has settled on the surface. I would dampen a cloth with water or even mineral spirits and give the painting a quick gentle wipe and then let it dry (by evaporation) without further wiping. I think it would take the new paint better after that.

To get an equal sheen between the old and new paint be careful not to add anymore egg medium to the pigment than is necessary. In other words add just enough egg yolk to the new mixture to get a sheen similar to the older paint film. If it gets too shiny in spite of your precautions, you can gently brush some pure water over the new paint and blot it with a paper towel.

Hope this helps. Just experiment a little and you will find the right method.

David

[David McKay]

Sorry, a correction to my last post. It was Phil, not Rob, who gave the expert advice. David